Dayton Live Details $25M Capital Campaign

RAISE OF LIGHT: The 2,300-capacity Schuster Performing Arts Center has not had any capital improvement projects in its 20-year history. (Courtesy Dayton Live)

More than $10 Million Raised

Dayton Live launched the Spotlight on the Future Capital Campaign to raise $25 million to help maintain the catalog of historic venues the Ohio nonprofit owns and operates, which includes the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, The Victoria Theatre, The Arts Garage and the Metropolitan Arts center, which is home to the Loft Theatre. The group also manages the PNC Arts Annex.

The public phase of the campaign launched on Sept. 12. The quiet phase of the campaign began last fall, with $10.2 million already raised, including two key naming opportunities: the primary stage at the Schuster Center named Winsupply Theatre and the stage in the Wintergarden named the Charles D. Berry Foundation Stage.

The group also manages the PNC Arts Annex and is solely responsible for preserving and maintaining the properties, which include 700,000 square feet of downtown Dayton, Ohio, property. Dayton Live receives no levied tax dollars for the maintenance of the facilities and says operating revenue hasn’t kept pace with maintenance costs.

Collectively, the venues attract more than 400,000 patrons to more than 400 events a year. Mike Rogers, the chief development officer for the nonprofit Dayton Live, explains the challenges of raising funds while caring for the cultural hub of a community.

VenuesNow: Why is this campaign important now?
Mike Rogers: The Victoria Theatre capital projects have been deferred for over 30 years – except for the roof – and the Schuster Center has not had any capital improvements in its 20-year history. The Metropolitan Arts Center and the Arts Garage also have capital needs that need to be addressed. Most of the needed improvements are critical in nature: the technology, heating and air, and lighting systems have outlived their useful lifespans and are currently either failing or at threat of failing. Dayton Live has diligently repaired systems over the years but is now at a point where repairs are virtually impossible; no parts are available and equipment is no longer available.

How did you settle on the campaign name?
“Spotlight on the Future” harkens to our performing arts identity and the double meaning of shining a light on something. We use this terminology in many of our projects and programs.

How is the community responding? It can be difficult to get donors excited about HVAC, roofs and things they don’t typically see, but are crucial to building operations.
Our donor response has been excellent. We have raised $10.2 million so far and are continuing to partner with community leaders and donors as we look toward the $25 million goal. It’s true, contributing to HVAC, roofs, systems, etc. doesn’t sound super interesting. But Daytonians understand the critical need for performing arts in Downtown Dayton. Having a strong cultural landscape is important and a sign of a healthy community, but just as important is the economic impact that Dayton Live provides to the region – over $33 million in economic impact annually.

What was involved in the “quiet phase” of the campaign last fall?
The first year of the campaign was a quiet phase, which is typical of capital campaigns. This gives us the opportunity to be hyper-targeted in our first prospective donors and to test our messaging. During this time, we also conducted small get-togethers in personal residences to give some top-line reasoning for the campaign and, again, testing the messaging. We also used this period to identify some of our lead donors so that we had some success before rolling out the campaign publicly.

The campaign is estimated to last five years to reach the remaining $15 million goal?
Correct. However, noting our current progress, we may be able to complete the campaign in three years.

How challenging is it to maintain these cultural gems? Do you have an example from any recent renovations or repairs that you could share?

Extraordinarily challenging. Both the Schuster and Victoria were built or renovated, respectively, well more than 20 years ago, both with 20th Century technology. For instance, instead of LED lighting, they used incandescent lighting, because that was the technology available at the time. But over 20 years later, incandescent lighting is no longer available. There are many other instances of outdated technology or systems. And beyond being outdated, the systems are worn and starting to fail. These are critical repairs and replacement projects that are ‘must have’ for Dayton’s iconic venues.

What do the venues mean to the downtown business area and greater community?
Dayton Live contributes over $33 million of economic impact to the community and supports almost 1,000 full-time equivalent jobs. Dayton Live is the hub of Downtown Dayton, and Downtown Dayton is the hub of the entire region. It is imperative that our venues, programming, art, culture and entertainment flourish and grow so that our community remains healthy and a place where new employers want to locate.

Unlike our counterparts in other cities, Dayton Live receives no tax revenue to support our operations or capital. Our city simply wasn’t designed that way. We have always relied on the generosity of our neighbors and patrons to help us maintain and expand performing arts in Dayton.

What is the annual cost of running the facilities?
Annually, operating cost is $19.56 million. All maintenance is covered by operating revenue.

How do you prioritize repairs when you have so many needs among all the venues?
Needs are prioritized based on 1. safety factors; 2. efficiencies; 3. creation of new opportunities; 4. cost effectiveness; and 5. fund availability. Other factors are the urgency of the project repair or replacement and system age and wear and tear. Each system has a different life expectancy, and that number of years is taken into consideration when determining system replacement.

Many other arts agencies depend on Dayton Live for their success, too. How do you juggle the cultural, philanthropic need vs. thin financial reservoirs?
Dayton Live partners with numerous resident companies: Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (Dayton Opera, Dayton Ballet, Dayton Philharmonic), Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, the Human Race Theatre Company, Muse Machine and Dayton Dance Initiative. Dayton Live provides over $1 million in subsidies to resident companies, non-profit arts organizations, and local artists each year. We understand the importance of partnering with our local performing arts neighbors to keep a healthy cultural landscape in our community.