‘Tecumseh!’ is on for next year after a fundraiser
CHILLICOTHE – After four months of fundraising, The Scioto Society has raised $100,000 of crucial cash that will help its coronavirus recovery efforts and ensure future productions take place.
Expecting for the donation campaign to end by Christmas, Brandon Smith, CEO of The Scioto Society and producer of “Tecumseh!”, announced that with the generosity of the community, the nonprofit organization reached its fundraiser goal two months early.
“Our funders donated about $20,000 to kick us off. That was matched quickly,” Smith said. “There’s been a lot of community support to make sure that what we do doesn’t go away.”
The Bundle of Twigs campaign, inspired by a quote from Tecumseh that said, “A single twig is easily broken, but a bundle of twigs is strong,” was The Scioto Society’s fundraising effort to bring back Tecumseh! after COVID-19 had a severe financial impact on the organization.
To start the campaign, Smith said the organization offered a limited edition poster, designed by Jarrod Depugh of Metropolis Design Studios in Chillicothe, featuring an image of Tecumseh along with his famous quote. There were only 100 posters available and from the sales, The Scioto Society raised $25,000 alone.
Once those sold out, they began looking for other avenues to receive donations. The nonprofit organization then designed and offered t-shirts for community members with proceeds going back into the company. From those sales, they raised about $3,500 according to Smith.
In the meantime, The Scioto Society
and their partners, the Chillicothe-ross Community Foundation, began reaching out to regular donors to see if they were still interested in assisting the organization. Smith said that often, patrons became ambassadors for the organization and helped spread the word about the Bundle of Twigs campaign – encouraging others to donate, too.
And as larger companies within the entertainment industry like Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera announced that their performances would be suspended for another 12 months, more donations came in at a local level to keep area productions alive.
“Here in southern Ohio, we know the [economic] impact that live performances can have in the community,” Smith said. “In the past few years, we have brought in millions of dollars. People want to help keep us open.”
After announcing the fundraiser in June, The Scioto Society reached 93% of its goal by early September. Despite the initial surge, Smith knew the last chunk of money – around $10,000 – would be difficult to find.
Yet from the combination of poster and t-shirt sales, word of mouth and help from partners, the organization reached its $100,000 goal in late October. And with essential operational funding secured, The Scioto Society now plans to focus on next year’s season.
The return of Tecumseh!
About five weeks ago, reopening guidelines for performing arts centers were released by Governor Mike DeWine’s office. The regulations mandated that venues could only reopen if they operated at 15% capacity. At Sugarloaf Mountain, this meant that the 1,800 person theater could only sell 250 tickets. Smith said that financially, it didn’t work.
They met with the Ross County Health District to develop a plan and to see if the state would grant leniency based on it. After a bit of back and forth, attendance was raised to 560.
Next summer, Tecumseh! will return to the stage in what will likely be The Scioto Society’s first performance since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Smith said that at this time, they have no plans to host a spring musical although he hopes to bring the bluegrass festival back to the stage if possible.
“It’s still not great but at least we can make it work. It’s been cuts on cuts but if we’re able to, if people want to buy tickets, we will survive next year,” he said.
Once “Tecumseh!” is up and running, Smith said it will also give the nonprofit an opportunity to see what they can pull off. From there, they’ll have a plan for the fall production.
While The Scioto Society was able to raise the funds it needed to remain operational through the Bundle of Twigs fundraiser, the organization still isn’t out of the woods yet.
Looking to the future, Smith said that the organization utilized around $300,000 in federal loans and grants to cover the full spectrum of costs inquired as a result of COVID-19. At this time, he’s unsure what they’ll be expected to pay back.
“We made it to the end of the year and now we have money in the bank. We’re going to open [Tecumseh!],” said Smith. “But how much debt do we have? I don’t know. I feel good. We’re optimistic, but it is a concern.”