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Three Perspectives on Thriving in the Digital Age

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A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Maureen Andersen, President and CEO of INTIX, and Linda Forlini, Vice President of Ticket Philadelphia, for a panel discussion at the League of Historic American Theatres (LHAT) conference in Philadelphia. We were moderated by PatronManager’s Vice President of Business Development & Strategy, Robert Friend, who elicited a surprisingly wide-ranging set of answers to the main subject of the panel, which was to uncover what it takes to thrive in the digital age.  Read the Article

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Introducing Automated Patron Communications & Credit Card Brand Exclusive Pre-Sales

At PatronManager, we’re constantly seeking new ways to help our clients build stronger (and more profitable) relationships with their patrons. We’ve found the best way to do this is to actively solicit feedback from you, the people on the frontlines using our system. 

With this in mind, as part of our August 2019 release, we’re thrilled to announce the arrival of one of our most highly requested features, Automated Communications! With this upgrade, you’ll be able to send automatic pre- and post-show emails to your patrons all from within PatronManager, no third-party apps or other email systems necessary. Want to send an event reminder with parking directions to your ticket-buyers two days before a show? No problem. How about a follow-up survey to all attendees twelve hours after curtain? You got it!Read the Article

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Applying the Consensus Workshop Method to Arts Administration

Today’s blog post is written by Mary Alice Dutkanicz, Senior Manager of Data Migration Services, PatronManager.

In last week’s blog post, my colleague Rachel Hands wrote about preparing your team for a productive brainstorming session. Today, I’d like to share my experience with a specific method of brainstorming. This method can help your arts organization generate a clearly defined vision, whether for grant writing, seasonal development, or just figuring out what audience segments are most important for your marketing efforts.

I recently attended a Salesforce Admin Day hosted by Soapbox Engage. This Admin Day followed the typical structure that you might find at any workshop: coffee and introductions, a presentation of new Salesforce features, and an afternoon of breakout groups. What made this workshop different was the framework of the event itself. In the days leading up to the event, I was intrigued to see that, aside from a general outline of activities on the event web page, there was no description of what topics would be covered during those activities and breakout groups. This was explained in an email prior to the event:Read the Article

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3 Steps to a Better Brainstorm

Today’s blog post is written by Rachel Hands, Director of Client Services, PatronManager.

Picture it, arts leaders: you’re planning a staff meeting for the beginning of your fiscal year. Your season is set, you’re excited about it, and you want to come up with some new and engaging ways to help your patrons connect with the work you’ve chosen! You know your team is made up of thoughtful, creative people who are committed to that same goal — you’ve done your job well in hiring and mentoring — and you want to take advantage of that, so you’re pretty sure that a brainstorming session is in order. It’ll help you learn what’s top-of-mind for the folks who are the most deeply invested in your organization — chances are, they’ve been thinking about this already, and have some fresh ideas ready to share. 

There’s just one thing that’s giving you pause before sending that calendar invite: you’ve seen brainstorming meetings go a bit off the rails, so you want to make sure this one goes as productively as possible. Read the Article

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Combating Non-Profit Burnout

Today’s blog post is written by Lara Wildesen, Data Project Coordinator, PatronManager.

Many people know the signs of burnout: fatigue, loss of concentration, loss of passion, isolation, and sometimes even physical symptoms, such as headaches. Non-profit employees are particularly susceptible to experiencing burnout with limited staff, heavy workloads, tight budgets, and strict deadlines. For most non-profits, taking on more staff members can be a financial impossibility, so it’s vital that you actively take care of the employees you do have. A big part of this is making sure they have the proper support to avoid burnout, as well as having a system in place for when it does happen. Let’s look at prevention first:Read the Article

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