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A Word from Katie

This is, quite possibly, my favorite time of year as a Director of Development. It’s intense and busy and I am often (though not this year) the only ETC staffer working - because if your job is fundraising, you have to work during the last days of a calendar year. But, here’s the thing, I love it because I get to see just how much our community cares about ETC.

Is it awesome opening up envelopes to find donation checks? Obviously. Is getting the real-time emails of online donations a little serotonin boost throughout the week? Truly. But, and I mean this honestly, the big thing is seeing those donor names. The donors who have been giving to ETC from the beginning (we kick off year 24 tomorrow!), the new donors who discovered us because they took an online class or their child participated in a camp, the giving-for-a-second-time donors who got to know ETC because they are friends with a board member, and the donors whose family members are employees recognizing that keeping artists employed is so key right now. Seeing the reach of ETC’s impact in the tangible list of donor addresses and names, that’s so inspiring. It makes each year, even these pandemic-filled ones, end positively for me.

I came to fundraising rather widely - my degrees in Elementary Education and Theatre were meant to do what ETC allows me to do, teach theatre in elementary schools and work as a lighting designer, not ask people for money. But being in both the arts and education for decades showed me just how important the non-profit sector is to our country and our communities. I am so passionate about the work that we do that the ability to share that passion with donors and, ideally, inspire donations was a natural fit. It’s not always easy, but it is always inspiring.


I know it gets said a lot that “every little bit helps,” but if you had the pleasure of my job, you would know how true that is. Every donation, from $10 to $10,000 adds up to the creation of new programs, new employees, and new partnerships.

So, to our donors, I say - thank you for inspiring me. Thank you for continuing to let me find my passion in the work that we do. And thank you for sharing your passion with our community. I mean it when I say that we couldn’t do it without you.


- Katie


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The Educational Theatre Company is supported in part by a grant from the Virginia Commission of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The company is also supported in part by the Arlington Cultural Affairs Division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts.

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