The Art Center Highland Park Client Success Story KEES had the honor of working with The Art Center Highland Park (TACHP) when leadership made the difficult decision to pivot from a traditional annual evening event to an online spring benefit for their much-anticipated 60th Anniversary.
Within a short 4-week timeline, KEES interim staffing specialist Laura Weinman was able to work with staff at TACHP to prioritize goals, focus a comprehensive event timeline and strategize marketing and communication outreach.
The culmination of this successful partnership was a three-day virtual event and online art auction featuring a celebrity emcee, sold-out raffle and a groundbreaking virtual art exhibit tour from Ellen Sandor, “Visualizing in a New Light.”
Behind the scenes, KEES was able to add value by segmenting TACHP’s donor database to send targeted messaging to supporters, providing best practices expertise and supporting staff in real-time event troubleshooting.
With KEES’ help, outreach for the event was tripled and there was a marked jump in participation from lapsed donors. We are proud to share in The Art Center Highland Park’s success and innovation in this unprecedented time of fundraising during the pandemic.
“The Art Center Highland Park had an epic celebration planned for our 60th Anniversary, and when the pandemic hit we quickly pivoted to a Virtual Spring Benefit. We reached out to several consultants to help us through the complex nature of a virtual event, and KEES stood out with their proposed concepts. Once we started the process, we knew we made the right decision.
Our consultants, Laura Weinman and Stacy Harker, worked closely with us as we created the structure, and their knowledge of our two software platforms made a huge impact on the success of our event. With KEES’ guidance and support, we surpassed our goal and made a positive impression with our donors and sponsors, as well as brought in an impressive number of new supporters.
I highly recommend KEES as you navigate this difficult new reality, especially if you are doing virtual fundraising.”
-Donna Bliss, TACHP Director of Development