ADVANCEMENT

The Advancement Offices are located just beyond the Greenroom on the Admin Level of the Festival Theatre.  

The Advancement team is responsible for raising approximately 30% of the Festival’s operating budget annually during a regular season. Our activity ranges from our membership programs (annual gifts ranging from $75 to $100,000), major and legacy giving programs, and special events.  

The funds raised by the team support all areas of operations, including education, archives, accessibility initiatives, digital programming, the Birmingham Conservatory, The Langham Directors’ Workshop, The Laboratory, The Meighen Forum, Stratford Festival On Film and our productions. The team is also responsible for special projects and campaigns. 

Our Canadian and American donors make an important and critical impact on the Stratford Festival. The Advancement Department’s mandate is to create awareness about the need for and importance of donations, to identify potential donors, to reach out and invite them to support us financially, to express the Festival’s thanks and encourage continued giving. Here’s some more information about our programs:   

Membership: General membership for gifts of $75 to $1,749; Playwrights’ Circle for gifts of $1,750 to $100,000+; and special appeals that support special projects like accessibility. In return for an annual membership gift, our Members know that they are playing a key role in producing our season, and we show our appreciation by offering opportunities to develop a deeper relationship with us, as well as providing benefits such as first access to tickets for the upcoming season or lounge access. For a full list of Member levels and benefits, visit our website: www.stratfordfestival.ca. You, too, can become a Member!   

Major Gifts: Gifts of $25,000 to over $1,000,000 from individuals and foundations. While some gifts are unrestricted and support the Festival’s greatest needs, many donors make gifts to a specific Festival priority as a way to give back to the community, carry on family traditions and show their deep commitment to the Festival. You will see our donors recognized in the house programs, on digital ads and on other materials. We customize ways to say thank you to each major donor and to keep them connected with the Festival and to the work they care about most.   

Legacy Giving: Many friends, patrons, staff and donors include the Stratford Festival in their estate plans, most often through a bequest in their will, or with a life insurance policy. These gifts support the future of the Festival and help to ensure the organization’s continued operation for generations to come. Donors who give to the Festival in this way are members of the Prospero Society.   

Annual Legacy Award Gala: This special event, the only fundraising event held by the Festival, takes place annually in Toronto. The purpose is to recognize a deserving person connected to the Stratford Festival while raising unrestricted money. In 2024, the Festival honoured Seana McKenna. 

Fundraising and Staff Involvement: Key to our fundraising efforts is the involvement of administrative, artistic and production staff. Our donors are loyal and passionate about the Festival. We give them opportunities to peek behind the scenes and meet the people who make the Festival such an incredible place. We call on other departments to partner with us, so that we can better illustrate the impact of a gift to a potential donor. We ask artists to sign programs or posters or join us in a meeting with donors. We also ask artists to attend events such as the Opening Night Gala, the Stratford Festival Legacy Award Gala, or one of the various receptions or dinners we hold each season. These opportunities to engage with you truly enhance donors’ relationships with the Stratford Festival and allow them to experience our community in a more significant way. It also provides all of us with the opportunity to meet and thank those individuals who help make the work we do possible!   

The content on this page was provided by the Advancement team (Heather Bedard), January 2025