Pacific Symphony Hires Consultant to Boost Fund Drive

Characterizing the Pacific Symphony as “a little bit behind” in its effort to raise $1 million by the end of May, board President Stewart Woodard said Friday that the orchestra has hired a professional fund-raising consultant.

“We’ve had this in mind for over 6 months,” he said. “It’s really routine. We are an organization that is maturing and this is just the next step in our plan. We wouldn’t be very smart business people if we didn’t have professionals to help manage our campaign.”

The money is needed to cover the difference between concert expenses and revenue from ticket sales, said W. Andrew Powell, marketing director for the nonprofit orchestra.

A contract was signed Thursday with the Robert B. Sharp Co. Inc., a Newport Beach firm that played a crucial role in the capital campaign to finance construction of the $73.3-million Orange County Performing Arts Center.

“Bob is very familiar with our organization,” Woodard said of Sharp, who could not be reached for comment. “He was at our retreat 2 years ago and last year. And he is very excited to work with us.”

Woodard said several companies had been approached but only Development Management Associates, a Long Beach firm that helped South Coast Repertory, was seriously in the running besides Sharp.

Pacific Symphony Executive Director Louis Spisto declined to disclose what Sharp’s contract will cost.

“He will evaluate the structure of our current program and he will help us determine the long-term prospects for fund development,” Spisto said.

“We have to analyze whether our 5-year plan matches the community’s ability to give.”

Spisto said the Santa Ana-based orchestra hopes to raise a minimum of $5 million over the next 5 years. “As it stands now,” he said, “the need for fund raising is expected to grow by $100,000 a year.” Thus, the orchestra expects to have to raise $1.4 million in 1993.

Despite what Woodard said, the orchestra’s development department reports that the fund-raising campaign for fiscal 1988-89, which ends May 31, 1989, “is 12.2% ahead of last year,” Powell said.

Nevertheless, Woodard cited an increasingly difficult climate for fund raising as a major reason for hiring Sharp.

“Three things have changed,” he said. “We have to raise . . . almost double what we had to raise last year, and we’re a little bit behind. We also didn’t have a support staff last year as we do now. And it’s much more competitive in terms of fund raising this year.”

The orchestra raised $642,647 during fiscal 1987-88 to help cover the gap between ticket revenue and concert costs, Powell said. It also received $91,775 in grants last year toward a budget of $3.8 million. This year the budget is $4.7 million, he said.