Though it’s one of only 25 protected sites designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Woodrow Wilson House is responsible for raising its $1 million-a-year budget.
The museum hopes to raise a large portion of those funds on May 10 with its primary fundraiser of the year, a garden party complete with hat contest. But the field is crowded for arts and culture nonprofits, with more than 800 in the Washington region vying for dollars.
The Woodrow Wilson House is expecting to raise well over $50,000 with its annual gala through ticket sales, a silent auction and corporate sponsors, said Claudia Bismark, the museum’s director of development. Funds go toward the operating budget, as well as improvement and preservation projects in the house.
While it’s important to show donors those dollars are necessary for the preservation of the nonprofit institution, the way to ensure continued funds is to pitch the organization’s overall value to the neighborhood, said Angela Fox, executive director and CEO of Cultural Tourism DC, an organization that represents the interests of more than 175 of the region’s arts and community venues.
“These cultural assets are our economic development engines,” Fox said. Donors “are helping to support the vitality of the neighborhood. … It’s not art for art’s sake. You’re actually supporting something that drives dollars into a neighborhood.”
The Woodrow Wilson House, for example, is active in its Kalorama neighborhood, drawing tourists and opening for local meetings and school groups.
Most arts and cultural nonprofits hold some type of fundraising gala every year, according to Fox. But although a party can bring in a large percentage of the year’s donations with high-profile corporate donations and wealthy philanthropists, a gala is also a chance to cultivate new donors.
“A gala can introduce people to your work that might not be familiar with it,” Fox said. Inviting lower-level donors — a ticket to the Woodrow Wilson garden party can run as low as $75 — brings in people who may be inspired to make a larger contribution in the future.
Arts and Culture Nonprofits in D.C.
» There are 861 arts and culture nonprofits in the Washington region, comprising more than 11 percent of all area nonprofits.
» For more on the Woodrow Wilson House’s annual garden party and 150th anniversary kick-off, visit www.woodrowilsonhouse.org.
