Special Bd. of Aldermen — 10/26/15 Page 7
Capital campaign gifts by contrast are asset gifts often, they are thoughtfully considered, strategic investments
that a donor makes in the future of an organization not just in the today of an organization. As such they are
almost always multi-year gifts. So someone who might be able to give, I’m going to use big numbers because
they make me happy, a $10,000.00 gift to an organization thinks about it and says “And | can make that gift
every year for the next five years, | consider this project so worthy of my support, that | am going to place this
campaign above all of the other giving that I’m doing in the community for that time limited amount of time that
is the capital campaign”. Gifts of stock are common in a capital campaign, someone owns appreciated stock
and they donate those shares to the campaign as they are gift. I’ve seen gifts of life insurance although those
can be iffy and | don’t see them as often, but you really can’t count on those. But they are truly asset types of
gifts as opposed to checkbook gifts, planned out, multi-year commitments.
Several members of the Steering Committee have already stepped up and made those gifts. One of the things
that is important, | know Betsy has used the word “big”, | pointed to $10,000.00 gifts, but | want to make it clear
that it contextual, and | didn’t say that word right but you all get what | mean. For some people a commitment
of $500.00 a year is a true stretch gift. It means they may not be able to give in other areas that they
traditionally would for that period of time. And for other people that’s $50,000.00 a year. You know they are
able to make the commitment at that level and that is a stretch for them so that is the kind of giving that we
look for. | don’t want to put anyone necessarily on the spot and let you all know who has or has not given so
the campaign committee actually has not yet seen the final pledge form in all of its glory and beauty.
| am going to hand that out because | think it is important as we go out into the community and we ask our
peers for their support, that we make our own commitment, first and foremost. | will say and everyone else |
won't tell who has and hasn’t so you may get a form if you’ve already given, we know you’ve already given. |
do want to say | have made my gift and it was a stretch gift for me at this time but something that | believe
strongly in. | would encourage the other members of the Steering Committee, our Board, to do so as well. So
| will get up and do that and you all know who you are.
Alderman Klee
I’m sorry | just want to ask one question, have they set it up yet that we would do an on-going with a credit
card?
Ms. McNamara Thank you for asking that, so this is what | would describe as a draft pledge form, the work
group is working with City Arts Nashua since this Performing Arts Center does not have its 501(C)(3) non-profit
status yet, and in order to accept charitable contributions it has to be a 501(C)(3), City Arts Nashua is in the
process of negotiating with the Performing Arts Center to become the fiscal agent which essentially means that
they will accept gifts on behalf of the Performing Arts Center until such time as it gets its own 501(C)(3) which
cannot be soon enough as far as I’m concerned. So we are figuring out the logistics of setting up credit card,
the ability to take recurring credit card gifts or credit card gifts of any size, as well as gifts of appreciated stock.
At the moment the options are pledge and check.
Ms. Cassidy So just in conclusion, you’ve seen in the presentation that Betsy made what the levels are giving
are that we need to achieve our dream of a Performing Arts Center and make it actually become reality. |
would just ask all of you as you think about what level of giving you might be able to make, who else you know
in the community that we should be talking to. Because we know a lot of people but we certainly don’t
everyone. You can reach out to anyone on the Steering Committee, to Betsy and let us know your thoughts.
We are always happy to answer any questions, happy to sit down with anyone one-on-one and talk though it in
more detail about what you are thinking about, what type of a gift you might make. Please don’t consider this
an actual formal solicitation; those are really done one-on-one with people at this phase. But we wanted you to
be aware of what we are looking for and that we believe strongly enough in what we are doing that we are
putting our own skin in the game personally to make this happen.
