Building A Culture of Philanthropy

What if every staff and board member took pride in their role in achieving our organization’s fundraising goals? If you're looking to build a culture of philanthropy within your organization, this session is for you!

All arts organizations, large or small, struggle to meet their fundraising goals. But what would happen if we started to think of fundraising as the best possible way to reach out and engage others in passionate support of our artistic vision? What if every staff and board member took pride in their role in achieving our organization’s fundraising goals? In other words, what would life be like if we moved past thinking of fundraising as a hard-slog series of annual campaigns and events organized by the the development team (or sole, brave, development officer), and instead embraced a true culture of philanthropy?

It can be done and the results can be transformational, according to our presenter Michelle Yeung. Learn how to ensure unwavering support and commitment from senior artistic and management leaders, how to ingrain awareness and accountability throughout the organization, and how to engage and reinvigorate our board members’ commitment to this essential organizational development responsibility.

February 26, 2019 | 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Elgin Winter and Garden Theatre Centre
158 Victoria Street, 5th Floor, Studio B

Additional Event Details & Registration:
5:30 pm Doors Open/Registration
5:45 pm Opening Remarks Michelle Yeung
5:50 pm Presentation by Michelle Yeung, Managing Director of School of Toronto Dance Theatre
6:10 pm Panel discussion featuring Allison Bone, Senior Consultant, KCI, Marshall Pynkoski, Artistic Director, Opera Atelier, Harmony Cohen, Board Chair of Obsidian Theatre
6:40 pm Questions & Answers
7:00 pm Closing Remarks/Announcements

Refreshments and networking to follow.

Space is limited. Registration is required. Contact Alexandra Loewen at alexandra@torontoarts.org or by phone (416) 392-6802 x215

Speaker & Panelist Biographies
Michelle Yeung
has fifteen years of not-for-profit and arts management experience and a successful track record in arts administration, with a commitment to a culture of philanthropy and to the arts. Michelle is also a Certified Fund Raising Executive. Michelle is currently the Managing Director of The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. She has also held positions at Canadian Stage, Factory Theatre, the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, and most recently, the Toronto Arts Foundation. Above and beyond her professional career, Michelle has held many board and committee positions and is currently the Secretary of Prologue to the Performing Arts and Network Conduit of Mass Culture. Past volunteer roles include organizations such as The Theatre Centre, Girls Inc., and Cahoots Theatre Company.

Marshall Pynkoski founded Opera Atelier with his partner Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg over thirty years ago and he has since directed a wide range of period productions of baroque and early classical opera and ballet in close collaboration with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir. Marshall has collaborated with many of the finest artists in the world of early music, and his productions of opera and ballet have toured throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, enjoying repeat invitations from major presenters including Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Seoul Arts Centre, and the Royal Opera House at Versailles. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Toronto Arts Award, the Ruby Award for outstanding contribution to opera in Canada, and the TIME Magazine award for classical music. Following his European directorial debut, Marshall was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France. Recently, he has directed at the Salzburg Festival; La Scala, Milan; and in August 2018 he made his directorial debut at the Rossini Festival in Italy.

Allison Bone is a seasoned development professional with over 20 years’ experience in the areas of annual and major giving, campaign management, strategic planning and organizational development. Clients in the cultural sector include ROM Governors, Stratford Festival, National Arts Centre Foundation, Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art, Telefilm Canada, THEMUSEUM, Buddies in Bad Times Theatre and Winnipeg Art Gallery. As on-site campaign counsel with KCI, Allison has provided campaign planning and implementation support to charities in the health care, social services and arts and culture sectors in communities in both Ontario and Manitoba, on capital campaigns ranging from $3.5 million to $25 million. Prior to joining KCI, Allison was the Associate Director of Development at Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir and she began her career in Annual Giving/Alumni Relations at McGill University. Allison holds a Bachelor of Music from McGill University and graduated from the University of Waterloo’s Centre for Cultural Management – Income Manager Certificate program. She is expecting to complete the Certificate in Human Resources Management program at University of Toronto in the Spring of 2019.

Harmony Cohen is a graduate of York University’s Gender & Women’s Studies program and came of age in the heart of Toronto’s indie theatre scene. She was raised as an arts administrator by Obsidian Theatre, where she learned the revolutionary power of Radical Generosity. During this time, she participated in over 20 independent productions as stage manager, producer, director, and dramaturge. Harmony Cohen is an educator, writer, and currently serves as Chair on the Obsidian Theatre Board of Directors. She can be found most weeks building shelters and starting fires with school children from across the city at the Island Natural Science School.