Northern Stage
Our Discovery
Founded in 1997, Northern Stage is a premier professional theater company serving the rural communities of Vermont and New Hampshire from its home at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction, Vermont.
Having recently completed its $8.5 million Act II capital campaign and rebounded from the pandemic with strong audience growth, Northern Stage engaged CFA to help chart its next chapter — pairing a comprehensive Development Assessment with a parallel Strategic Planning process to align its fundraising capacity with its artistic ambition.
Our Approach
CFA analyzed Northern Stage’s donor and audience data, screened the donor base for wealth capacity, and conducted interviews with staff and board leadership. The team also participated in stakeholder focus groups and reviewed the organization’s case for support, fundraising programs, and departmental structure.
This research directly informed a collaborative Strategic Planning process, including board and staff retreats and additional focus groups, so the theater’s philanthropic potential could shape its broader institutional goals.
The Results
CFA delivered actionable recommendations that clarified staffing needs, mapped a path to building a major gifts program from newly identified prospects, and highlighted opportunities to strengthen donor journeys, annual giving, and retention. Multi-year revenue projections and a detailed implementation roadmap now anchor Northern Stage’s strategic plan, giving the theater a credible, data-informed foundation as it positions itself for its next era of regional and national impact.
What clients have to say about us
“Northern Stage's board and staff thoroughly enjoyed working with CFA. The CFA team was thoughtful and considerate in their approach, and they brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to their work. The Development Assessment has become an invaluable resource as we shape our fundraising strategy, providing practical, organization-specific recommendations that turn an ambitious vision into clear, manageable next steps. We appreciated Paul Johnson's particular ability to distill an enormous amount of information into thoughtful, actionable recommendations. His guidance led us to a vision statement, a reiteration of our core values, and five strategic goals that we are excited about and which will shape Northern Stage's next chapter.”
– Jason Smoller Managing Director
