Turning Ticket Buyers Into Donors with a Fundraising CRM
Testing dynamic donation asks and connecting donor data
Located on the campus of Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, Macomb Center for the Performing Arts presents live music, theater, and community events across a 1,261-seat main stage, a flexible black-box theater, and an adjacent cultural center. With activity on more than 300 days each year, the Center serves both college and community audiences through a busy, varied program.
At the 2025 US Spektrix Hubs in Chicago, Business Manager Cate Foltin shared how the Center transformed its approach to fundraising. Working within a college structure meant extra layers of approval around new fundraising activity, so the team needed an approach that was practical, flexible, and easy to show results from.
By using Spektrix to test dynamic donation asks and connect fundraising with audience data, they built confidence internally while creating a stronger foundation for long-term audience relationships and revenue.
It took a lot of convincing for the college to allow us to ask for a donation because it wasn’t part of their annual appeals. But once we added it, it’s been very successful.Cate Foltin
Business Manager
-
300
new donors in one year
-
700
gifts in one year
-
15%
of free ticket buyers made a donation
Bringing donations into the purchase path without adding friction
When Macomb Center joined Spektrix in 2023, the team had a clear goal: make it possible for patrons to donate as part of buying a ticket.
Their previous system did not allow them to include a donation ask in the purchase path, so fundraising activity sat separately within the college structure. That made it harder to connect ticket buying and giving, and more difficult to show how everyday audience engagement could support fundraising.
The team introduced optional, dynamic donations directly into the purchase path. Each suggestion is based on basket value, and patrons can adjust or skip the ask entirely. That simple change made fundraising more visible and natural, and easier to act on.
In the first season alone, 300 people made more than 700 gifts. The following year, the number of gifts doubled, and for the first time since COVID-19, Macomb Center exceeded its donation target by 7% – all without additional printing, postage, or campaign costs.
Using the Spektrix fundraising CRM to turn audience insight into stronger donor relationships
With donations now flowing through Spektrix, the Center could start analyzing giving patterns and tailoring messages to different audience segments.
Data from the Spektrix fundraising CRM brought together purchase patterns, giving history, and average spend in one place. That unity gave the team a clearer picture of audience engagement over time and revealed practical opportunities to strengthen donor relationships through more relevant follow-up and membership benefits.
We looked at people who’d already given and told them, "You’re $43 away from early access or 15 percent off concessions." About 25 percent upgraded their gifts.Cate Foltin
Business Manager
Using Spektrix reports, Cate’s team identified donors who were close to qualifying for benefits such as priority booking or concession discounts and sent them personalized follow-ups.
This simple, connected approach has helped turn one-time donors into regular supporters. Being able to track donor activity, transactions, and communication history in one place has helped make arts fundraising more strategic and transparent, even within the constraints of a college environment. It has also made it easier to connect individual asks to the bigger picture of audience relationships and long-term support.
Giving patrons a clear choice helped grow support across the community
Not every patron chooses to give, and that is part of what makes the approach effective. For Cate, the goal is not to pressure people, but to make giving visible, simple, and easy to act on.
During a recent summer family dinosaur exhibition, around 15% of registrants chose to donate even though tickets were free. Those small, voluntary gifts have become an important revenue stream that complements larger annual appeals and shows how arts fundraising can grow through everyday audience activity.
Embedding donation prompts within event purchase paths has helped make fundraising a more natural part of audience engagement. Rather than treating giving as a separate activity, the team can invite support at the moments when audience connection is already strongest.
We have people who don’t give, people who give less than the suggested amount, and people who give every time they buy a ticket. The important thing is: they have the choice.Cate Foltin
Business Manager
The central college development team can be confident that important relationships are protected, while still welcoming contributions of all sizes to help sustain live performance in their community.
Fundraising that fits a college setting
Macomb Center’s experience shows how arts, culture, & live experience organizations can use the Spektrix fundraising CRM to make giving simpler and more effective, even within the complexity of a campus setting.
-
Gifts doubled
in the second year of using dynamic donation asks
-
Donation target exceeded
by 7% without extra campaign costs
-
More donors upgraded
with 25% increasing their gifts after tailored messages
Dynamic, optional donation asks have made fundraising part of everyday audience engagement, while data from the centralized patron record has helped the team communicate more personally and effectively. The result is more sustainable revenue growth and a more loyal, connected community of supporters.
For other college-based or campus venues, Cate’s advice is clear:
If you haven’t set up dynamic donations yet, it’s the easiest thing we ever did — and the team at Spektrix are really cool to work with.Cate Foltin
Business Manager
