00 15 SPEAKER 2 What do you want, kid 00 16 SPEAKER 1 Want to join up, sir 00 17 SPEAKER 2 Just like that 00 18 SPEAKER 1 Yes, sir 00 19 SPEAKER 2 You don't see that you're stinking drunk first 00 21 ALLISON CAIN My name is Allison Cain and I am the managingdirector of Lifeline Theatre Allison Cain, NonprofitManagement, Lifeline Theatre 00 28 How did you get into nonprofit management 00 33 ALLISON CAIN continued I got into nonprofit management completely by accidentand didn't even know that I was getting into it I moved to Chicago about 24 years ago I am an actor and like a lot of young actorscoming to the city, I decided to start my own theatercompany with a group of like minded friendsand that started my journey and really itwas about figuring out as I went along I started gaining more experience in it I made a lot of mistakes and learned from those mistakes And when that company folded, I wasasked to join another company as an ensemble member 01 07 ALLISON CAIN continued And they were doing a change in leadership and within a yearI found myself their executive director The company was having a lot of issuesand it needed a lot of restructuring,so I began to get very intimate with a lot of different areasof administration I rewrote the bylaws, built an outside board, learnedhow to do real budgeting, ran that company for around sevenyears while also concurrently working in the business world 01 38 ALLISON CAIN continued Most artists here in Chicago have to have a survival gig So I was working in the business worldand ended up building a career in human resources,of all things And reached a fairly high level in that industry and thenthe economic downturn happened, and I was laid off in Decemberof '08 At the same time, I was in a play here at Lifeline And somebody had mentioned that theywere looking for a managing director,and I applied, and I got the job 02 10 ALLISON CAIN continued So it all was not a path that I necessarily intended to happen,but I found that I was good at managing companies It aligned with my values and my passion,and so I ended up here How does managing a nonprofit organization differ fromrunning a for profit venture The main difference between managinga for profit and a not for profitis that a for profit is for profit So that's how you make your decisions 02 41 ALLISON CAIN continued Is something going to make you money, for the most part And as long as it's within your scope of servicesthat you offer So that is really your decision making processin the for profit world In the not for profit, it's funny,when we say not for profit, we know what we're not for So what are we for And we are for our mission So we are mission based, and that's how we're driven That's how we make decisions whenwe're looking at some programming that we should door anything like that, we go back to our mission and wesay yes or no based on that 03 15 ALLISON CAIN continued Probably the most biggest difference is not for profitsare handicapped as compared to a for profit, because overheadis seen as a very negative thing in the not for profit world There's all those websites out therethat you can go see how many cents per dollargo for your donation to the actual causethat you're donating to And we've been trained that overheadin the not for profit world is a bad thing So let's think about what overhead is Overhead is salaries Overhead is marketing 03 46 ALLISON CAIN continued Overhead is time It's risk, all these factors There's a gentleman named Dan Pallota I hope I'm pronouncing Dan's name right Dan, if you're out there, I'm sorry He is a fundraiser and an activist He founded the AIDS ride and also the three daywalk for breast cancer He has this really interesting TED Talk that reallygoes into detail about this But what happens is if you've gotten your degree,and you go out into the marketplace, most likely,you're going to want to make money so that you can do thingsin life 04 21 ALLISON CAIN continued And we are capped at what we can pay peoplein the not for profit world Not just because of our budget size,but because when funders look at us, when people who wantto give us money, they don't wantto see a lot of that overhead So basically we have to kind of keep our salariesat a level that aren't going to make it look like we'repaying people too much money What that does is it handicaps us so far as talent It's hard to find people at the salariesthat we pay in a not for profit world How do we get our word out 04 51 ALLISON CAIN continued Well, that's advertising But if we spend too much money in advertising,that's seen as a negative thing, eventhough that's how you find out what I'm doingand that brings it in So there's a lot of handicaps in the not for profit world,and the odd thing is it's all about perception It's not necessarily that our model's broken It's just that we can't do certain thingsin the not for profit world in order to make us successful,raise more money for the causes that we do it for,both in the arts and also in the social services sector 05 25 Who are you accountable to 05 31 ALLISON CAIN continued In this organization at Lifeline,I'm accountable to the board So we have a board of directors currently at 14 We're looking to get that number up to 24 by 2020 The artistic director and I operate as peers,and then we report into our board of directors So we co manage our staff and then feed up to them At Lifeline, we've had a board of directors,I think, for most of its history 06 01 ALLISON CAIN continued The company is 33 years old What the board was like and how it operatedwhen it was a younger organization wasvery difficult excuse me, different from howit operates now Back in the day, our board members did the books They helped with the marketing They helped to write policies They were very active It was a working board As we got more mature as an organizationand we were able to hire people to actually do those jobs,the board's role has been morphing more and moreinto the role of a fundraising board 06 37 ALLISON CAIN continued And that's where we have them now That's their aside from fiduciary responsibilityand making sure that we're running a solid business,their primary function at this pointis for recruitment and raising money for us 06 50 How much of your budget comes from grants 06 58 ALLISON CAIN continued Right now our contributed to earned incomeso far as budgeting is 56 of our incomeis contributed income, so money that's been given to us Of that, about 35 of the contributed portionis grant funding, foundation funding, and about 42 is individuals So that's giving either just by someone writes a checkor we have letter writing campaigns that we do We do an audience ask when you come see our show 07 28 ALLISON CAIN continued We'll tell you how long the show isgoing to be, where to exit if you haveto use the restrooms, oh, and by the way if you want to give usthe money to help us continue producing, you know, that And we also do an annual benefit every year,which is a big, big portion of our individual giving And then we also do have some major donorsthat contribute to us So it is the majority of our earningsare coming from people giving us money as opposedto us earning it And we are looking to continue growing that numberso that we have way more contributed income versus ourearned income, because as a theater,we have a very, very, very volatile product 08 12 ALLISON CAIN continued We can budget for what we think a show will do But we never know Whether it is because of the artistic content, whether itis because something is happening in the worldthat people just don't want to gosee your show because they want to see something differentor whatever it is, so we can't really rely upon that income And if we are to fettered to that earned income,it makes us risk averse And when you're creating art, you can't be risk averse There's a reason that we were giventhis status as a not for profit corporation by the government 08 46 ALLISON CAIN continued It's the same status that's given to churchesand to social institutions We bring value to society So if we are so worried about our incomethat we're afraid to take artistic risks,then we're not fulfilling the reasonthat we've been given this status So my goal and the goal of our staffand our board over the next five yearsis to have that contributed income numbermove north to about 70 So 70 of our income is going to be given to usand 30 of our income is what we rely upon for our ticket salesand camps and all of that sort of thing 09 21 ALLISON CAIN continued Because we really want to be able to stay trueto our mission and to why we are here, and thatis to produce art How much of your budget comes from individual or corporatedonors Our corporate sponsorship is a number that we need to grow Right now, it represents only about 4 of our contributed income It has been targeted in our strategic plan We have created a committee, a corporate relationshipcommittee, so that we can begin to really buildmore relationships because that number is smalland we need it to get a lot biggerand to look at corporate America to help to sponsor us 10 13 ALLISON CAIN continued But it's difficult It's all about relationship building You can't just knock on PricewaterhouseCoopers doorand say hi So a lot of it is really finding corporations whose valuesalign with our values You know, there's one of our funders,funded us for 20 years, and then they changed their focusand they were only interested in supporting organizationslooking at STEM, so in the sciences,technology, engineering, and math 10 46 ALLISON CAIN continued We're not that So now we need to find someone who's interested in STEAMand add the A in there But a lot of that is finding those corporationsso that they're answering what theyneed to answer for their stakeholders,and it matches up with what we're looking for So we're on a journey on that one We're going to have some hurdles to go over,but hopefully we'll get there 11 12 How much of your time and energy goes into fundrising 11 18 ALLISON CAIN continued A lot of energy and time goes into the fundraising effortsof this organization by me personally,and by every single staff member, every single boardmember, and ensemble members We are all engaged in that function in different ways Ensemble members often just by engaging with peopleand talking to them about the organization We did not have a development person focusedon this for about 30 years 11 50 ALLISON CAIN continued And three years ago we convinced the boardthat we needed to have someone in that function whocould really put their efforts specifically towards that,and it was a game changer for us as an organization It saw that contributed income number increase by about 4 in the first year It was 10 by the second year, justto have someone focused on that Right now, that role is open We have a vacancy We're in the middle we're in the midst of interviewingfor it, so my workload has essentially doubledbecause you can't let that sit 12 28 ALLISON CAIN continued There's relationships there that you have to keep going There's a lot of goals that we have So from a time perspective, at this point I'm at about 70 of my time is really on the development functionand relationship building And even with the development, even whenwe have someone here taking a focus on that,they're still trotting me out They're trotting the artistic director out We're going to meetings We're meeting people, talking to funders Funder meetings happen every year,making sure that they are kept up to date on everythingthat we're doing 13 02 ALLISON CAIN continued Having those face to face meetings, all of that,is super, super, super important Maintaining those relationships is important Finding out why people want to give You know, why are you giving to us And making sure that we have those alignments happening,so yeah, it's a big part of not for profit management No matter what role you have, we all have to focus on it 13 26 How has fundraising changed in recent years 13 33 ALLISON CAIN continued You know, I can really I can speakto how fundraising has changed for the organizationand also for me And I think this holds true for most organizations In the not for profit world, it is a real long term game You've got to really think about the investmentthat you're making It can't just be let's have this quick hit benefitand see you later Bye It's about developing the relationship,having the people at the event, talking to them,making sure that they know why they're there, what you do 14 12 ALLISON CAIN continued After the event is over, reconnecting with them,thanking them, finding other ways to engage them It really is about a long, long, long relationshipand taking the time with this So it's not a quick hit like, say, in politics That's much more of a quick hit whenyou're fundraising for a candidate,because it's only a short amount of time But in our world, it's about hopefully startinga relationship with someone when they come through your dooras a patron and then maybe they give you $5and then the next year they give you $20,and they go to another event 14 48 ALLISON CAIN continued And you keep building that, so that the relationshiphas more depth And that's been, for us, somethingthat we didn't necessarily do maybe even sixyears ago to that extent And now we're really, really focused on it We're intentional when it comes to building a relationshipand building family And the cool thing is it's fun, because you'regetting to know people And they do like what you do You are giving them something So it can be genuine It doesn't have to be you don'thave to feel like you're a used car salesperson 15 23 ALLISON CAIN continued It's a genuine relationship that is very, very real,and it's not just about trying to bilk someone outof their money But rather people often look for placesto give their money because they have the capacity to do so And if we're a match for that, then everyone's happy So it's kind of a win win situation for everyone So it's that relationship, I think,that's really made the difference to usand where that is going 15 48 How many people do you have on your staff 15 56 ALLISON CAIN continued I have five full time staff members,myself included in there, and I have five part time staffmembers And around 10 to 15 hourly employees, so thoseare our box office staff, and that numberwill go up and down So there is the artistic director and myself I'm in charge of the business side of the company She's in charge of the artistic side of the company We have our marketing director in charge of marketing We do have this development manager role,which we are now, again, going to be bringing someonein on that 16 28 ALLISON CAIN continued And our operations director is our other full time position And she's in charge of our front of house staff She's in charge of the facility, making surethat it's not going to fall down around us She carries also the IT function She's also our accessibility coordinator We do programming that is accessible to peoplewho are deaf and also people who are low vision or blind,and we're beginning autism friendly performances too So she managers all of that Our part time staff is our education director We have a full education program 17 00 ALLISON CAIN continued We do fully funded residences in the Chicago PublicSchools in Rogers Park, and then wedo other residences that are paid for by my schools We have a technical director who'sin charge of building all the sets We have our production manager who keeps the productions goingand has all the production meetingsand makes sure that everything's getting done We also have a master electricianwho is in charge of, we call it, everything that plugs in So he also handles audio needs and whatnot, projections 17 31 ALLISON CAIN continued And then we have a casting directorwho works for us on a part time basis as well,so she helps us cast our entire season So that's our gang It's small, but mighty 17 43 How much do you need to rely on volunteers 17 49 ALLISON CAIN continued We rely on volunteers a lot within this organization We work with a group called the saints, and they do ushering And so they are people who are a member of the organization,and they came in, and they pass outyour programs and all of that So that's for every single show that we do Each main stage show has about 37 performances Our kids series is just shy under that,multiply that by six, and you've got a lot of volunteerscoming through here 18 20 ALLISON CAIN continued We also have a super robust internship program So they are also providing support to us In return, we're also teaching them classesand all that kind of a thing And then we have various events that wedo that we seek volunteers to help us put them on Most of those volunteers are out of our former internship poolor our front of house staff So even though they work here at an hourly ratewhen they've got a shift going on, if we have an eventthey'll volunteer their time to dothat, which is so meaningful 18 55 ALLISON CAIN continued They don't have to do that They're doing that because they really care about usas an organization 19 00 How do you recruit your volunteers 19 06 ALLISON CAIN continued Most of our volunteers, aside from the organizationthat we use for front of house, most of our volunteersare coming from either through our internship programor people who currently work for us They are usually people who have a relationship with us Sometimes people will volunteer because theywant to get involved with the organization in some capacity,and they're interested in somehow finding a wayto connect with us And that's we love that That's great It helps us to get to know someone or Someone that Irecently hired for our front of house staff,when I was concluded with the interview, I said OK, great,we'll get back to you, and he said,I just want you to know if you don't hire me,for whatever reason, which is fine,I plan on volunteering any way, because I reallywant to work with you guys, and this place excites me 19 51 ALLISON CAIN continued So it's neat to have people who are excited to workwith the organization 19 57 How hands on is your position, day to day 20 03 ALLISON CAIN continued My day to day position is extremely hands on Right before I came down here, actually,I was in the restroom upstairs We have a clog and a leak in the sink,so when I went into the bathroom,it was almost overflowed So I took a bucket and I was bailing the sink So there's that really fun, glamorous, sexy workthat I get to do But on the business side, we don't have a bookkeeper I handle all the finances So I am paying all the bills 20 34 ALLISON CAIN continued And payroll, I'm doing all the payroll, all the payroll taxes I manage the audit That all comes through me I handle the HR function here A lot of that is just because that'swhere my background came in So that's also an area that I have a lot of expertise in But my job can be very tactical, and yet, it alsoneeds to be extremely strategic So it's a really interesting blend of the two 21 05 ALLISON CAIN continued Honestly, there are times when I'm pulling my hair outbecause I don't have time to do the bank deposits because Ineed to talk to a board member or Ineed to go out and do this meeting or meet with a funder So it can get challenging and sometimes a little frustrating Because there's the minutia in there, and it has to get done People have to get paid The bills have to get paid So it's a very, very hands on tactical job at times Well, with such a small staff to I mean everybody on staffis doing things that doesn't typicallyfall under their purview or what their job title is 21 45 ALLISON CAIN continued We also have a lot of functions here after hours We had a function last night We had a function Saturday at 1 o'clock So staff was here for both of those So it's a seven day work week for us And when we weren't doing that function,I know that our operations director and myself, bothcame in early because we had work that we had to do So there's a lot going on You need to be passionate about it What do you see as important trends in nonprofitmanagement So far as important trends in not for profit management,It's a hard question for me to answer, mainlybecause my focus has to be often this organizationand keeping this going, and certainly other artsorganizations and whatnot 22 39 ALLISON CAIN continued And unfortunately we don't get we don't have enough moneyto send any of us to many continuing educationclasses or anything like that One of the things, and I talked about itearlier, that I do think is one of the trendsis to, again, increase those contributed income numbers For some organizations, particularly social services,it's a little bit different because you're notproviding Somebody is not going to see a playand paying money to see the play 23 11 ALLISON CAIN continued You're actually providing a service yourself So I think that's a slightly different world than an artsorganization But most of the managing directors that I talk to,our biggest focus is to get thosecontributed income numbers to move north The world changed a lot with the economic downturn Giving changed a lot And we have to somehow figure out howto balance that out again, get those giving numbers up again,because people are looking at money differentlyit feels like 23 44 ALLISON CAIN continued And they're looking at money in a way of what they'regoing to do with any additional money that they might havedifferently And there's a lot of competing people in needright now, true need And so it's about how do we adjust thatso far as what we're needing to do So I think the trend really is how do weget those contributed numbers up and get people to give What is the most rewarding thing about workingfor a nonprofit The most rewarding part of my jobis working to fulfill our missionand knowing that I am responsible for makingthis little part of the world maybe a better placeand helping to effect that positive change 24 36 ALLISON CAIN continued The work that we do in the schoolsis so incredibly important Rogers Park is one of the most diverse zipcodes in the United States Within our public schools here in Rogers Park,there's over 80 languages being spoken It's a real point of entry for peoplecoming into this country Average median household income is below the poverty linein this area So when we get into the schools and we do residencieswith these kids, it could be a game changer 25 07 ALLISON CAIN continued A lot of kids in this neighborhood, the first theaterthey ever see is going to be in this room I'm lucky enough to wear both hats, also being an actor,and I've been lucky enough to perform in several kids seriesshows here And we do talk backs after all the matinees,and so the kids get to ask us questions It is one of the most rewarding things to perform for kids,and you can just feel them And then afterwards get to talk to themand to see the connections that they'remaking between what you're puttingon stage and the real world 25 41 ALLISON CAIN continued So knowing that I have a little small partin making a difference in our world is huge Since taking over this job 6 and 1 2 years ago,I don't think I've ever gotten upand had my stomach turn because I didn't want to go into work You know, I work often seven days a week,and I'm OK with that Often people go, oh, you have to work That sucks And I don't feel that way I love being here I love what I do I'm really proud of what we do in this organization,and it's an honor to be able to be a part of it 26 19 ALLISON CAIN continued So I feel like the luckiest person in the world QUESTION Identify create at least one fee for service idea that is appropriate for Lifeline Theatre In addition, identify the advantages and disadvantages of launching this social enterprise Did you discover there are more advantages or disadvantages Use this conclusion to decide if your social enterprise idea should be launched in the near future Allison Cain has explained that for the sustainability of the organization, Lifeline needs a larger boardexpanding from 14 to 24 members Highlight both the pros and cons of expanding the Board of Directors at Lifeline at this time Be sure to include a review of the Governance Structures discussed in class Your presentation must include a recommendation for one course of action Explain your response and ensure this is in your own words Assess the work being done by Allison Cain as Executive Director at Lifeline Theatre through the lens of this 'Sandwich Effect' Should Allison be more internally, or externally focused at this moment Should Allison be more task oriented or people oriented Determine how Allison can successfully balance these roles by outlining current and long term priorities that align with Lifeline's mission and strategic vision Assume you are a member of the Board of Directors The Board at Lifeline Theatre is developing a long range strategic plan As you reflect on the class presentations, identify 5 questions the strategic plan should answer These questions must reflect the specific nature of the theatre itself, its stakeholders, its programs and its unique challenges and opportunities 1 mark is given for each logical question with a potential for 5 marks Assume you are a member of the Board of Directors The Board has been evaluating the effectiveness of the organization's non profit partnerships and the lack of corporate partners Throughout the evaluation, another Board member wonders if this should change and asked each Board member to identify the pros and cons of building and strengthening new corporate partnerships at this time You gave this some thought, and you are ready to present your recommendation Should Lifeline Theatre form corporate partnerships at this time Prepare a presentation that highlights your belief and why you believe this Ensure your presentation includes at least one example of a successful partnership that the organization could form if you believe this is a good strategy If you believe it is not a good strategy, share an example of a partnership that could be potentially harmful for the theatre if they chose this path

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00:15 SPEAKER 2: What do you want, kid? 00:16 SPEAKER 1: Want to join up, sir. 00:17 SPEAKER 2: Just like that? 00:18 SPEAKER 1:

00:15 SPEAKER 2: What do you want, kid?
00:16 SPEAKER 1: Want to join up, sir.
00:17 SPEAKER 2: Just like that?
00:18 SPEAKER 1: Yes, sir.
00:19 SPEAKER 2: You don't see that you're stinking drunk first?
00:21 ALLISON CAIN: My name is Allison Cain and I am the managingdirector of Lifeline Theatre. [Allison Cain, NonprofitManagement, Lifeline Theatre]
00:28 [How did you get into nonprofit management?]
00:33 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:I got into nonprofit management completely by accidentand didn't even know that I was getting into it.I moved to Chicago about 24 years ago.I am an actor and like a lot of young actorscoming to the city, I decided to start my own theatercompany with a group of like-minded friendsand that started my journey and really itwas about figuring out as I went along.I started gaining more experience in it.I made a lot of mistakes and learned from those mistakes.And when that company folded, I wasasked to join another company as an ensemble member.
01:07 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And they were doing a change in leadership and within a yearI found myself their executive director.The company was having a lot of issuesand it needed a lot of restructuring,so I began to get very intimate with a lot of different areasof administration.I rewrote the bylaws, built an outside board, learnedhow to do real budgeting, ran that company for around sevenyears while also concurrently working in the business world.
01:38 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Most artists here in Chicago have to have a survival gig.So I was working in the business worldand ended up building a career in human resources,of all things.And reached a fairly high level in that industry and thenthe economic downturn happened, and I was laid off in Decemberof '08.At the same time, I was in a play here at Lifeline.And somebody had mentioned that theywere looking for a managing director,and I applied, and I got the job.
02:10 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:So it all was not a path that I necessarily intended to happen,but I found that I was good at managing companies.It aligned with my values and my passion,and so I ended up here.[How does managing a nonprofit organization differ fromrunning a for profit venture?]The main difference between managinga for-profit and a not-for-profitis that a for-profit is for profit.So that's how you make your decisions.
02:41 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Is something going to make you money, for the most part.And as long as it's within your scope of servicesthat you offer.So that is really your decision making processin the for-profit world.In the not-for-profit, it's funny,when we say not for profit, we know what we're not for.So what are we for?And we are for our mission.So we are mission based, and that's how we're driven.That's how we make decisions whenwe're looking at some programming that we should door anything like that, we go back to our mission and wesay yes or no based on that.
03:15 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Probably the most biggest difference is not-for-profitsare handicapped as compared to a for-profit, because overheadis seen as a very negative thing in the not-for-profit world.There's all those websites out therethat you can go see how many cents per dollargo for your donation to the actual causethat you're donating to.And we've been trained that overheadin the not-for-profit world is a bad thing.So let's think about what overhead is.Overhead is salaries.Overhead is marketing.
03:46 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Overhead is time.It's risk, all these factors.There's a gentleman named Dan Pallota.I hope I'm pronouncing Dan's name right.Dan, if you're out there, I'm sorry.He is a fundraiser and an activist.He founded the AIDS ride and also the three daywalk for breast cancer.He has this really interesting TED Talk that reallygoes into detail about this.But what happens is if you've gotten your degree,and you go out into the marketplace, most likely,you're going to want to make money so that you can do thingsin life.
04:21 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And we are capped at what we can pay peoplein the not-for-profit world.Not just because of our budget size,but because when funders look at us, when people who wantto give us money, they don't wantto see a lot of that overhead.So basically we have to kind of keep our salariesat a level that aren't going to make it look like we'repaying people too much money.What that does is it handicaps us so far as talent.It's hard to find people at the salariesthat we pay in a not-for-profit world.How do we get our word out?
04:51 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Well, that's advertising.But if we spend too much money in advertising,that's seen as a negative thing, eventhough that's how you find out what I'm doingand that brings it in.So there's a lot of handicaps in the not-for-profit world,and the odd thing is it's all about perception.It's not necessarily that our model's broken.It's just that we can't do certain thingsin the not-for-profit world in order to make us successful,raise more money for the causes that we do it for,both in the arts and also in the social services sector.
05:25 [Who are you accountable to?]
05:31 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:In this organization at Lifeline,I'm accountable to the board.So we have a board of directors currently at 14.We're looking to get that number up to 24 by 2020.The artistic director and I operate as peers,and then we report into our board of directors.So we co-manage our staff and then feed up to them.At Lifeline, we've had a board of directors,I think, for most of its history.
06:01 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:The company is 33 years old.What the board was like and how it operatedwhen it was a younger organization wasvery difficult-- excuse me, different-- from howit operates now.Back in the day, our board members did the books.They helped with the marketing.They helped to write policies.They were very active.It was a working board.As we got more mature as an organizationand we were able to hire people to actually do those jobs,the board's role has been morphing more and moreinto the role of a fundraising board.
06:37 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And that's where we have them now.That's their-- aside from fiduciary responsibilityand making sure that we're running a solid business,their primary function at this pointis for recruitment and raising money for us.
06:50 [How much of your budget comes from grants?]
06:58 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Right now our contributed to earned incomeso far as budgeting is 56% of our incomeis contributed income, so money that's been given to us.Of that, about 35% of the contributed portionis grant funding, foundation funding, and about 42%is individuals.So that's giving either just by someone writes a checkor we have letter writing campaigns that we do.We do an audience ask when you come see our show.
07:28 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:We'll tell you how long the show isgoing to be, where to exit if you haveto use the restrooms, oh, and by the way if you want to give usthe money to help us continue producing, you know, that.And we also do an annual benefit every year,which is a big, big portion of our individual giving.And then we also do have some major donorsthat contribute to us.So it is the majority of our earningsare coming from people giving us money as opposedto us earning it.And we are looking to continue growing that numberso that we have way more contributed income versus ourearned income, because as a theater,we have a very, very, very volatile product.
08:12 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:We can budget for what we think a show will do.But we never know.Whether it is because of the artistic content, whether itis because something is happening in the worldthat people just don't want to gosee your show because they want to see something differentor whatever it is, so we can't really rely upon that income.And if we are to fettered to that earned income,it makes us risk averse.And when you're creating art, you can't be risk averse.There's a reason that we were giventhis status as a not-for-profit corporation by the government.
08:46 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:It's the same status that's given to churchesand to social institutions.We bring value to society.So if we are so worried about our incomethat we're afraid to take artistic risks,then we're not fulfilling the reasonthat we've been given this status.So my goal and the goal of our staffand our board over the next five yearsis to have that contributed income numbermove north to about 70%.So 70% of our income is going to be given to usand 30% of our income is what we rely upon for our ticket salesand camps and all of that sort of thing.
09:21 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Because we really want to be able to stay trueto our mission and to why we are here, and thatis to produce art.[How much of your budget comes from individual or corporatedonors?]Our corporate sponsorship is a number that we need to grow.Right now, it represents only about 4%of our contributed income.It has been targeted in our strategic plan.We have created a committee, a corporate relationshipcommittee, so that we can begin to really buildmore relationships because that number is smalland we need it to get a lot biggerand to look at corporate America to help to sponsor us.
10:13 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:But it's difficult. It's all about relationship building.You can't just knock on PricewaterhouseCoopers doorand say hi.So a lot of it is really finding corporations whose valuesalign with our values.You know, there's one of our funders,funded us for 20 years, and then they changed their focusand they were only interested in supporting organizationslooking at STEM, so in the sciences,technology, engineering, and math.
10:46 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:We're not that.So now we need to find someone who's interested in STEAMand add the A in there.But a lot of that is finding those corporationsso that they're answering what theyneed to answer for their stakeholders,and it matches up with what we're looking for.So we're on a journey on that one.We're going to have some hurdles to go over,but hopefully we'll get there.
11:12 [How much of your time and energy goes into fundrising?]
11:18 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:A lot of energy and time goes into the fundraising effortsof this organization by me personally,and by every single staff member, every single boardmember, and ensemble members.We are all engaged in that function in different ways.Ensemble members often just by engaging with peopleand talking to them about the organization.We did not have a development person focusedon this for about 30 years.
11:50 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And three years ago we convinced the boardthat we needed to have someone in that function whocould really put their efforts specifically towards that,and it was a game changer for us as an organization.It saw that contributed income number increase by about 4%in the first year.It was 10% by the second year, justto have someone focused on that.Right now, that role is open.We have a vacancy.We're in the middle-- we're in the midst of interviewingfor it, so my workload has essentially doubledbecause you can't let that sit.
12:28 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:There's relationships there that you have to keep going.There's a lot of goals that we have.So from a time perspective, at this point I'm at about 70%of my time is really on the development functionand relationship building.And even with the development, even whenwe have someone here taking a focus on that,they're still trotting me out.They're trotting the artistic director out.We're going to meetings.We're meeting people, talking to funders.Funder meetings happen every year,making sure that they are kept up to date on everythingthat we're doing.
13:02 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Having those face to face meetings, all of that,is super, super, super important.Maintaining those relationships is important.Finding out why people want to give.You know, why are you giving to us?And making sure that we have those alignments happening,so yeah, it's a big part of not-for-profit management.No matter what role you have, we all have to focus on it.
13:26 [How has fundraising changed in recent years?]
13:33 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:You know, I can really-- I can speakto how fundraising has changed for the organizationand also for me.And I think this holds true for most organizations.In the not-for-profit world, it is a real long term game.You've got to really think about the investmentthat you're making.It can't just be let's have this quick hit benefitand see you later.Bye.It's about developing the relationship,having the people at the event, talking to them,making sure that they know why they're there, what you do.
14:12 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:After the event is over, reconnecting with them,thanking them, finding other ways to engage them.It really is about a long, long, long relationshipand taking the time with this.So it's not a quick hit like, say, in politics.That's much more of a quick hit whenyou're fundraising for a candidate,because it's only a short amount of time.But in our world, it's about hopefully startinga relationship with someone when they come through your dooras a patron and then maybe they give you $5and then the next year they give you $20,and they go to another event.
14:48 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And you keep building that, so that the relationshiphas more depth.And that's been, for us, somethingthat we didn't necessarily do maybe even sixyears ago to that extent.And now we're really, really focused on it.We're intentional when it comes to building a relationshipand building family.And the cool thing is it's fun, because you'regetting to know people.And they do like what you do.You are giving them something.So it can be genuine.It doesn't have to be-- you don'thave to feel like you're a used car salesperson.
15:23 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:It's a genuine relationship that is very, very real,and it's not just about trying to bilk someone outof their money.But rather people often look for placesto give their money because they have the capacity to do so.And if we're a match for that, then everyone's happy.So it's kind of a win-win situation for everyone.So it's that relationship, I think,that's really made the difference to usand where that is going.
15:48 [How many people do you have on your staff?]
15:56 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:I have five full-time staff members,myself included in there, and I have five part-time staffmembers.And around 10 to 15 hourly employees, so thoseare our box office staff, and that numberwill go up and down.So there is the artistic director and myself.I'm in charge of the business side of the company.She's in charge of the artistic side of the company.We have our marketing director in charge of marketing.We do have this development manager role,which we are now, again, going to be bringing someonein on that.
16:28 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And our operations director is our other full-time position.And she's in charge of our front of house staff.She's in charge of the facility, making surethat it's not going to fall down around us.She carries also the IT function.She's also our accessibility coordinator.We do programming that is accessible to peoplewho are deaf and also people who are low vision or blind,and we're beginning autism friendly performances too.So she managers all of that.Our part-time staff is our education director.We have a full education program.
17:00 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:We do fully funded residences in the Chicago PublicSchools in Rogers Park, and then wedo other residences that are paid for by my schools.We have a technical director who'sin charge of building all the sets.We have our production manager who keeps the productions goingand has all the production meetingsand makes sure that everything's getting done.We also have a master electricianwho is in charge of, we call it, everything that plugs in.So he also handles audio needs and whatnot, projections.
17:31 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And then we have a casting directorwho works for us on a part-time basis as well,so she helps us cast our entire season.So that's our gang.It's small, but mighty.
17:43 [How much do you need to rely on volunteers?]
17:49 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:We rely on volunteers a lot within this organization.We work with a group called the saints, and they do ushering.And so they are people who are a member of the organization,and they came in, and they pass outyour programs and all of that.So that's for every single show that we do.Each main stage show has about 37 performances.Our kids series is just shy under that,multiply that by six, and you've got a lot of volunteerscoming through here.
18:20 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:We also have a super robust internship program.So they are also providing support to us.In return, we're also teaching them classesand all that kind of a thing.And then we have various events that wedo that we seek volunteers to help us put them on.Most of those volunteers are out of our former internship poolor our front of house staff.So even though they work here at an hourly ratewhen they've got a shift going on, if we have an eventthey'll volunteer their time to dothat, which is so meaningful.
18:55 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:They don't have to do that.They're doing that because they really care about usas an organization.
19:00 [How do you recruit your volunteers?]
19:06 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Most of our volunteers, aside from the organizationthat we use for front of house, most of our volunteersare coming from either through our internship programor people who currently work for us.They are usually people who have a relationship with us.Sometimes people will volunteer because theywant to get involved with the organization in some capacity,and they're interested in somehow finding a wayto connect with us.And that's-- we love that.That's great.It helps us to get to know someone or-- Someone that Irecently hired for our front of house staff,when I was concluded with the interview, I said OK, great,we'll get back to you, and he said,I just want you to know if you don't hire me,for whatever reason, which is fine,I plan on volunteering any way, because I reallywant to work with you guys, and this place excites me.
19:51 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:So it's neat to have people who are excited to workwith the organization.
19:57 [How hands on is your position, day to day?]
20:03 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:My day to day position is extremely hands-on.Right before I came down here, actually,I was in the restroom upstairs.We have a clog and a leak in the sink,so when I went into the bathroom,it was almost overflowed.So I took a bucket and I was bailing the sink.So there's that really fun, glamorous, sexy workthat I get to do.But on the business side, we don't have a bookkeeper.I handle all the finances.So I am paying all the bills.
20:34 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And payroll, I'm doing all the payroll, all the payroll taxes.I manage the audit.That all comes through me.I handle the HR function here.A lot of that is just because that'swhere my background came in.So that's also an area that I have a lot of expertise in.But my job can be very tactical, and yet, it alsoneeds to be extremely strategic.So it's a really interesting blend of the two.
21:05 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:Honestly, there are times when I'm pulling my hair outbecause I don't have time to do the bank deposits because Ineed to talk to a board member or Ineed to go out and do this meeting or meet with a funder.So it can get challenging.and sometimes a little frustrating.Because there's the minutia in there, and it has to get done.People have to get paid.The bills have to get paid.So it's a very, very hands-on tactical job at times.Well, with such a small staff to I mean everybody on staffis doing things that doesn't typicallyfall under their purview or what their job title is.
21:45 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:We also have a lot of functions here after hours.We had a function last night.We had a function Saturday at 1 o'clock.So staff was here for both of those.So it's a seven day work week for us.And when we weren't doing that function,I know that our operations director and myself, bothcame in early because we had work that we had to do.So there's a lot going on.You need to be passionate about it.[What do you see as important trends in nonprofitmanagement?]So far as important trends in not-for-profit management,It's a hard question for me to answer, mainlybecause my focus has to be often this organizationand keeping this going, and certainly other artsorganizations and whatnot.
22:39 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And unfortunately we don't get-- we don't have enough moneyto send any of us to many continuing educationclasses or anything like that.One of the things, and I talked about itearlier, that I do think is one of the trendsis to, again, increase those contributed income numbers.For some organizations, particularly social services,it's a little bit different because you're notproviding-- Somebody is not going to see a playand paying money to see the play.
23:11 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:You're actually providing a service yourself.So I think that's a slightly different world than an artsorganization.But most of the managing directors that I talk to,our biggest focus is to get thosecontributed income numbers to move north.The world changed a lot with the economic downturn.Giving changed a lot.And we have to somehow figure out howto balance that out again, get those giving numbers up again,because people are looking at money differentlyit feels like.
23:44 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:And they're looking at money in a way of what they'regoing to do with any additional money that they might havedifferently.And there's a lot of competing people in needright now, true need.And so it's about how do we adjust thatso far as what we're needing to do.So I think the trend really is how do weget those contributed numbers up and get people to give.[What is the most rewarding thing about workingfor a nonprofit?]The most rewarding part of my jobis working to fulfill our missionand knowing that I am responsible for makingthis little part of the world maybe a better placeand helping to effect that positive change.
24:36 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:The work that we do in the schoolsis so incredibly important.Rogers Park is one of the most diverse zipcodes in the United States.Within our public schools here in Rogers Park,there's over 80 languages being spoken.It's a real point of entry for peoplecoming into this country.Average median household income is below the poverty linein this area.So when we get into the schools and we do residencieswith these kids, it could be a game changer.
25:07 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:A lot of kids in this neighborhood, the first theaterthey ever see is going to be in this room.I'm lucky enough to wear both hats, also being an actor,and I've been lucky enough to perform in several kids seriesshows here.And we do talk backs after all the matinees,and so the kids get to ask us questions.It is one of the most rewarding things to perform for kids,and you can just feel them.And then afterwards get to talk to themand to see the connections that they'remaking between what you're puttingon stage and the real world.
25:41 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:So knowing that I have a little small partin making a difference in our world is huge.Since taking over this job 6 and 1/2 years ago,I don't think I've ever gotten upand had my stomach turn because I didn't want to go into work.You know, I work often seven days a week,and I'm OK with that.Often people go, oh, you have to work?That sucks.And I don't feel that way.I love being here.I love what I do.I'm really proud of what we do in this organization,and it's an honor to be able to be a part of it.
26:19 ALLISON CAIN [continued]:So I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

QUESTION

Identify/create at least one fee for service idea that is appropriate for Lifeline Theatre..In addition, identify the advantages and disadvantages of launching this social enterprise. Did you discover there are more advantages or disadvantages? Use this conclusion to decide if your social enterprise idea should be launched in the near future.

Allison Cain has explained that for the sustainability of the organization, Lifeline needs a larger boardexpanding from 14 to 24 members. Highlight both the pros and cons of expanding the Board of Directors at Lifeline at this time. Be sure to include a review of the Governance Structures discussed in class. Your presentation must include a recommendation for one course of action.Explain your response and ensure this is in your own words.
Assess the work being done by Allison Cain as Executive Director at Lifeline Theatre through the lens of this 'Sandwich Effect'. Should Allison be more internally, or externally focused at this moment? Should Allison be more task-oriented or people-oriented? Determine how Allison can successfully balance these roles by outlining current and long-term priorities that align with Lifeline's mission and strategic vision.
Assume you are a member of the Board of Directors. The Board at Lifeline Theatre is developing a long-range strategic plan. As you reflect on the class presentations, identify 5 questions the strategic plan should answer.These questions must reflect the specific nature of the theatre itself, its stakeholders, its programs and its unique challenges and opportunities.1 mark is given for each logical question with a potential for 5 marks.
Assume you are a member of the Board of Directors. The Board has been evaluating the effectiveness of the organization's non-profit partnerships and the lack of corporate partners. Throughout the evaluation, another Board member wonders if this should change and asked each Board member to identify the pros and cons of building and strengthening new corporate partnerships at this time.You gave this some thought, and you are ready to present your recommendation. Should Lifeline Theatre form corporate partnerships at this time? Prepare a presentation that highlights your belief and why you believe this. Ensure your presentation includes at least one example of a successful partnership that the organization could form if you believe this is a good strategy. If you believe it is not a good strategy, share an example of a partnership that could be potentially harmful for the theatre if they chose this path.