Jeremy Hatch Promoted to Principal Consultant at Robert Swaney Consulting, Inc.

Indianapolis, IN -- Robert Swaney Consulting, Inc. (RSC) is very pleased to announce the promotion of Jeremy Hatch to Principal Consultant. Since joining the firm in 2012, Mr. Hatch has played a pivotal role in helping clients nationwide achieve breakthrough fundraising results.

“Jeremy has been instrumental in helping clients achieve immediate and lasting fundraising growth,” Bob Swaney, RSC Founder and CEO, said. “Using RSC’s innovative tools and techniques,

Jeremy Hatch, CFRE

Jeremy has helped more than a dozen RSC clients meet and exceed aggressive fundraising goals, and we’re proud to recognize him as our Principal Consultant.”

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with RSC and managed by Hatch, created an extraordinary rebound season in 2014/15, surpassing all fundraising goals by 15% and adding hundreds of new and re-engaged donors to the patron base. 

“RSC’s engagement has been key to our turnaround, which is in progress,” said Roland Valliere, President & CEO of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. “We are ahead of where we expected to be and RSC has been instrumental to that success."

RSC client, the Blue Barn Theatre of Omaha, worked closely with Hatch to launch a $7 million comprehensive fundraising campaign, which included a $5 million new theatre venue scheduled to open this fall, while expanding the institution’s annual fund by 100%.  

Prior to joining RSC, Mr. Hatch served as the founding Development Director for the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, where he built one of the most robust sponsorship programs in the United States. In addition, he has worked on numerous capital and endowment campaigns, including Indiana University Art Museum’s $17 million effort that tripled the organization’s endowment and the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis's $30 million New Visions, Lasting Values campaign. Jeremy’s international work includes Ireland’s Galway Arts Festival, where he assisted in the growth of an expanded sponsorship program, creation of an annual fund, and the development of international partnerships for major project support.

Jeremy Hatch has taught fundraising coursework as Adjunct Faculty at Indiana University and recently completed a six-year board term with the Indianapolis Fringe Festival. He holds both the CFRE certification and the Certificate in Fundraising Management from the School of Philanthropy, along with a B. A. in Theatre and Drama and a Master of Arts Administration from Indiana University. 

In his new position, Jeremy will continue providing high-level counsel to RSC’s diverse and growing client base of annual, capital, planned giving, sponsorship, and endowment campaigns to help these organizations achieve superior fundraising success.  

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About RSC: Established in 2006, Robert Swaney Consulting, Inc. (RSC) is a national provider of contributed revenue growth strategies, turnkey fundraising direct mail programs, and executive searches for arts and cultural institutions. The firm has offices in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Missouri, serving clients across the country. RSC’s clients include the majority of top-tier U.S. Orchestras.

Twenty-Four Hours of Magic in Omaha

contributing writing by RSC Senior Consultant Jeremy Hatch, cfre

At RSC we are frequently asked to counsel on the viability of online giving efforts, Facebook solicitations, special auctions and other “gadget” fundraising activities. As our clients can attest, we are often skeptical of these “innovative” fundraising approaches. Why? Because innovation is sometimes used to replace the fundamentals of a disciplined and well-executed annual campaign, leading too often to predictably poor results and critical time lost. We define the annual gift as – say it with us – Reliable and Renewable Support.

That said, we recently witnessed a wonderful example of creative – and yes innovative – community engagement by the BLUEBARN Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska where RSC is providing counsel to the Progression capital and endowment campaign to support building Omaha’s first new multi-purpose theater in a generation.

Omaha Gives, a first-year program of the Omaha Community Foundation, presented a 24-hour challenge with all gifts made online via credit card in a one-day blitz. Organizations competed for the most new donors, most dollars raised (based on budget size) and other benchmarks, with matching funds on the line from foundation and corporate sponsors. The results? An astonishing $3million was raised from more than 19,000 donors in 24 hours!

BLUEBARN Theatre pursued the opportunity with flourishing creativity, encouraging their patrons, fans and friends to give by promoting the 24-hour campaign via curtain speeches at performances, imaginative storytelling in email, social media and other channels, and through a motivated leadership group that wanted to see a smaller non-profit compete (and succeed) against some of Omaha’s largest organizations.

By May 23 the results were in, with an amazing $15,000+ raised from 140 donors, many making their first-ever gift to the BLUEBARN. “We were optimistic based upon the enthusiasm of our board and the buzz the program generated in the week before May 22 but this surpassed everyone’s expectations. We are thrilled to have dozens of new donors to cultivate over the next year,” explained BLUEBARN Director of Development Kevin Mahler.

As we celebrate this inspiring and effective idea you may ask, “Should my organization pursue some similar innovative approach -- especially in the closing weeks of our fiscal year?”  RSC says, “Only if you are ready like the BLUEBARN!”  Read on:

• The BLUEBARN was already poised to reach this year’s fundraising goals.  Special fundraisers rarely fix a broken goal or budget, so they are best used for a campaign that already has momentum. Understand that these efforts also take preparation and can sometimes distract volunteers from cultivating relationships and making leveraged asks from their peers. 

• Make sure there is urgency. BLUEBARN knew that the Omaha Gives effort would be effective because the compressed intensity of the campaign (24 hours) and the chance to receive matching funds would resonate. Conversely, longer “special campaign” efforts of 30-45-60 days (or more) often lose steam, so it’s better to stick to your Annual Plan.

• Keep it Simple. BLUEBARN did a great job of promoting the blitz while not being drawn away from their “core” annual and capital campaign solicitations.  They also successfully used the tools that were already at their disposal – people, performances and p.r.

• Always say “thank you”.  BLUEBARN showed genuine appreciation to their donors. No matter how you get the gift, make cultivation and stewardship your hallmark, with personal thank you calls, handwritten notes, and follow up activities to engage new patrons.

RSC can help your arts organization navigate the bold new world of technology and innovation in fundraising, while keeping focused on fundamentals and proven methods for long-term growth. Give us a call (or send us a tweet) today!