Major gifts are critical for every arts organization. This episode features board member and major gift philanthropist Susan Bay Nimoy, wife of the late actor Leonard Nimoy (most known for his role as Spock on Star Trek, and yes, we talk about it!). We cover all things major gifts, including relationship building, how that takes time, and what the process is that compels her as a major donor to give generously.

Susan Bay Nimoy has served on the board of many arts organizations, including the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, Symphony Space in New York, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Griffith Observatory. She recently endowed The Nimoy Theatre in LA, which is part of UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance.

Want to know what to say when building major donor relationships in the arts and ultimately soliciting a major gift? Download your free resource, the Major Donor Fast Track Guide.

Hi, everyone.

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Today, we're I am fangirling a little

bit because this episode taps into

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two subjects I love to talk about.

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The first, you know already, if you know

anything about me, that's the business

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side of the arts and how to run our

arts organizations like a business.

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But the second subject is kind of a well

kept secret of mine that I now cannot

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keep a secret any longer, and that is

that deep inside, I am a huge Trekkie.

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Yes, I was raised on Star Trek and

today's guest is Susan Bay Nimoy,

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who is a model board member at

several arts organizations, both

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performing and visual, which we will

get into of course in this episode.

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And she is also the wife of

the late actor, Leonard Nimoy.

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I don't know about you, but like

I said, I was raised on Star Trek.

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Like, so many memories are sitting

in my living room growing up.

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from being a little girl

all the way through teenage

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years and watching the show.

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So when I learned that Susan

Bay Nimoy is a very active board

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member and philanthropist at

multiple arts organizations,

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I was so eager to talk to her.

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And that conversation happened.

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So you will hear today her

share that Leonard's first

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love, in fact, was theater.

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Yes, he did TV and movies, as

she says, for the paycheck,

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but he really loved theater.

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And she doesn't shy away from talking

about that or talking about him.

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And that is right in tandem with

how much effusive joy she brings

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as she talks about her own work.

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It's really contagious, I think.

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To give the overview, we will cover

Susan's role serving on boards at

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several different arts institutions,

including performing arts and

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visual arts alike, like I said.

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She talks about the Hammer Museum.

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which is a contemporary art museum

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a huge 90 million dollar expansion.

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So we'll hear about that.

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She also shares how she became the

lead donor, the namesake donor of a

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new theater in LA called the Nimoy,

and that is part of the Center for

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the Art of Performance at UCLA.

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And also you'll hear her talk about her

role as a major donor at the Griffith

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Observatory, but I'll share more about all

that when I Do her proper introduction.

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For now, uh, the overview of today

is that you will hear us talk

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about major gift asks a lot, and

including relationship building,

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how that takes time to do that well.

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And what the process is for her that

compels her to give so generously

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to these different institutions.

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And I want to mention the free

resource for the episode on this topic.

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It is the Major Donor Fast Track Guide.

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If you are in a top leadership role

like executive director or artistic

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director or responsible for fundraising,

either as a staff member or board member

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like Susan Bay nimoy in this episode.

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This major donor fast track guide gives

a lot of the tips for you to develop

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relationships and bring in those major

gifts you need to fund your mission.

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So I'm going to share more about

my own major gifts learning journey

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at the end of this episode and

how you can get that download too.

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But flagging it for you now here.

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So back to the agenda here,

Susan also talks about making

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it easy for the customer.

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Whether that's parking, or traveling to

the venue, or buying online, and I have

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to say out of the gate here how much I

love that we get to hear a board member

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who is very in tune with customer needs.

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You will hear herself described as 80

years old and saying these things, which

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I think is such a great compliment.

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Representation of our patrons and

somebody who just identifies so well with

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the customer profile of our attendees.

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And as we wrap up this intro here, I came

away from this conversation thinking two

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main things I want to share with you.

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One, I mentioned Susan Bay

Nimoy is in so many ways a

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model, donor, and board member.

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I learned, and you will learn as

well when you listen, that she

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doesn't just write big checks.

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She brings her network and

her friends along with her.

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You will hear her talk about this.

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It's fantastic.

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This is exemplary board behavior.

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Yes, of course, we are grateful for the

generosity of our board members and also.

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We need their network and being able to

bring that network into our organizations,

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that is just as important in my opinion.

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So sidebar, there is a whole episode

on this topic if you want more on

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responsibilities of a board member.

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This is literally episode number one.

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It's that important.

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Season one, episode one.

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So you can look that up.

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It's called "How to Fire a Board

Member," but really it's about not

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firing them and recruiting them and

getting it right in the first place

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so that we don't have to go down.

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the path of unhappiness

with a board member.

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So, okay, that's the first thing.

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Model donor, model board member.

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The second big takeaway for me was no

matter if you work at a museum in visual

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arts, contemporary art, or in performance

art, music theater, or an institution

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focusing on education or science, or

if you work at a venue housing any of

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these disciplines, Susan bounces between

all of these disciplines, genres, the

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things she cares about effortlessly.

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And I say that to her

eventually in the interview.

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I, she just comes across as

effortless in blending artistic

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disciplines in the most wonderful way.

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So here we go.

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Welcome to season three, episode

four with Susan Bay Nimoy

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I'm Aubrey Bergauer and

welcome to my podcast.

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I'm known in the arts world for

being customer centric, data

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obsessed, and for growing revenue.

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The arts are my vehicle to make the

change I want to see in this world, like

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creating places of belonging, pursuing

gender and racial equality, developing

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high performing teams and leaders, and

leveraging technology to elevate our work.

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I've been called the Steve

Jobs of classical music at the

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Sheryl Sandberg of the symphony.

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I've helped offstage roles managing

millions of dollars in revenue at

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major institutions and as chief

executive of an orchestra where we

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doubled the size of the audience and

nearly quadrupled the donor base.

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And now I'm here to help you achieve that.

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that same kind of success.

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In this podcast, we are sorting through

the data, inside and outside the

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arts, applying those findings to our

work, leading out with our values, and

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bringing in some expert voices along

the way, all to build the vibrant

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future we know is possible for our

institutions and for ourselves as

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offstage administrators and leaders.

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This podcast is about

optimizing the business around

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Aubrey Bergauer: Again, today's guest is

Susan Bay nimoy, and to properly introduce

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her, she is the former chair of the

Institute for the Study of Women and Men,

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which is a gender studies institute at

USC, University of Southern California.

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She is the former co chair of the

Environmental Leadership Forum of the

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California League of Conservation Voters.

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She's a former board member of

the Directors Guild of America.

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She is a former trustee on

the board of the Museum of

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Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

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She is also a television and

regional theater director.

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She's producer as well of documentaries

on the history of Mother Jones and

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artists Liza Liu and Twyla Tharp.

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Susan Nimoy has produced a short film

called Eve, which screened at Sundance

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Film Festival, and she briefly mentions

it at one point in our interview.

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She's currently serving on the

board of advisors at the Hammer

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Museum, Symphony Space in New

York, and the Griffith Observatory.

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You will hear her talk about all of those

organizations in our conversation today.

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She recently endowed the Nimoy Theater

in Los Angeles as part of UCLA's

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Center for the Art of Performance,

or CAP as she and others refer to it.

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That venue just opened last September.

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Susan, with all of this, wow,

welcome and thank you for being here.

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I'm happy to be here.

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So I want to dive in and talk

about how did you originally get

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involved with non profit arts work?

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The list is long of organizations

you've served, really amazing.

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And eventually you came to

these organizations in LA

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that you're very close with.

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So can you just kind of walk us through

how did you originally get involved

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with nonprofit arts work and then

specifically what led you to joining

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the board at those organizations?

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Susan Bay Nimoy: Well, As with

almost everything else, I think

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it's people who reach out to

you for one reason or another.

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In the case of, uh, the Hammer Museum,

uh, I had served as vice chair at the

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Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

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And I stepped off the

board and I took a break.

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Uh, I wasn't happy with

what was happening at MOCA.

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And so I stepped off the board.

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And in that time, those

three or four years, I became

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interested in the Hammer Museum.

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I came in and I looked around and then I

met Annie Philbin and the rest is history.

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Annie is one of the most

dynamic, thoughtful, creative

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leaders I've ever encountered.

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And we became friends.

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And as I've observed, the

best recruiters give you time.

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They don't immediately demand

that you turn over several hundred

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thousand dollars a year or whatever.

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They get to know you and

you get to know them.

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And then all of a sudden, uh, or not

all of a sudden, over time you want to

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be affiliated with the organization.

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So I joined, uh, the board

of overseers at the Hammer.

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I must say, after 25 years of Annie's

leadership, it's going to be hard to

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find someone to follow in her footsteps.

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But it was my honor and privilege

to be able to support the Hammer

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in the way that I did and do.

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But it all comes down to the leadership.

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My takeaway from that

engagement is my education in

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the world of contemporary art.

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Because once you join or ask to join

a board like I did, there's all these

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amazing trips you take, you have

access to curators, you can ask silly

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questions, dumb questions, any kind

of question, to try to find entree

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into the world of contemporary art.

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So I was privileged to have that.

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And then, uh, after several years on the

board, I met Christy Edmonds and fell

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in love with another strong visionary.

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And she was then the Artistic

and Executive Director of the

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Center for the Art of Performance.

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And she now heads MASS MoCA.

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in, uh, North Adams.

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She just was amazing.

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Took five years, four years for

us to develop our relationship.

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I did a film for, which got into

Sundance and she came and stayed with

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me and helped me through the process.

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And then she said, I have a dream.

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And I said, what's the dream?

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There's this theater on Westwood

Boulevard called The Crest, which has

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been dark for several years, and I want

to turn it into a legitimate theater.

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That will be CAP's new location, because

there's Royce Hall, there's downtown.

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And this will be a

significant presence for Cath.

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So we talked about it.

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It was a, you know, an ask that was

substantial, but over time I began

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to feel very connected to the idea

because Leonard's most successful film,

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Three Men and a Baby, premiered there.

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And it was a huge success for him.

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Beshert is what my people would say.

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It just seemed like a continuation

of Leonard's commitment to the arts.

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So he had passed obviously,

but I said, okay.

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So that took a few, four years, five

years for that to become a reality.

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I had to raise a lot of money from

my funders and she raised a lot of

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money and bada boom, The Nimoy was

born and it opened in September.

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So it's all about relationships,

the history of our giving.

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One day we were, Leonard and I

were reading the paper and I saw

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that the Griffith Observatory in

a little box at the bottom of the

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calendar section was looking for

money to build a theater at Griffith

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Observatory, which they had never had.

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They have the Event Horizon, they

have the Planetarium, but they

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don't have a teaching facility.

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They did not have a teaching

facility or a performance space.

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So I called them on the phone.

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We went down to meet them.

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They had, they were so well

organized and we said, okay, we'll

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give you the money to build the

Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater.

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at Griffith Observatory,

and it flourishes.

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They have lectures, they have

talks, they have, it's a wonderful

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addition to the life of the Griffith

Observatory, that whole thing.

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So, it comes from different places, but

these individuals and these institutions

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that we've funded are very professional.

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They do it all right, they have

the money or most of it, they, and

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it fits into, what we want to do.

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We gave money to build the Bay Nemoy

Early Childhood Center at a temple that

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my cousin, the rabbi was, was running.

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And it has become one of

the most important childcare

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centers in Los Angeles.

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It's a great, great thing.

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Lots of people that we've met along the

way sent their kids and grandkids too.

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So it's diverse.

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It's But it's a living thing.

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I think I want to say it's a living thing.

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It's not it.

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It keeps on giving these gifts.

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We give

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Aubrey Bergauer: you are touching

on so many things that I like.

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I want to follow that

thread and that thread.

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Just things that I really champion.

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So to echo some of this back, you

obviously relationships was a huge one.

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You said.

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something I talk about all the time,

which is just that it takes time.

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And so often in the arts, we have

such pressure or desire to go for

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the next, ask too much too soon.

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And a big part of my work is

saying, no, no, no, no, no.

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It's a strategy to build

these things over time.

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So I just, so much of what you're

saying, I really appreciate.

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And just the, the breadth of how many

different projects and organizations

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you've supported is really amazing.

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Susan Bay Nimoy: I don't just

write a check and walk away.

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I make a personal commitment.

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When I chair these organizations, not

only do I give to them personally, but

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I recruit people to give to them because

I, I believe they make life better for

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so many people, especially artists.

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So I reach out to my community.

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They did a feminist show

at MoCA, Connie Butler.

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who was chief curator at the Hammer,

now runs PS1, said, this is going to

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cost 2 million to really do it right.

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So I went, how do you divide 2 million?

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I don't know.

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That's as many people as

I went to, to get 5, 000.

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And people would see me coming

and would do this to me.

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But the point was it was

essential to me as a feminist,

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as a supporter of women artists.

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initially, to raise the money

for the thing I believed in.

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So it's not, I just write a

check, but I become an advocate

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for that which I raise money for.

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And that's been consistent

throughout everything that we do.

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The same is true of Symphony

Space in New York City.

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I can't think of the name of

it, but it's at Symphony Space.

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And I then reach out like I did

recently, and I said, there's this

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wonderful musical piece about,

um, Gerhard Munch, the artist.

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And it's a piece I saw in New

York and I said, God, this

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would be beautiful in the Nimoy.

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So then I start gathering people

together to make that a reality.

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I try to make things happen.

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That I believe in.

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That's how I advocate.

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Aubrey Bergauer: Yeah,

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Susan Bay Nimoy: I love that definition.

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Not every funder takes, actualizes

the gift by beyond writing a check.

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Not every funder wants to do that.

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Lots of funders want to do it anonymously,

which I totally respect, but I feel

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it's important to lend the name to

make other people step up if they can.

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So it's the organization, the leadership

in the organization, the things that

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seem to reflect our giving program.

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I get curious and I reach out, but

most of the time it takes a long

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time for me to step up and give

big where it makes a difference.

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Aubrey Bergauer: Yeah.

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What the, what you're saying completely

aligns with the research on, to

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summarize it's, and for everybody

listening, it's this idea that from

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local to nationally, people give

when it aligns with their values.

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And I feel like not to put words in your

mouth, but that's a lot of what you're

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saying when you feel this alignment.

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And then you're all in, and

it's not just the check.

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As you said,

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Susan Bay Nimoy: art can change

the way you see the world.

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It can give you a window

into your own humanity.

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It can move you.

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It can connect you emotionally to

so many things now more than ever.

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Do we need theater and art to help us

understand what it is to be a human being?

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And politics is important.

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All of these other things and

the health of children and

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so forth, it's all important.

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We give to that.

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But to walk into a theater and

have a transformative experience is

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something that has always moved us.

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Leonard did movies all the time to make

the money to enable him to do theater.

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It was very primal for him

because, you know, in theater

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you don't make the big bucks, but

in television and movies you do.

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So theater was organic to him.

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He was an acting teacher.

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So together, in terms of art

support and theater support, it just

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felt natural to us to be present.

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and to make that a part of our giving.

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Aubrey Bergauer: I love it.

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I'm switching gears a little here now.

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My book is called Run It Like a Business.

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So the question is, have you ever

said or thought about a nonprofit?

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You know, we need to run

this place like a business.

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Susan Bay Nimoy: Absolutely, all the time.

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I, in fact, uh, I was talking to Fred

Frumberg, who's the programmer, chief

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programmer at CAP, and I said, what's

your feedback from the audience?

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They do give, they either

send an email or hand it out.

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What are you interested in seeing?

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What moves you?

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It's engagement with the community

to get them feel like, to awaken

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them to feel connected and not

responsible, but part of the community

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that keeps that entity alive.

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We're nothing.

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Without an audience.

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I subscribe to that 100%.

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So it's not that you cater to an audience,

but you're sensitive to what they want.

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And the diversity brings

in whole communities.

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Every single performance at the

Nimoy, for example, is Ethiopian,

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Hispanic, Spanish, Greek.

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It's all different.

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So, we have to reach out to the community.

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We don't have subscription.

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You have to get people to come.

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Made in LA at the Hammer.

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Comes from artists from

South Central Los Angeles.

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They speak about their life in their

communities, their sexual identity, the

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difficulties they've had as art makers.

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And there were lines around

the block and continue to be.

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at the Hammer for Made in LA.

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So, if you're an art institution,

your Made in LA really is

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reaching out to community.

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The rest of the programming at the

Hammer is really about showcasing artists

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who are really unique and wonderful.

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The Nimoy, on the other hand, is

part of a community and we want to

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draw on that community to come to

see a play or a musical performance.

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So we care about what they care about,

not to the extent that if they would

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like to see, you know, animals on

the stage, not that kind of thing.

392

So running it like a business, yeah, have

to make sure that you raise enough money

393

to do the projects that you want to do.

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You can't find yourself

unable to do the projects.

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So you have to make sure you

have the money available.

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You know, it is run like

a business with a heart.

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Aubrey Bergauer: Oh, with a heart.

398

I love that.

399

I like how you said also, you know, we

talk about running like a business and

400

you go straight to, and I agree with this.

401

So reflect the community around

you and build the community.

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I mean, it's a whole chapter.

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I'm just totally with you on this.

404

So thank you for that.

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Another businessy thing I've heard you, I

think I've heard you say before, is that

406

you talk about the Nimoy as a product and

part of brand development, which I think

407

also a hundred percent in agreement with.

408

And it's essential.

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Susan Bay Nimoy: Because, you know, I,

I received phone calls and emails from

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people who, when the marquee went up,

and they saw the Nimi, they called me

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on the phone and said, what's this?

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That's branding.

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That marquee is branding.

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And so they drove, drove by and

said, I didn't know you were

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blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

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And so, yes, you want to brand it.

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I'm branding now.

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And I'm so grateful to have the

opportunity to talk about it.

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Yeah, we don't want to run in a deficit.

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We don't, we don't need to do that.

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But we are not supported by UCLA.

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We have to raise the money

for programming ourselves.

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Or they do.

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And I want to, I want it to survive,

so I have to brand it for my community,

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so they see how essential it is.

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Ticket prices are 30 a

ticket, 15 for UCLA students.

427

Where do you get to see great

theater for 30, frankly?

428

But we need to raise money for

programming and I'm very mindful of that.

429

So I'm out there on the streets.

430

I'm out there on the streets.

431

You know, as I say,

people go like this when I

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Aubrey Bergauer: start talking to them.

433

For everybody, for everybody who's

listening and can't see this, she's making

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an X like they're like, no way, Jose.

435

Like, yeah.

436

Oh my gosh.

437

Yeah.

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It's too funny.

439

It's too funny.

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Uh, okay.

441

So now where I want to go with all

of this, uh, we talked about the

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strength of the product and how

that relates to brand development.

443

Now talking about a challenge of the

industry, we do have a strong product.

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I think that is.

445

I think that's our biggest asset as

an industry hallways, just no matter

446

if it's visual art, performance

art, just generally speaking, the

447

quality of the product is so high.

448

But how do we get people into

the theater, into the museum?

449

So how do you think about this challenge

from the perspective of all your

450

various board roles, leadership roles?

451

the building audiences.

452

Susan Bay Nimoy: Well, I'm trying

to go out to a diverse community.

453

By that I mean, Women in Philanthropy is

a growing organization in Los Angeles.

454

Angela Nazarian created it.

455

And so I said to her, could you use

the Nimoy for your gathering of all

456

these women who support the arts.

457

And so I'm going out.

458

It's not just a performance space, it's a

A place where lots of things can happen.

459

I reached out to David Byrne, the

wonderful eccentric artist friend

460

in New York, and I said, when you're

mounting your show, would you like

461

to use the Nimoy to create that show?

462

Yes, of course they would have to

pay, because nothing really, there's

463

people and staff, but I can offer

you this space where it might be

464

hard for you to find that space.

465

for the St.

466

Christ in New York City.

467

I said to my son, who's chairman and CEO

of Warner Music, I said, you must have

468

artists who need to try out new music.

469

Why don't you use, we'll

charge, they'll get paid.

470

Why don't you book one of your new and

emerging artists performers in the Nimoy?

471

So the Nimoy becomes a living space

for artists and for gatherings.

472

So I'm thinking about how the

Nimoy can be used for other things

473

other than just performance.

474

Aubrey Bergauer: I think that's

a really important and astute and

475

savvy approach because I think too

often we sort of Revere our spaces

476

Susan Bay Nimoy: to like too far.

477

It's a living, breathing organism

and it has to be multidisciplinary.

478

The people engaged with the institution

need to be thinking about how many ways.

479

It's like, what's that thing

my grandson plays with?

480

It's a plastic thing and it's a city.

481

He can build it in all these

different colors and shapes.

482

And it's sort of, I was thinking about it

the other day, how many different ways you

483

can conceive an institution to be useful.

484

At the Hammer, we donated the

funds to build out a space

485

called the Bay Nimoy Studio.

486

And I said to Annie Philbin,

what does that mean?

487

It's 2, 700 square feet.

488

It's been a wedding site.

489

It hosted a fabulous reception

for the opening of the Nimoy.

490

It's a dance rehearsal space.

491

They show films, specific films, that

are too small for the Billy Wilder.

492

We have our board meetings

and luncheons in there.

493

It's a space that never existed

at the Hammer until Annie

494

conceived of it and we named it.

495

And I love it.

496

It's like that perfect black dress

that you can wear day to night.

497

You know, it depends on

the jewelry and the shoes.

498

Oh, I love that.

499

So I love that.

500

I love that as a possibility.

501

It's

502

Aubrey Bergauer: very exciting.

503

I love black dress fashion analogy.

504

I'm with you all day long.

505

And I also like you're so natural,

Susan, at what am I like blending the

506

different organizations you support?

507

Let's do the reception for the opening

of the Nimoy at the space at the Hammer.

508

And just like, I feel like

you effortlessly make these

509

connections, I have to say.

510

Susan Bay Nimoy: Yes.

511

And I, I let people know, for example,

that it's one block from the Hammer.

512

The Hammer is one block from the Nimoy.

513

The Hammer has Lulu.

514

which is our restaurant at the Hammer.

515

And because of the Nimoy Theater, all

these, the Persian restaurants, Japanese

516

restaurants, American restaurants,

which were on the verge of going out

517

of business now are excited because

people want to have something to eat.

518

Parking is 5.

519

Where do you get parking for 5?

520

There's street parking.

521

So people go see Made

in LA in the afternoon.

522

They have dinner somewhere and they

go to see something at the Nimoy.

523

So the Nimoy staff, they're

all working together.

524

We're all under the ages of UCLA and we

know people are not going to the theater

525

as frequently as they used to pre COVID.

526

So we make it easy for them.

527

To come.

528

That's what's important.

529

You know, when I think of going downtown

to the music center, I'm not driving at

530

80 years old, I'm not driving downtown,

so I need to figure out, and also not

531

taking other forms of transportation,

so I have to figure that out.

532

And you know, you leave at 4.

533

30, you have an early bite, and

it takes forever to get there,

534

and then, but once you get there,

you're so glad you made the effort.

535

But now we have the Ace

Theatre downtown undercab.

536

which we've had for a year or two,

and we have Roy's, which is very

537

special, and then we have the name Roy.

538

So we're making it really

easy for people to get there.

539

Aubrey Bergauer: It's so smart.

540

There's research out of, it's a Yale

professor, Zoe Chance, and she talks about

541

the easier you make something to do for

a consumer, the more they will do it.

542

Which to say it out loud sounds very

obvious, but at arts organizations,

543

we don't often have conversations

about how do we make this easier

544

for the patron, for the customer.

545

So everything you're saying is so spot on.

546

Well, you know, at the

547

Susan Bay Nimoy: Hammer, for

example, it's a vivid, uh, picture

548

of what you've, you've just said,

is they print out everything that's

549

going on in the Billy Wilder.

550

And then you can go online and see it all.

551

Going online has changed our

lives in terms of fashion.

552

You and I love fashion.

553

In terms of fashion, all the

brands use online as a shop.

554

Online shopping has saved us in

gas, easy to get, and returns.

555

So, that's the model that everything has.

556

And, you know, UCLA, medical,

they all do it online.

557

So yes, you have to do that.

558

Otherwise, you know, you're wasting paper.

559

Aubrey Bergauer: Oh,

Susan, you are so savvy.

560

I could talk to you all day.

561

I have just two more questions, if I may.

562

In the lobby of the Nimoy, there is a

sign that says, live long and prosper.

563

And it's, of course, an homage

to your late husband, Leonard.

564

But the message is that this is a place

where the arts can live long and prosper.

565

And Yeah, can you tell,

what's the story behind that?

566

Can you just share with us how that,

how the, how the sign came to be?

567

Susan Bay Nimoy: This was Livlong, this

is the Star Trek Livlong and Prosper,

568

and it comes from a Hebraic tradition.

569

The translation, I don't know, but

Leonard is, is Jew, was Jewish.

570

He was raised in an Orthodox home.

571

He would see the rabbis doing this.

572

She's making the Spock hands, everybody.

573

Yeah, the high holiday.

574

And the interpretation of

this is live long and prosper.

575

It's a greeting.

576

Spock did it with this queen of some

foreign land when he greeted her.

577

It's in Jewish tradition

and he used it in Star Trek.

578

You say, Hello, Aubrey.

579

Live long and prosper.

580

Goodbye, Aubrey.

581

Live long and prosper.

582

And

583

Aubrey Bergauer: did you

know they were going to I

584

Susan Bay Nimoy: asked for it.

585

Aubrey Bergauer: Oh, you knew

they were going to make the

586

Susan Bay Nimoy: sign.

587

You asked for it.

588

Oh, amazing.

589

Okay.

590

I said, May I want a picture of

Leonard in the theater or maybe

591

house live long and prosper.

592

And they love the idea.

593

They had to go through a lot of channels

to get permission, blah, blah, blah.

594

And then they put it right there inside.

595

So as you enter and as you leave, and

it's an admonition to everyone who comes

596

to have a moment, live long and prosper.

597

Aubrey Bergauer: And then last

question, continuing on this topic

598

for the arts to live long and prosper.

599

What's the future vision in your mind?

600

If you could just paint the picture,

the arts are living long, prospering,

601

however many years in the future.

602

I can just invite you

to pontificate a little.

603

Susan Bay Nimoy: Well, you know, there's

a economic factor in it, obviously.

604

For me, the arts are a church

or a temple or a mosque.

605

It's where you go to refuel your soul.

606

Without art and theater, music and dance.

607

We would be deprived of something

that makes us happy to be alive,

608

wanting to connect with each other.

609

It's fundamental to me.

610

When I think of my grandchildren and

I think about people whose children

611

are sick and they need help, St.

612

Jude, is free.

613

You bring your child there and

they, they help your child.

614

So yes, of course, medical things are

really critically important, but I

615

grew up immersed in the arts and as an

adult, that's the fountain I drink from.

616

I buy art.

617

I live surrounded by it.

618

I go to the theater, of course,

And see all kinds of things.

619

And I'm, I'm trying in my small way

to bring that satisfaction out and ask

620

people, it's a meal, come taste it.

621

You know, it's, there are many

ethnicities, many flavors, you know, come

622

because you'll, you'll be happy you did.

623

That's the point.

624

Aubrey Bergauer: I love it.

625

If that's not a vision for the future

of the arts, I don't know what is.

626

Susan Bay Nimoy: Wouldn't you be sad if

you didn't have music to hear in person?

627

Aubrey Bergauer: Susan Bay Nimoy.

628

Susan Bay Nimoy: It's my pleasure and

I'm so grateful to you for wanting

629

to talk about these things with me.

630

Amazing.

631

Thank you.

632

You're most welcome.

633

Thank you.

634

Aubrey Bergauer: I hope you all

enjoyed that conversation with

635

Susan Bay Nimoy as much as I did.

636

She really is an exemplary model, major

donor, and board member in so many ways.

637

But, I think if I'm being honest here,

I would not have always recognized that.

638

When I first became an executive director,

I did not know a lot about how to best

639

cultivate and ask for major gifts.

640

And especially, I did not

know exactly what to say when

641

I was going for those gifts.

642

I had had prior experience with annual

fund campaigns, corporate support, and

643

donor stewardship, but when it came

to major gifts and making the ask and

644

securing that gift, I had a lot to learn.

645

So, I did what I do, I read, I watched, I

learned as much as I could, consumed the

646

research, and then put it into practice.

647

And I went on, I'm happy to say, to secure

many six figure gifts and then eventually

648

my first few seven figure gifts as well.

649

Now, I have put a lot of those tips and

literal sample scripts of things you need

650

to say into a Major Donor Fast Track Guide

so you also can experience the financial

651

freedom, security, and joy that comes

when you are able to align with a donor

652

to support your work in a significant way.

653

So, it's for you, free right here.

654

Download my Major Donor Fast Track Guide.

655

Visit my website, aubreybergauer.

656

com / 25.

657

That's number 25 for episode 25.

658

And get in the fast track for

more major gifts right now.

659

That's all for today, folks.

660

Thanks so much for listening.

661

And if you like what you heard

here, be sure to Hit that button to

662

follow or subscribe to this podcast.

663

If you're new, welcome.

664

I am so glad you made it.

665

And if you've been listening for

a while, I loved so much that

666

you were getting value from this.

667

So if that's you, please take just two

seconds to leave a quick one tap rating.

668

Full on review isn't even

required if you're short on time.

669

To all of you once more, thanks again.

670

I'll see you next time right here.

671

On The Offstage Mic.

672

The Offstage Mic was produced by me,

Aubrey Bergauer, and edited by Novo

673

Music, an audio production company of

all women audio engineers and musicians.

674

Additional podcast support comes

from the Changing the Narrative

675

team and social media brand

management by Classical Content.

676

This is a production of

Changing the Narrative.