I'm working in a small Michigan coastal town (pop. 6000) as executive director of a (mostly) renovated historical theater. The theater was renovated about ten years ago,and it took ten years to raise the funds. It's current operations are not sustainable unless local tax payers keep paying the bills. At 43,000 square feet, this large old building is high maintenance, even though a new HVAC and roof were recently installed. Most of the tax dollars are going to service debt incurred with the HVAC and roof replacement, the rest to repairs, utilities and my salary. There is pressure in the community to focus tax dollars on more "essential" governmental services. The facility is city owned.
There are two non-profit organizations that are considered residents and have a long history with the facility. There is also a fairly significant wedding ceremony/reception business. An area dance studio hold it's recitals in the building and there is the occasional community organization use of the facility. There is also a small presenting program that has focused mostly on roots and blues music.
No fund raising has been done in the past ten years. There is a governing authority that consists of representatives of the user groups, two citizens at large and the Treasurer of the City. The chair of the board recently resigned for family reasons. Another member recently resigned as they didn't feel able to contribute.
There is a 501 (c) 3 that was formed to raise the dollars for renovation, it has been inactive since. New board members are being recruited for this group, a strategic planning process has been proposed, and help from arts agencies is being explored. Issues of governance, operating policies and funding need to be explored and decisions made. A clear mission for the organization needs to be agreed upon and supported, there is not allot a room for error.
In addition to myself, there is one part time custodian and occasional facility support from city staff. Additional part time help is hired as needed to support events. The facility is very dependent on volunteers associated with the resident user groups, each a separate 501 (c) 3.
