Money Money Money

Money makes the world go around
The world go around
The world go around
Money makes the world go around
It makes the world go 'round.
- Cabaret 

I know, that title, it sounds horrible, and excuse the reference to Cabaret.  No one creates theatre for the money.  It's for the art, for the love of the stage, for the thrill of the applause, for the sake of the story...but, in today's world (and as cliche as this is going to sound), in today's economy, we've got to talk about it! Money makes theatre happen.  It's expensive to put on a show, and we all know that ticket sales cover a small portion of the cost of a production.  Fund raising is key!

So, today marks the first of a new blog series I affectionately call Funding Friday.  One Friday a month, the blog post will be dedicated to a discussion of funding ideas and inspiration.  How do small theatre companies compete with the larger arts organizations and other nonprofits for dollars?  How can we work together to achieve our fiscal goals?  What are the best approaches to writing grants?  Are events really worth the effort?  How do you convert patrons to donors?

I do not pretend to be an expert in this subject, but I am hoping through the collective wisdom of the group, and perhaps by enlisting the aid of guest bloggers, and other resources, we can all gain insight into this subject, and hopefully gain a few dollars.

So let's begin with one simple, but oh so hairy question:  What is your theatre company's biggest fund raising challenge? 

-Julia