Pre-Incubator Program

Participant:

Program Term:

02/2012 – 1/2013 Contact:

Philip Lehl, Kim Tobin

Co-Executive Directors info@starknakedtheatre.com

832 866 6514 starknakedtheatre.com

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Participant Profile:

“To develop and support theatrical artists by providing competitive pay, and to develop and promote an aesthetic of acting that is truthful, by producing exciting, cutting-edge, live theatre..”

• Incorporated in 02/2011 • 2012 operating budget = $87,823 • Number of Board Members = 8 • Main challenges we faced prior to the Program:

• Understanding Bookkeeping • Growing Our Board • Meeting Our Fundraising Goals • Obtaining a Venue

Enters the Pre-Incubator Program on Feb 2012

Outcomes Summary What difference did the Pre-Incubator program make?

• Stark Naked is a stronger, better-run organization, ready to step up to the next level of budget and fundraising.

– Our books are now kept on QuickBooks, and our bookkeeper meets regularly with an experienced arts CPA

– We have identified, with the help of a professional fundraiser (a volunteer) foundations that we will be targeting in the next fiscal year

– Board meets regularly, and is involved in PR and fundraising; and has grown from 3 members, to 8

– We have secured a permanent venue – STUDIO 101

– Our volunteer fundraiser has urged us to plan and implement an endowment, starting next fiscal year

Use of Funds

Description1 Amount Type

AEA Actors for BODY AWARENESS

$4,536 Program

Portion of three months rent (October 2012 – December 2012) for Studio 101 and Studio 122 at Spring Street Studios – (actual total rent for that period = $3,405)

$2,964 Admin.

•These funds allowed Stark Naked to hire three union actors for our production of BODY AWARENESS (where we probably would’ve had to make do with one or two)

•This also allowed us to be “rent free” for nearly three months, meaning we could concentrate on other areas such as fundraising, and producing art

Awarded $7500 towards administrative and/or programmatic expenses including IRS 990 preparation, venue rental fees, and artist honorarium.

Financial Trend

$9,467

$69,408

$87,823

$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

$140,000

$160,000

$180,000

$200,000

FY2011 FY2012 FY2013 FY2014 FY2015

Op

era

tin

g B

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Revenue Expenses Linear (Revenue) Linear (Expenses)

Projected Actual

Keys to Success • Came to a much better understanding of

accounting and budgeting

• Came to a much better understanding of financial controls

• Introduced our board to the importance of assisting us with tasks assigned

• Defined the roles of our immense, two-person, married staff (sustainability)

– As the primary contact, I did the work asked of me in a timely manner, to the best of my ability, allowing the HAA staff to show me what I’d done right, and wrong

Lessons Learned

• What were your course corrections?

– Keep in mind that good record-keeping – receipts, internal communications, etc. will prove invaluable. For example, in the past we have only contracted the union actors we employ – we’ve found that this is foolhardy, and intend to formally contract all hires from now on

– Be willing to give up control. As a small organization we do everything; when help arrives, don’t let jealously guard what has been your purview

Summary of Future Plans

• We hope to expand our programming, both in terms of number of events, and number of performances of each event

• We hope to foster young, start-up theatre companies, through use of STUDIO 101

• We hope to continue to increase our pay for theatrical artists, in keeping with our mission

• Future targets include

• Endowment – target foundations and major donors who want to see us become an institution

• Programming – more and bigger

• Staff – move from volunteers to paid positions

All of these targets require two things: continued excellence in artistic achievement, and effective fundraising

Haiku Jerome,

Good Cop,

Both Helping,

Bad Cop,

Phil

Quickbooks

My nemesis

Why can’t this be easy?

Wait, hey, that’s great!

My friend

Quickbooks