How to Boost Your Arts Nonprofit Revenue Streams with Ticketing & CRM

Arts nonprofits are essential to the cultural health and vibrancy of our communities. They provide space for entertainment, education, discussion, and so much more. To ensure the arts continue to thrive, it’s vital to raise funds for organizations like these. At Leap Event Technology, we understand how this can be a challenge for those who are part of an arts organization, and we’re here to help. One of the best ways to boost revenue is to get a holistic view of your patrons, guests, donors, and attendees – and at Leap, we’ve found that combining ticketing and customer relationship management (CRM) is a great way to do just that!

Getting the Whole Picture

In order to get a holistic view of the people who interact with your organization, here are a few key categories to think about to contextualize your connections with them.

Ticketing

One of the biggest ways (and often the first way) a patron connects with your arts nonprofit is through ticketing. The data you gather here is super valuable to you. By looking at the information gathered from ticket sales from your ticketing software, you can gain deeper insights into your customers. 

For example, what first introduced them to your organization? What events, shows, discussions, or exhibits did they attend, and what kinds of tickets did they purchase repeatedly? Even something as simple as noting their preferred seats helps you learn more about your patrons. 

Fundraising

Patrons also interact with you by donating to your organization. Whether it’s through a fundraising event (like a gala) or an occasional gift, these are each important touch-points for getting a full view of your patrons to boost your nonprofit revenue streams. Often, how and when your patrons give will tell you about what’s important to them, like specific causes or donor perks that drive them to donate. 

Putting It All Together with CRM

By taking information from ticketing and fundraising, you’ll get a more full view of your patrons. But how do these come together? Through customer relationship management (CRM)!

When your arts nonprofit manages your relationships with customers with a CRM software, like Leap’s patron management solution, you’re able to track all of the different touch-points between each customer and your nonprofit. This allows you to better know each individual and brainstorm how to deepen their involvement. 

For example, if a customer attends all of your jazz concerts, makes donations to your education initiatives, but never attends galas, is there a way you could personally invite this patron to an exclusive event? Alternatively, if a patron attends every gala, attends the opening night of every event, and makes sure to sit in the front row each time, is there a special way you can acknowledge them for their support?

Putting Data About Your Patrons into Action

Curious to know the secret to bolstering sources of revenue for nonprofits? Find connections between your patron data and upcoming opportunities, then make an effort to bring them together. Here’s how you can leverage your knowledge of patron behavior to increase engagement and donations.

Find Patterns in Your Data

Think of analyzing your patron data like looking at the stars in the sky. Just as you can find constellations in the night sky, you can find the intersections between your customers and your organization by looking at patterns in attendance, giving history, and other relevant information. This will reveal patterns that give you a picture of each customer – what drives them, what they’re interested in, and what makes them want to keep coming back to your nonprofit.

As some practical patterns to be aware of, looking at giving history can reveal potential donation patterns. If you notice a trend of patrons increasing their donations during certain times of the year, you can plan targeted fundraising campaigns around those periods to maximize contributions.

Moreover, analyzing demographic information such as age, location, and methods of engagement can help tailor marketing efforts towards specific segments of your patron base. For instance, if you have a significant number of younger patrons who are actively on social media, it would be beneficial to focus on those channels for outreach rather than relying solely on more traditional methods like email.

Move Forward from those Connections

After identifying the patterns of your patrons, it’s time to find new ways to nurture your relationships with them based on their interests and values. 

For example, remember that customer we mentioned earlier who attends all of your jazz concerts and donates to education initiatives? You can invite them to attend a student workshop with a saxophonist to see how their money makes a difference. Or how about that customer who attends every gala and always sits in the front row at your shows? Leave a handwritten note at their seat for your next opening night to personally thank them for their continued attendance – and make sure to tease your upcoming events and season!

When making these connections, make sure to keep in mind the intersections and other opportunities for engagement with your arts nonprofit that the customer may not have taken advantage of before. For example, if you have a customer who attends events frequently but has never donated, invite them to a smaller fundraiser as a first step to deepening their connection to your organization. 

This not only gives you another chance to connect with your patrons, it also boosts your nonprofit revenue streams by increasing your customers’ involvement with you! 

Additional Ideas for Nonprofit Revenue Streams

Looking for practical ways to boost your patrons’ involvement and add new sources of revenue for nonprofit organizations like yours? Here are a few ideas for you to try.

1. Event-Specific Merchandise

Patrons who regularly attend your events clearly love your organization. So, why not help them show that off? By selling event-specific merchandise like T-shirts, posters, and playbills, you can invite your customers to showcase their love for your organization – plus, you’ll make some extra money too!

2. Exclusive Memberships or Subscriptions

For customers that already engage with your organization often, a feeling of exclusivity can go a long way to make them feel special and strengthen their loyalty. With exclusive memberships or subscriptions, you can invite these frequent fliers to invest further in their relationship with your nonprofit in exchange for perks like invitations to members-only events, meet-and-greets with performers, or behind-the-scenes content. Since memberships and subscriptions are also typically sold on an annual or seasonal basis, these can also boost your revenue during non-peak ticket purchase times, before regular tickets are available to the general public.

3. VIP Packages

Speaking of exclusivity, VIP packages are another way to recognize your loyal patrons while also boosting your revenue! Whether it’s priority seating, backstage tours, or a special invitation to a reception, these packages can give your patrons a new way to engage with what you have to offer. 

4. “Pay What You Can” Events with Donation Appeals

Hosting occasional “Pay What You Can” events for show previews, season reveals, or exhibit openings can foster deeper engagement with your most devout patrons. By giving customers a little taste of a future event or exhibit, you’ll encourage them to return again with friends and family, which will increase your revenue even more in the long run.  Since these patrons understand the value you’re providing the community, you could consider making a donation appeal at these events too, giving your donors the chance to increase their contributions to your nonprofit with an extra gift. 

Keep the Momentum Going

Finding connections and acting on them are the first steps towards managing relationships with your patrons, but just as important is keeping the interactions going!

Master the Follow-Up

Just as plants grow as you water them, relationships with your patrons will flourish when they’re cared for and cultivated. After engaging with these patrons at an event (especially exclusive ones), make sure to keep in touch with them. This outreach fosters lifelong connections and continued – or even increased – involvement with your arts nonprofit. That translates to more revenue for you as they continue sharing your incredible work with the community. 

Fostering Exclusivity

Find creative ways to make patrons feel appreciated, so they keep coming back for more! This can be something small, like leaving a thank-you note at their seat for an event after connecting with them previously. As another example, consider sending them an email with a small discount code for a weekday exhibit or event that would normally sell fewer tickets. Even using your CRM software to send them a short message on their birthday is a simple, powerful way to keep your patrons connected with you year after year.

Elevate Your Patron Management with CRM Tools

By cultivating deeper connections thanks to your CRM, you’ll not only boost your revenue streams, but also enhance engagement with your audience. Start by implementing these ideas and engagement strategies into the fabric of your nonprofit team, and see what connections you can unlock about your patrons. 

Ready to get started taking advantage of all that a CRM for arts organizations has to offer? Consider partnering with Leap’s patron management solution to bring your ticketing and CRM capabilities to the next level and continue boosting your arts nonprofit’s revenue streams!