Arena Stage auctioned off a silk kimono from "M. Butterfly" on eBay last week for $637.76. It also unloaded two hand-carved thrones from "Camelot," getting $152.50 for the pair.
Staffers at Signature Theatre in Arlington have taken notice. They are unpacking the body-parts grinder from their production of Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" and the Grand Central sign from their production of Sondheim's "Company." They are hoping there are enough theater buffs in eBay's vast domain to fork over $20,000 for all the memorabilia they are prepared to ship.
Sitting pretty: This pair of hand-carved thrones from Arena Stage's production of "Camelot" brought the theater $152.50 from an online buyer.
(Arena Stage)
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From live auctions to black-tie balls, fundraisers are a necessity for most arts organizations. But using the enormously popular eBay electronic marketplace to augment ticket sales and local philanthropy is a new wrinkle. "It is a different way to connect with the world of people who support Arena, who come into the theater, who write an annual contribution, and to reach a larger audience," says Arena's executive director, Stephen Richard.
In this, local performance nonprofits are joining a nationwide trend. The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs gave its supporters a chance to help dye the Chicago River green for St. Patrick's Day through an eBay auction that closed last week. For its 30th anniversary in October, the California Lawyers for the Arts joined the online auction groundswell by offering nights at bed-and-breakfast inns on the Mendocino River, dinners at swank San Francisco restaurants, and a tour of the grand Grace Cathedral and lunch with the cathedral dean. The dean was the biggest draw, at $100. Go figure.
"It has grown to be an important source of funds, turning in-kind contributions to cash," says Shayna Englin of Mindshare Interactive Campaigns, a Washington organization that advises Arena, Signature and others on how to tackle the new fields in fundraising.
"The groups are seeing a lot of donor fatigue. They want to try anything that enables you to ask new people for new things and the old people for new things," says Englin.
Though there are modest start-up costs and slim returns so far, compared with the organizations' needs, the beneficiaries are pleased. They are reaching people in all corners of the world, people who don't have to get dressed and be fed at a cocktail party.
"You can broaden your audience beyond those who want to be at a live auction. It's less labor-intensive for the group, and people can access it around the clock," says Alma Robinson, executive director of the lawyers' group. It organized its online auction in six weeks and raised $1,000.
Executives at eBay were eager to make room for the charity drives, which took off soon after the company started in 1995. "We estimate we have raised about $35 million for nonprofits or by nonprofits themselves through selling on eBay since we started," says Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman.
Going the eBay route requires some navigation, arts administrators admit. Millions of items vie for the attention of roughly 125 million users. Getting lost in the enormous listings is easy.
