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Joseph Hall, executive director of Kelly Strayhorn Theater, addresses the camera during the Hotline Ring virtual fundraiser in July.
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Pittsburgh nonprofits find new ways to hold fundraisers during COVID-19

Joshua Franzos/Treehouse Media

Pittsburgh nonprofits find new ways to hold fundraisers during COVID-19

Going to a fundraising gala looks pretty different these days, thanks to COVID-19. Rather than slipping into a suit or gown for a night on the town, partygoers are staying home at their computers with a cocktail in hand.

Since mid-March, nonprofits and arts groups have been trying to figure out how to raise money and bring people together while still keeping them safe and physically distanced. Because of Gov. Tom Wolf’s restrictions on crowd sizes, these groups are creating digital experiences this summer and into the fall. 

One of the biggest events to make the shift from in-person to online is Riverlife’s Party at the Pier, which typically attracts nearly 1,000 guests to the riverfront in late summer. This year, it’s been transformed into an online photo contest that’s open to everyone. 

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“We wanted to acknowledge that during the pandemic actually a record number of people have been turning to Pittsburgh’s riverfronts for wellness and recreation and even transportation,” says Stephan Bontrager, Riverlife’s vice president of communications and outreach. “Show us your triumphant photo after you ran 5 miles on the riverfront or took your family on a bike ride or had a socially distant picnic with your parents.” 

Riverlife’s Party at the Pier: Return to the River Portraits presented by PNC invites people to share photos of themselves enjoying the city’s waterways on an online gallery at partyatthepier.com. Judges will review the entries and award prizes from event sponsors for categories such as best “posh pose,” favorite pet portrait and picture-perfect picnic. Submissions are due Sunday and winners will be announced Aug. 29, the original date for this year’s party. 

The intent behind the contest isn’t to raise as much money as Party at the Pier, although people are encouraged to make a donation to Riverlife with their photo submission. Instead, Mr. Bontrager sees it as an opportunity to broaden Riverlife’s reach. 

“When it’s not a ticketed event, you’re lowering the barrier for people to participate,” he says. “If someone has never really been involved with Party at the Pier in the past but they’re posting some really fabulous photos on Instagram, we’re reaching out to them.”

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No two online experiences are quite alike. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s virtual celebration on Sept. 10 aims to preserve some elements of its in-person gala, including patron tables, artist performances and a signature cocktail. The highlight of the evening — called To the World We Dream About — is 30-40 minutes of performances, dialogue with the audience and a few other surprises that will unfold on a private YouTube stream. Featured artists will be André De Shields and Eva Noblezada from the Tony award-winning musical “Hadestown.”

“We didn’t want it to be just one person sitting at the [online] event with their laptop,” says Nick Gigante, the trust’s vice president of development. “People can connect to YouTube through their main TV in their family room and have a small, socially distant gathering and have a cocktail party while they watch the event.”  

Ahead of the evening, ticket holders will receive links and a recipe for how to make the signature drink at home. Those who purchased table sponsorships will be digitally ushered after the main presentation into a Zoom room with other guests at their table for a chance to visit with Cultural Trust staff, board members and artists. 

“We want to make it as interactive and engaging as possible,” Mr. Gigante says.

Single tickets for the virtual celebration are $500 per person at trustarts.org/pct_home/support/gala, which includes access to the post-show Zoom lounge. Tables start at $7,500. Money raised from the online event will help support the trust’s Art Connects Us: A Critical Fund for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust campaign. The Cultural Trust faces a $6 million deficit due to a steep drop in ticket sales, theater rentals and parking revenue because of COVID-19 shutdowns.

“Fundraising and events like this are just about the only revenue coming into the Cultural Trust at this time,” Mr. Gigante says. “This event will help sustain us until we can welcome audiences back into the Cultural District.”

Those planning online fundraisers have turned to other groups for technical tips and inspiration. A handful of local organizations have already mounted multilayered, virtual events. One of the biggest, going live in July, was Hotline Ring, a collaboration between the Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 1Hood Media, BOOM Concepts, the Braddock Carnegie Library Association, Dreams of Hope, the Legacy Arts Project and PearlArts Studios.  

“It started out with just a piece of software and then turned into ‘Let’s turn the Alloy Studios into a TV set,” recalls Sondra E. Woodruff II, the Kelly Strayhorn Theater’s producer of engagement and social impact. 

“From the tech side, I definitely looked at tons of fundraisers that were happening, lots of them in New York. What platforms did the use? How did they use them? Did they have pre-recorded content?”

Ms. Woodruff and a team of collaborators borrowed pieces of inspiration from multiple sources — including camera angles from TV talk shows and ideas from old-school telethons — to create Hotline Ring, whose name is a nod to the Drake song “Hotline Bling.” It included seven hours of pre-recorded and live content at the Friendship studio and raised more than $130,000, with some of its largest individual donations coming from viewers in Minnesota.

Guests also had the option to order a happy hour appetizer box from Casa Brasil in Highland Park or a sweet treat from Everyday’s a Sunday in East Liberty that was delivered to their door. 

It took weekly phone calls, experimentation and stepping outside everyone’s comfort zone to pull it all off. 

“We each had a responsibility,” says BOOM Concepts co-founder D.S. Kinsel. “I think there was just this beautiful blend of all these different pieces to make something new, and I hope someone takes our ideas. We’d love to see other Black, brown, femme and queer-led organizations use this model to help raise funds.” 

Erin Starzynski, corporate relations manager at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, says virtual events are a way to expand an organization’s reach. PBT had scheduled an end-of-season gala at Stage AE in April to cap its 50th anniversary and to salute retiring artistic director Terrence Orr. In its place, it produced an evening of choreography and conversations on YouTube that was viewed by more than 2,200 people the night it went live in June. 

“If we were to have had an event at Stage AE, we would have been able to accommodate 284 people in that venue for our celebration,” she says. “The top three places people were tuning in from outside Pennsylvania were New York, Michigan and Ohio.”

It was free to view to those who registered, but a $30 anniversary program book was available for purchase. PBT also received support from donations, corporate sponsors and the philanthropic community. It’s considering adapting its annual Pointe in Time gala in November to a virtual format, as well, Ms. Starzynski says.  

The Pittsburgh Opera sold more than 200 tickets at $25 each to its online Mask-erade, which was held in June in place of its annual Maecenas gala. Its YouTube stream, a blend of pre-recorded and live material, received more than 500 views, and a red carpet pre-party that streamed for free on Facebook garnered more than 2,000 views. Those being honored with awards during the event received them at home so they could hold them on camera while sharing their remarks. 

“Compared to a traditional, in-person Maecenas it brought in less money, but this was not intended to be a revenue generator as much as it was an audience engagement mechanism,” says Chris Cox, Pittsburgh Opera’s director of marketing and communications. “We were happy to cover the cost of the video production through ticket sales and additional donations made on top of that was sort of the gravy.”

When it’s safe for partygoers to physically gather again, he predicts that some of these virtual elements may stick around. 

“The intention is to be fully mindful of all that we’ve done digitally during the pandemic and see what makes sense to continue,” he says. “Maybe we’ll merge or combine them with more traditional events in the future.”

Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.

First Published: August 20, 2020, 12:00 p.m.

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Joseph Hall, executive director of Kelly Strayhorn Theater, addresses the camera during the Hotline Ring virtual fundraiser in July.  (Joshua Franzos/Treehouse Media)
Tim and Sarah LaVoie, left, Jessica and Alan Whittington, Megan Worbs and Rick Hoffmaster and Derick Stalker and Steve Solkoloski are among those who submitted a photo of themselves at the Point fountain as part of Riverlife's Party and the Pier: Return to the River Portraits presented by PNC. The online photo contest was held this year in lieu of Riverlife's annual riverfront party.  (Jessica Whittingon)
Drummers from The Legacy Arts Project perform live during the Hotline Ring fundraiser. The Kelly Strayhorn's Alloy Studios in Friendship was transformed into a control center where performances were filmed and the production was produced in July.  (Joshua Franzos/Treehouse Media)
Staycee Pearl and Herman "Soy Sos" Pearl of PearlArts Studios appear on screens during the Hotline Ring virtual fundraiser in July.  (Joshua Franzos/Treehouse Media)
Sondra E. Woodruff II works behind the scenes during the Hotline Ring virtual fundraiser in July.  (Joshua Franzos/Treehouse Media)
Emily Star-Martucci Laliberte of GourmandburghPark poses for a photo at South Shore Riverfront Park as part of Riverlife's Party at the Pier: Return to the River Portraits presented by PNC.  (Rose Colored Creative)
Scott Fech, left, Rick Soria and their son, Beckett Soria-Fech, submitted a photo of them enjoying Pittsburgh's waterways as part of Riverlife's Party at the Pier: Return to the River Portraits presented by PNC.  (Rick Soria)
Tye Clark, left, Caroline Suh and Liz Sterret of Style412 pose for a photo at South Shore Riverfront Park as part of Riverlife's Party at the Pier: Return to the River Portraits presented by PNC.  (Rose Colored Creative)
Joshua Franzos/Treehouse Media
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