Group spent $157,451 on galas over four years, raising $203, 847. It gave out $15,419 in grants to local arts groups.
People gather for a cocktails, food and music at the 2008 Skaneateles Area Arts Council gala at Stella Maris Retreat Center. It's the council's major fundraiser. Fundraising expert Mike Nilsen, of Arlington, Va., observes: "If you're going to rely on a special event, it's not going to be the most effective way in terms of pure numbers and costs, but it's going to do a lot of good for the community in lots of other ways."In 2009, hundreds of people paid $125 to $250 to attend a posh summer lakeside gala in Skaneateles to enjoy cocktails, fine food and listen to singer-songwriter Judy Collins.
It was all for a good cause — supporting the arts in the community.
The event was the major fundraiser of the year for the non-profit Skaneateles Area Arts Council, an organization formed in 1992 and revitalized in 2004.
In the end, the gala raised $57,581, but it cost nearly $44,000 to put on. After figuring in other expenses and income for the year, the council handed out $5,000 to local arts groups.
That’s pretty typical for the council — a group created to promote an awareness and appreciation of the arts in the Skaneateles area. From 2006 through 2009, the non-profit spent $157,451 on its annual galas to raise an estimated $203,847, according to the council’s IRS filings. In the end, the group handed out $15,419 in grants to local arts organizations.
To evaluate a charity, the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog organization, compares what charities spend to what they give away. The group says giving 60 percent to charitable programs is reasonable for most charities and would earn a charity a “C” rating from the institute. Giving away 75 percent or more for the cause earns a “B” rating.
In the case of the arts council, the charity gave away about 10 percent of the money it spent on the galas.
Skaneateles Area Arts Council President Joseph Strodel and Treasurer Rachel Harms said the council’s mission is more than just putting on a party to raise money for local arts groups. The annual gala “isn’t just a fundraiser,” Strodel said.
“This is also a community cultural experience,” he said. “It’s bringing in a national artist. We’re trying to achieve two things here. We’re trying to bring a cultural destination event to the community and also make money.”
Strodel said the council has also sponsored free community outreach programs, like art shows at the high school and free concerts in Clift Park — concerts that are separate from the weekly community band concerts. This past summer, the council contributed $2,500 to continue the annual Syracuse Symphony summer concert in Skaneateles, which was jeopardized by the symphony’s tight budget.
All told, the council has spent $26,378 on grants and outreach between 2006 and 2009, boosting the council’s total charitable giving to about 13 percent of its costs.
Council officials look at their fundraising record differently. After expenses of the galas over the four-year period, the group has $51,396 left, according to its IRS filings. And out of that money, the council spent 51 percent of its net income on local grants and community outreach.
Also, the council expects to give away more money this year, about $7,500 to local groups, officials said.
The council’s grants range from $250 to $2,500 to various groups such as the Skaneateles Dickens Festival, local schools, museums, galleries and music group including the Auburn Chamber Orchestra and the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.
Mike Nilsen, of the Association of Professional Fundraisers, of Arlington, Va., said the council’s record isn’t unusual for volunteer organizations depending on one major event for fundraising.
“If you’re going to rely on a special event, it’s not going to be the most effective way in terms of pure numbers and costs, but it’s going to do a lot of good for the community in lots of other ways,” Nilsen said.
Nilsen said charitable organizations often use special events to identify potential donors, then go back and ask them for contributions. Groups like the arts council, with a volunteer staff and no long-term fundraising plan, usually don’t do the follow-up, he said.
“Special events are one of the most expensive ways to raise funds, because of the overhead and everything,” he said. “If all (the council is) ever going to do is simply raise money through a big special event for a particular cause, you will probably never see great returns. That’s sort of the nature of the beast.”
The Skaneateles Arts Association — as the council was known when started in 1992 — staged local art shows in Thayer Park in the village until about 1998.
The current organization began anew as the Skaneateles Area Arts Council as an outgrowth of talks in 2003 to build a community center. Some in the community wanted the center to serve as an arts venue.
When that proved impossible, Strodel said, the council went off on its own, staging a free “Winter Showcase” at the high school in 2004 and 2005. The event featured artists displaying their work and visual arts performances.
“Then we created this gala,” he said, “with the idea that would bring the community together and raise some money and then we could do more programming and create a direct-grants program.”
The council has organized other events, like an exhibit in 2008 by German painter Otto Dunkelsbuhler, but the gala is the council’s signature event, which is used to draw attention to the arts and raise money for local arts groups.
“It sounds like this organization has been successful in developing a specific role within the community,” Nilsen said.
Strodel said that this winter the council plans to re-evaluate its direction.
“We have to be stronger in terms of widening the pie to give more money out,” he said. “And we’re doing that, but it’s a challenge in this economy.”
Skaneateles Area Arts Council Funding
Contact John Stith at jstith@syracuse.com or 251-5718.