Friends of Summer Place Theatre – Development & Fundraising Team

Friends of Summer Place Theatre – Development & Fundraising Team

We are excited to introduce a new way to get involved with Summer Place Theatre: Friends of Summer Place Theatre. This program is designed for people who want to support SPT in ways that match their interests, skills, and availability. Whether you want to volunteer your time, make a financial contribution, or do both, Friends of Summer Place Theatre offers meaningful ways to help strengthen our organization and support our future.

This program was created to help us:

• Strengthen community involvement
• Increase volunteer engagement
• Expand fundraising capacity
• Create sustainable operational support
• Build long-term relationships with patrons and families

This opportunity is ideal for those who want to specifically support the financial growth and long-term sustainability of Summer Place Theatre through fundraising, partnership development, and donor engagement.

Development & Fundraising Team

The Development & Fundraising Team helps Summer Place Theatre build the financial support needed to sustain productions, strengthen operations, and grow long-term community investment in our mission. This is a great opportunity for volunteers who enjoy writing, planning, relationship-building, and helping nonprofit arts organizations thrive.

Volunteers in this area might help with:

Grant Writing & Research

Assist with identifying potential grant opportunities and helping prepare materials to support applications. This may include researching foundations, arts funding opportunities, local grants, and community support programs, as well as helping organize information needed for proposals and reporting.

Sponsorship Outreach

Help connect Summer Place Theatre with individuals or businesses interested in sponsoring productions, events, or programs. Volunteers may assist with outreach, preparing sponsorship materials, tracking contacts, and helping communicate the value of supporting community theatre.

Corporate Partnerships

Support efforts to build relationships with companies and organizations that may want to partner with Summer Place Theatre through sponsorships, in-kind support, employee volunteer involvement, or other collaborative opportunities. This role focuses on creating mutually beneficial connections within the broader business community.

Fundraising Event Planning

Assist with planning and organizing fundraising events that support Summer Place Theatre’s mission and goals. This could include helping brainstorm event ideas, coordinate logistics, support promotion, secure donations or raffle items, and help create successful and welcoming fundraising experiences for guests.

Donor Follow-Up

Help strengthen donor relationships through thoughtful communication and stewardship. This may include assisting with thank-you messages, acknowledgment letters, follow-up outreach, donor tracking, and helping ensure supporters feel appreciated and connected to the impact of their contributions.

Volunteer Commitment Levels

Ensemble Friend

Volunteer at least 10 hours per season

Recognition in program (Friends List)

Two Opening Night tickets for both shows

Spotlight Friend

25+ hours per season

Program recognition

Invitation to Friends appreciation event

Early access to tickets (24-hour presale window)

Four opening night tickets for both shows

Standing Ovation Friend

50+ hours per season

Featured recognition

Opening night invite (1 show)

SPT Friends pin or badge

Six Opening Night tickets for both shows

About Summer Place Theatre

The Summer Place, Inc. — commonly known as Summer Place Theatre — began in 1966 as a way to keep students active and their acting skills sharp over the summer months. It was founded by Donald “Doc” Shanower, then Dean of Theatre at North Central College. Summer Place Theatre has grown into a long-standing Naperville institution dedicated to providing high-quality community theatre.

Our Mission

The Summer Place, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, volunteer-supported community theatre based in the Naperville area, strives to provide professional-quality year-round theatre arts entertainment.

We are committed to providing:

• A supportive and collaborative environment for artists
• High-quality, culturally enriching entertainment to the community
• Educational opportunities for all ages through mentoring and performance-based participation

Summer Place receives funding through ticket sales, advertising sales, concessions, grants, and the generous donations of patrons. As a community theatre, Summer Place provides Naperville with the opportunity to gather, create, and share theatrical work at a very low cost. Major community support has also come from the Naperville Park District and Naperville School District 203