DONOR IMPACT REPORT 2019–2020
We create engaging, world-class arts and event experiences at IU.
Your Gifts At Work Your support of IU Auditorium is extraordinary. From record-breaking ticket sales and audience-packed weeklong runs during our 2019–2020 season to a robust lineup of inspirational and star-studded virtual programming over the last year, every arts-inspired moment at IU Auditorium starts with you. Your gifts accomplish so much, and as we come to the end of a season unlike any other, we are humbled by your words of encouragement, your continued generosity, and your astounding friendship. Now more than ever, we are thankful for our donors, alumni, and campus and community partners like you. Your commitment to IU Auditorium continues to make a difference in the lives of all who have walked through our doors in the past, engaged with our virtual programming today, and will return to the velveteen seats of IU Auditorium in future years. Thank you for the impact your gifts have made on our students, our community, and the inspiring artists who continue to make IU Auditorium a place of world-class arts and event experiences. We invite you to explore the following pages highlighting the incredible ways your gifts have made IU Auditorium a better place for all. From all of us at IU Auditorium, we thank you. Sincerely, Your Friends at IU Auditorium
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“IU Auditorium has provided so many special moments… Every time a piece of theatre reaches into your heart and makes you laugh and sob and marvel at the human condition, it is a special memory. We don’t take those for granted.”
Carolyn and Peter Goerner, IU Auditorium Circle of Friends Members
Presenting Artistry Arts Programming With your help, IU Auditorium creates engaging world-class arts and event experiences at IU. During the 2019–2020 season, your support brought the splendor of Les Misérables, the movement of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, the musicianship of the Minnesota Orchestra, and the insightful wit of Trevor Noah to our community. And, in our 2020–2021 virtual season, your gifts have brought the trombones of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the celebration of Straight No Chaser’s new album release, and the annual tradition of Dennis James Hosts Halloween safely into the homes of many in our community and beyond. Thank you for continuing to make a difference as we reimagine inspirational, educational, and artistic performances in a virtual space.
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“This was an amazing opportunity for our young beginning string players to hear professional musicians perform great works! Live music and exposure to a variety of styles are so important at a young age. The explanations that [the musicians] gave were to the point and the performance was very engaging.”
Batchelor Middle School Teacher, Minnesota Orchestra K-12 School Visit
Inspiring Our Youth Education Outreach Kids Night on Broadway Each year, IU Auditorium welcomes our community’s next generation of art lovers through our doors with Kids Night on Broadway, a family-friendly pre-show experience connected to one of our season shows. Visiting children and their families participate in a number of activities in our lobby prior to the performance, including arts and crafts, interactive games, and educational activities. Impact Spotlight: In 2019, your Circle of Friends gifts helped IU Auditorium welcome more than 400 children to Kids Night on Broadway prior to a funfilled performance of STOMP. Give the Magic Established in 2013 and funded through individual giving and our Circle of Friends, including our longstanding partnership with Riley Physicians, Give the Magic gives back to our local communities each season by providing free tickets to underserved youth and their caregivers to attend an IU Auditorium performance. Impact Spotlight: Since its inception, Give the Magic has provided over 1,500 tickets for distribution to more than a dozen social service organizations in our community.
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“As the region’s leading presenter of world-class arts and culture experiences, it is both our mission and our duty to bring our visiting artists directly into the communities we serve. Our educational outreach programs foster the next generation of audience members, patrons, and arts advocates that continue the legacy of IU Auditorium for years to come.”
Maria Talbert, IU Auditorium Managing Director
Increasing Our Reach Education Outreach Continued Auditorium Kids on Campus Annually, IU Auditorium provides the opportunity for 2,000 local middle school students to attend a special daytime performance featuring our visiting artists and performers. Launched in 2019, this immersive program has connected our communities to world-renowned artists such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. For many, Auditorium Kids on Campus serves as their first live performing arts experience, their first visit to IU Auditorium, and their welcoming introduction to a university campus. Impact Spotlight: Auditorium Kids on Campus is made possible with support from Riley Physicians, Smithville Foundation, Arts Midwest Touring Fund, and IU Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council.
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“For me, the support you feel standing in front of an instrument like a Steinway gives you permission to be more fully expressive, to take chances, and to live up to the sound that’s coming from that beautiful instrument behind you. It feels like a real partner in the story and music. And for an institution like IU, that instrument lives up to the expectations set forth by generations of excellence and world-class artistry that we’ve become so accustomed to here in Bloomington.”
Benjamin Smith, IU Doctorate of Music student
Enriching Our Mission Bringing Our Steinway Home With generous gifts to the Performance Enrichment Fund, IU Auditorium purchased a new Steinway D Concert Grand Piano in November 2019. The arrival of this instrument marked a culmination of more than two years of planning and work by our Auditorium Board of Advisors, staff, and numerous friends and colleagues. This exceptional instrument replaced the piano purchased in 1968 and will continue IU Auditorium’s mission to create engaging world-class arts and event experiences at IU by attracting artists and performances of the highest caliber. In addition, our new Steinway will help to provide academic enrichment opportunities for collaboration among Indiana University students, local community members, and K–12 students, creating an environment in which these experiences can grow. In our 2020–2021 season, your gifts to the Performance Enrichment Fund are used to support the Auditorium’s virtual season of online events, including artist Q&As, live performances, and guest lectures.
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“As a freshman, you are seeking connections as soon as you step foot on campus. I hoped that through working at the Auditorium, I would find other people interested in the arts—I’ve found that and so much more. My peers are all wonderfully driven, unique people, with all different majors and talents. Not only have I made great professional contacts, but I know that every time I come to work, I am among friends.”
Sarah Cassidy, IU Auditorium Student Box Office Clerk
Encouraging Student Growth Annually, IU Auditorium is home to about 400 student workers and volunteers. Your gifts provide opportunities for these students to receive on-the-job practical skills, new knowledge through career-building workshops, and support through mentorship. You ensure IU Auditorium remains a place of belonging during their time at IU.
Grandorf Student Leadership Summit With the generous support of longtime Auditorium friends and advisory board members Jim and Joyce Grandorf, IU Auditorium hosts the annual Grandorf Student Leadership Summit in which student staff and volunteers are invited to attend a one-day conference aimed at cultivating leadership and professional skills in Auditorium students. Last season’s Summit provided a full day of seminars, career panels, and breakout sessions to an eager room of Auditorium students, and was the start of a truly remarkable and innovative program at IU Auditorium. Community Engagement Committee We may be biased, but we think IU Auditorium students are pretty remarkable. Inspired by your support, IU Auditorium students are paying your generosity forward to our local community through the IU Auditorium Student Community Engagement Committee. From canned food drives, to crafting toys for pups in our local animal shelter, the students of IU Auditorium continue to go above and beyond for our community.
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“The +1 Scholarship will allow me fully dedicate myself to learning classroom management and fulfilling individual student needs. I want to help children grow. I will teach them how to navigate the world and let them know they have an advocate in me. The +1 Scholarship will propel me to relay the love and support I’ve received from the IU Auditorium to generations of students to come.”
Sheila Raghavendran, Senior Clerk, +1 Scholarship Recipient in 2020
Continuing Our Legacy Scholarships at IU Auditorium Your gifts make a difference in the lives of IU Auditorium students through the annual awarding of need-based and merit-based scholarships. These scholarships work in the lives of incredibly deserving and distinctively outstanding IU Auditorium students, helping them to reach their academic and career-based goals during their time at IU.
+1 Scholarship Made possible by your generous gifts to our +1 Scholarship Fund, the most recent +1 scholarship was awarded at our 2020 Virtual Spring Student Banquet and was presented to IU Auditorium student box office clerk Sheila Raghavendran. Created by the IU Auditorium Alumni Association in honor of Executive Director Doug Booher and his +1 customer service philosophy, the +1 Scholarship is awarded annually to students who exemplify the extraordinary customer service efforts that keep the Auditorium in such high regard. Impact Spotlight: Through the generosity of IU Auditorium alumni and donors, the +1 Scholarship Fund has increased the amount awarded each year since its inception. IU Auditorium Scholarship The IU Auditorium Student Scholarship honors the legacy of retired IU Auditorium and Indiana Memorial Union Executive Director, Winston Shindell. A fierce advocate for students, Shindell created a professional environment that enabled students to gain practical knowledge by working directly with IU Auditorium staff. Supported by the generosity of your Circle of Friends gifts, the IU Auditorium Student Scholarship is awarded annually to five outstanding students, each a leading example among their peers. Impact Spotlight: Since its creation, the IU Auditorium Scholarship has been awarded to deserving IU Auditorium students. In 2021, additional scholarship funds will be awarded directly from gifts received through our 2020 IU Auditorium Virtual Gala.
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“When we were students, IU Auditorium made an investment in us, and we want to make an investment back in future students.”
Erin and Todd Peabody, IU Auditorium Alumni
Passing On Our +1 IU Auditorium Alumni Association Established in 2014, the IU Auditorium Alumni Association (IUAAA) celebrates a connection between Hoosiers of all ages formed through their shared participation as student workers and volunteers at IU Auditorium. Since its inception, the IUAAA has increased in both its size and the impact members make in the lives of current Auditorium students. From increases in scholarship award amounts, to the creation of a mentorship program that connects current students with alumni, the IUAAA is ensuring the legacy of IU Auditorium lives on for generations to come. Impact Spotlight: This year the IUAAA expanded its mentorship programming for IU Auditorium students with the creation of an ongoing career panel series of Mentorship Roundtables at which both alumni and students come together in a virtual setting to discuss career-focused topics and goals.
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“Curry Auto Center has been so proud and honored to be a season partner of IU Auditorium over the years. From community outreach programs to student development opportunities, the Auditorium experience is so much more than just a show at 8 p.m.”
Cary Curry, Curry Auto Center
Connecting With Community Community Partnerships IU Auditorium Corporate Partnerships Each season, performances on our stage come to life thanks to the relationships between IU Auditorium and our campus and community partners. With less than 40% of our operating costs covered by ticket sales, philanthropic partnerships with generous businesses throughout our region are integral to bringing world-class artists to Bloomington. Impact Spotlight: In the 2019–2020 season alone, more than 25 partners contributed $350,000 in corporate giving to IU Auditorium as well as in-kind support. 2019–2020 Season Partners:
2019–2020 Show Partners: Arts Midwest Touring Fund Bloomington Cleaners Bucceto’s Pizza & Pasta Bunger & Robertson Campus Tutoring Service Classic Touch Limousine Fourwinds Lakeside Inn & Marina Hard Truth Hills Hilliard Lyons Indiana Memorial Union & Biddle Hotel IU Credit Union IU Foundation IU Health Southern Indiana Physicians IU Office of the President
IU Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs Jo Throckmorton Filmworks Lamar Outdoor Advertising Lennie’s Nature’s Way Oliver Winery Riley Physicians at IU Health Smithville Foundation Switchyard Brewing Co. Night & Day Upland Brewing Co. WFIU Public Radio WTIU Public Television
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“For nearly 80 years, IU Auditorium has served as a community gathering place for IU students and community members. Together with your support, we will continue to fulfill this mission in new and creative ways.”
Doug Booher, IU Auditorium Executive Director
Planning For Our Future Future Funding Needs at IU Auditorium Looking ahead, there are numerous ways you can help us plan for the successful future of IU Auditorium with special philanthropic projects beyond your Circle of Friends membership. IU Auditorium Community Engagement and Education Fund Created in partnership with our friends from Riley Physicians, the IU Auditorium Community Engagement and Education Fund provides donors with an opportunity to grow the impact of educational outreach at IU Auditorium. From large-scale educational performances, to inschool artistic engagement experiences, the Community Engagement and Education Fund will work to further the reach of educational programming in our community, both on and off campus. In the coming years, IU Auditorium will use special gifts to this fund to significantly invest in our education and community outreach programs by: • Engaging 10,000 people a year in our community engagement initiatives. • Hiring a full-time staff member for community engagement. • Expanding of outreach initiatives, including more free/reduced-priced tickets to young people and their families, as well as additional funding towards artist residencies.
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Expanding Student Programs Programs and Endowments As a hub for campus life, IU Auditorium welcomes students from all over the world to new and exciting arts experiences each year. As a crucial part of our team, IU Auditorium student workers and volunteers use their time at IU Auditorium as an enriching supplement to their studies and many have gone on to successful careers with skills honed at the Auditorium. In the coming years, IU Auditorium will grow its menu of both skill and career-building opportunities for our IU Auditorium student corps, with specific focus on: • Grandorf Leadership Summit (see page 12 for more details) • IU Auditorium Alumni Association +1 Fund (see page 14 for more details) • Martha Novak & Marilyn Goerner Theater Experience Fund, a special endowment providing first generation college students with free tickets to IU Auditorium performances
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Upgrading Our Venue Venue Upgrades and Capital Projects As we enter a new decade, we look forward to updating a number of spaces throughout the entire Auditorium to offer the best possible facilities for our visiting artists and backstage crews, as well as to provide a heightened hospitality experience for our patrons. This process most recently began with the creation of the IU Auditorium Performance Enrichment Fund, established to allow donors to directly invest in quality programming, equipment, and resources made available to those we serve. IU Auditorium aims to grow the Performance Enrichment Fund over the next five years to enhance the patron experience and support future projects such as: • Remodeling the backstage dressing room spaces • Updates to front-of-house, backstage, and mezzanine level hospitality spaces • Accessibility updates, including the addition of a backstage elevator
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Strengthening Friendships IU Auditorium Board of Advisors The IU Auditorium Board of Advisors supports the mission of IU Auditorium by advocating for programs and events in the community at large, collaborating to build new audiences, and creating pathways to maintain financial sustainability. This group comprises IU Auditorium’s biggest advocates in the community, and each member brings diverse skills and interests to the table. Our work and success would not be possible without our Board of Advisors’ leadership, philanthropy, consistent encouragement, and wealth of ideas.
Board List
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• Doug Booher
• Scot Moore
• Sarah Booher
• Ann Moore
• Cary Curry
• Tim Morrison
• Julie Curry
• Ed Ryan
• Jim Grandorf
• Jan Ryan
• Joyce Grandorf
• Catherine Sherwood-Laughlin
• Linda Hunt
• Sue Shindell
• Jim Laughlin
• Winston Shindell
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“Thank you so much for your generosity and for everything that you do for the Auditorium. The professional skills and coworker relationships that I’ve created while at the Auditorium have been some of the best experiences that I’ve had here at Indiana University. Your generosity truly means a lot.”
Zach Kibel, IU Auditorium Student Manager
How To Give Thank you for all you do and for all you continue to do in friendship to IU Auditorium. We’d love to hear from you! If you should have any questions regarding the impact of your gifts to IU Auditorium, or would like to know how your generosity can make an even greater impact, please do not hesitate to reach out. We look forward to hearing from you!
Kevin Gifford Director of Development (812) 855-0505 kegiffor@iu.edu
Amy Burgar Donor Relations Manager (812) 855-8048 aburgar@iu.edu
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