As a frequent volunteer at The Center for the past twenty-three years and former president of The Center’s board, I often hear this comment from patrons: “I buy tickets, so I’m supporting The Center and don’t need to donate.” However, this is an incorrect belief. The ticket you buy pays primarily for the performance you attend.

Ticket sales pay for less than 65% of the cost of operations for The Center and the physical space it occupies, so the other 35%+ must come from donations. Without additional funds, The Center for the Arts cannot continue to afford its mortgage, payroll, operating and maintenance expenses, and promotional costs, all which allow them to bring in and showcase the high-quality talent you want and expect.

So, if you want The Center to continue to provide amazing music and events for our community, please consider donating whatever sum you can afford or become a member, starting at $120/year.

Here are 10 good reasons to donate or become a member:

  1. If you join as a member, you receive early notice of events and the ability to purchase tickets before the general public (important for those shows that sell out quickly). Plus, you receive up to a $10 discount on the purchase price of each of your tickets, so if you and a friend/significant other attend a show every two months, you break even on your membership donation. And if you join as an Encore member, you get the very first choice of seats, before other members, plus meet & greets, free drinks, and other benefits (like the upcoming January house party featuring The Mother Hips).
  2. If you join as a member, you can pay your yearly membership in monthly installments. Even the more costly Encore memberships are then much easier; at $100/month, it’s less than your daily coffee purchases for a month.
  3. You are ensuring that The Center is able to continue its programming with the excellent performers and at the high level you’ve come to expect and allowing The Center to occasionally take a risk by bringing in exceptional new talent.
  4. You are supporting The Center’s extensive kids’ programming and classes, such as painting, dance, acting, aerial, and writing classes, as well as the children’s theater group. The Center provides scholarships to those kids who cannot afford the class tuition—your donation pays for those scholarships.
  5. When you donate, you are helping cover the non-performance expenses of operating The Center, which are all necessary adjuncts to the performances and events. These expenses include the mortgage, multiple salaries, property and workers’ comp insurance, building maintenance, operations, supplies, and other necessary costs of running a performing arts facility, as The Center is open and operating even when there isn’t a show scheduled in the theater. There are ongoing, everyday expenses for things such as electricity (theater lights, loudspeakers, bar, building lights, heat/air conditioning, 2nd floor dance studios and offices, and computers); water for the bar, restrooms and cleanup; hygiene items such as toilet paper, soap and hand towels; bar items such as glasses, napkins, ice, dishwasher, refrigerator and various cleanup items; general and box office supplies (computers, desks, chairs, paper, file cabinets and WiFi); and marketing, advertising and printing costs, to itemize just a sampling of the extensive expenses.
  6. Your donation is important because a ticket for a particular show primarily pays for the items directly related to that show, so there is only a percentage of its purchase price left over to pay The Center’s day-to-day expenses. And that’s if the show sells well—some shows don’t sell as many tickets as budgeted, and that cuts into profit. Here are some of the items your show ticket covers: the costs of the performer (their negotiated fee, transportation, hotel, hospitality/meals) and the salaries of staff members necessary to run that show (lighting and sound, house manager, setup and breakdown crew, bartender, hospitality lead, box office). All of those expenses leave little of your ticket cost to cover non-performance expenses.
  7. There is currently no place in Nevada County, other than The Center, that provides the musical variety and talent, excellent amplified sound system, comfortable theater, full bar, and art gallery in one location.
  8. Your donation and membership support The Center, which is a complete arts facility, featuring leading musicians, comedians, speakers, and dancers; a white wall art gallery with rotating exhibits; and a variety of arts-related classes for adults and children—something for everyone in one location. It’s rare that a small community like ours is so fortunate to have such a wonderful venue.
  9. In addition to ticket sales, the Center creates significant income for Grass Valley businesses. People who attend concerts go out to dinner, shop in town, and sometimes stay in a hotel. Your support of The Center augments the economic health of our community.
  10. Your donation or membership is tax deductible because The Center for the Arts is a qualified 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

So next time you attend a show at The Center, or now, during their winter fund drive, consider the benefit that The Center brings to both you and our community and how much of a loss there would be without such an organization. That’s why it’s so important to financially support The Center as a member or donor. And, besides, the performances are fabulous!

Hindi Greenberg is past president of the board of The Center for the Arts, an Encore Club member, and an active volunteer.