Give us a Boost
Hello friend! Jen here, former NZIF director and current NZ Improv Trust board member. It's so lovely to be in touch with you all again. I've got a lot to tell you about before I get to the key ask of this newsletter, so thank you for your time in reading!
Who are you, again?
My name is Jennifer O'Sullivan and I'm the former director of the NZ Improv Festival. If you've been to any of the festival events in the last decade, I was running the show in one way or another, and now I've stepped down from direction and joined the NZ Improvisation Trust, which is the board that governs the festival. The trust board has been working hard since we wrapped the last fest (late 2021) to get our governing body into the absolute fittest form it can be. This has meant a lot of admin work - financial review, trust deed updates, new board members, and registration as a charity - yes! We are now an official charity! It's been a lot of paperwork but it's worth it to see the value our festival brings to our wider community, and we're excited to see what else we can do for NZ improvisation.
Meanwhile, the new directors (Jim Fishwick and Matt Powell) are leading a brilliant team to put together NZIF 2023, an event full to the brim with quality, community and joy. They've launched workshop registrations (earlybird closes 1 September!) and soon will have tickets for shows on sale, and are doing all the behind the scenes work that will make everything run smoothly and sweetly. However, doing so in the current financial climate is not without its challenges...
It's uncomfortable but, let's talk money.
Running a project like this, with a board and proper staffing and quality delivery etc, costs money. Production costs, personnel, contractors, venue hire, marketing - it all adds up. Some of that money comes from ticket sales and workshop registrations, other comes from grants and sponsorship. And this year, we sadly missed out on a pretty big funding grant from CNZ in their Festival Grants round - it was the first time they split festivals off into their own round and even still, it was hugely oversubscribed with a 30% success rate for applicants. This means we need to get a little more creative in making sure we get this year's event over the line, and that's where you come in.
It's a huge goal.
We know this, and we are both a little bit nervous and a lot hopeful that our community is here for us and wants this organisation and event to continue sustainably. Plus, we have a secret weapon: a match donor. Several anonymous benefactors have pooled their resources and confirmed a match donation of $10,000. Which means that for every dollar someone like you donates to us, they will match that donation with an equal one. If you give us $10, we get $20! If you give us $25, we get $50! If you give... you get the idea, right?
I've done some more math, and I've worked out that if everyone on this mailing list were to donate $25, we would hit that target immediately. I know for some people that's out of reach, and for others that's small change and they'll throw in a little more. I only ask that you give what you can, that you share the link with your wider improv community, post it on your socials, send it to your generous big business buddies etc etc and help us fund our beloved festival for another year.
Here is my personal ask to you, improv friend: if you love what NZIF has done for you in the past, what it will do for you this year, and what you hope it will give you and other improvisors in future - please support this campaign.
There's heaps more info on the Boosted page, but if you have any questions about this campaign, please get in touch with me on jen@improvfest.nz - I'm taking the lead on this so the festival team can focus on the actual event. Thank you so much again for your time in reading this, and thank you for your support.
Ngā mihi nui,
Jen and the NZ Improv Trust board (Tai, Claire and Lisa)