Kara Larson
Marketing & Fundraising Professional
P.O. Box 5362
Portland, ME 04101
(415) 283-9096
kara_larson@yahoo.com
Skype: kara_larson
Profile
Experienced driver of revenue in the charity environment, with long history of successful marketing and fundraising
achievement in the arts & culture sector. Relevant accomplishments include leading consulting clients to double digit
increases in donated revenue, increasing subscription revenue at San Francisco Opera by 30% using new marketing and
analysis methods, creating giving matrices and “next best” donor analytics in growing fundraising, and managing large staff
and budgets while meeting ambitious revenue goals.
Key Expertise
Marketing—over 15 years direct experience in marketing for arts & culture non-profits. Expertise includes strategic
leadership and outstanding delivery, comprehensive plans for expanding institutional market share, marketing planning
and campaign design, analysis and projections, and company-wide leadership in communications and branding. Regularly
exceeded ambitious earned revenue goals when employed in leadership positions, and led consulting clients to marked
and sustainable increases in earned revenue.
Fundraising—over 20 years experience in non-profit fundraising and donor development. Expertise includes formulating
and directing philanthropic development, solicitation strategies and prospect identification, major donor and foundation
grantor cultivation, individual gift campaigns, member/friend communications campaigns in multiple media, fundraising
integration into patron relationship management systems, corporate sponsorships, and direct mail and digital integration.
Relevant Employment History
Founder & principal
Arts Knowledge, llc (www.arts-knowledge.com)
2010 - present
Own and manage arts marketing and fundraising consulting firm, leading a staff of data analyst and project specialist working
exclusively with performing arts organizations and museums across the U.S. and Canada. Current and recent clients include
the University of California at Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures, the Capitol Center for the Arts (New Hampshire), Pacific
Opera Victoria (Canada), Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (Philadelphia), UCLA Live, and Opera North.
 Focus on data analysis and business intelligence (using internal and external data) to inform campaign design that
enables clients to maximize revenue
 Develop audience growth and patron relationship programs that lead to increasing and sustainable revenue streams
 Lead marketing and fundraising campaigns that effectively combine multiple communications channels
 Lead branding and visual identity programs that serve to increase awareness and patron involvement
 Implement pricing, projecting, and revenue management programs that enable long-term improvement in cash flow
and business practices around revenue and budgeting
 Implement ROI analysis and campaign tracking to maximize efficiency in marketing and fundraising efforts
Board President
Portland Performing Arts Festival
2012
Conceived and led a 4-day festival presenting varied performing arts events arts in Portland, Maine. Attracted over $200,000
in donated funding and 50+ volunteers, chose and worked with performing artists from across the U.S., and managed events.
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Office of the Executive Director for the Arts,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
November 2007—September 2010
Managed strategy and operations for marketing, patron relationships, donor communications, and media relations for major
university performing arts presenter (Carolina Performing Arts). Managed staff of 12-14 and expense budgets of $300,000
while driving earned revenue of over $2 millions.
 Developed marketing and communications strategy and served as senior advisor to program executive and
university chancellor’s office
 Led functional areas of marketing, patron relationship management, box office and audience services, Tessitura
CRM system, media and public relations
 Created new pricing and dynamic pricing models that improved revenue on all performances
 Grew audiences and improved audience diversity
 Managed academic/arts integration activities in a variety of performance series
Associate Director of Marketing/Interim Director of Marketing
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco, California
April 2005– October 2007
Developed strategy and implemented operations for SF Opera’s subscription marketing, managing campaigns resulting in
nearly $14 millions of institution’s $20 millions earned-revenue budget.
 Led improvements in subscription marketing and audience growth; result was 30% increase in revenue over 3 years
 Designed and managed direct mail, telemarketing, and web/email campaigns, and implemented new patron service
programs and events.
 Formulated and implemented new patron retention program
 Created new programs in web and email outreach and improved direct mail campaigns and returns
 Leveraged multi-channel marketing to prospect for new patrons, utilizing data mining, list vendors, and
demographic analysis
Director of Marketing and Patron Relationships
Glimmerglass Festival
Cooperstown, N.Y.
January 2002 – March 2005
Developed and implemented all marketing functions for opera festival’s 43-performance season, including marketing
campaigns for subscriptions, single tickets and group sales; box office and ticketing; telemarketing; patron services; market
research and strategic planning; marketing budgets. Created and managed campaigns using direct mail, advertising, emarketing, sales promotion, telemarketing, sponsorships, and partnerships.
Director of Community Development
Sarasota Opera
Sarasota, Florida
October 1999 – September 2001
In partnership with new company leadership, created new position responsible for a combination of functions in fundraising,
board and patron relationship management, development communications and event promotion, and fundraising through
grant funding and special event sales.
 Planned and managed all company communications regarding special events, concerts, and development functions,
including institutional positioning, promotion, and audience development.
 Created and managed all development communications and publications
 Implemented marketing and publicity campaigns for individual events and concerts
 Obtained grant funding for and led subsequent creation of new educational programs, including an “Opera in the
Schools” program
 Served as company liaison to board and multiple guilds
Associate Director for Member Communications
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
New York, N.Y.
November 1994 – September 1999
Managed all member and development communications and publications, and some media messaging, for large international
refugee resettlement agency.
 Created new member outreach communications, membership-building activities, and publications to build and
manage awareness of the agency’s mission among its stakeholders
 Worked to build media awareness and acceptance of the agency’s leading role in refugee issues
 Led effective efforts to drive new awareness and increased donations based on highlighting connections between
agency’s contemporary work and its history in “replanting family trees” of American Jewish families
Recent Speaking Engagements
 2013 Maine International Conference on the Arts: “Building Events”
 2013 Opera America Conference: “The Data-Driven Turnaround”
 2012 TedX Broadway: “The Future and Broadway”
 2011 National Arts Marketing Project Conference: “New Audiences That Stick”
 2010 National Arts Marketing Project Conference: “Dynamic Pricing Strategically” and “Motivating Audiences
Using Performance Video”
Selected articles (links embedded)
 A culture of asking: Kara Larson sorts the myths from the truths about “US-style” philanthropy (Arts
Professional magazine)
 Closing the Barn Door BEFORE The Horses Leave: Strategic Pricing (Live 2.0)
 Using data to make strategic decisions in arts and cultural organisations (Culture Hive, AMA UK)