The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s capital campaign was a well-choreographed project that breathed new life into the organization’s fundraising plan

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

At the end of that year, Ailey already had raised $47.5 million, and it had yet to go public with the campaign, mine its general donor files or — gasp! — do much of anything with direct mail.

The public phase of the campaign found the organization still seeking those seven-figure leadership gifts but focusing more heavily on smaller amounts in the $25,000 to $100,000 range and soliciting folks who might not have ever given to Ailey before. Sources for leads included the steering committee and board members, of course, but also some celebrities and other prominent figures, as well as the group’s list of people who had bought tickets to performances. They were courted through cocktail parties and receptions hosted around performances and more one-on-one meetings followed up by personal letters.