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September 21, 2025 2025 Giving Guide

The Waldo Theatre

 

2026 Goals

ORGANIZATIONAL STEWARDSHIP

Financial Sustainability

• Maintain operational stability and work toward financial sustainability

• Establish an endowment

Capacity Building

• Increase operational and program capacity via staff enhancement

PRODUCTION ENHANCEMENT

Technology

• Upgrade stage lighting capabilities

• Find ways to monetize the theatre during non-performance hours

Facility

• Repair/replace HVAC system

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Active Participation

• Expand our volunteer network with active outreach, learning, recognition, and reward

• Strengthen relationships with schools, municipalities, businesses, and nonprofits

Creative Development – Artistic and Educational Advancement

• Expand InterACT to reach more classrooms in RSU 40 and AOS 93

• Develop and deliver a one-week program ClassACT integrated with classroom curricula

• Provide additional opportunities for adult learners to explore their creative potential including pre-stage, on-stage, and back-stage

Fundraising events/Opportunities

• Business Sponsorships: Sponsor a single event, a series or program, a building project, or support us as a Spotlight Sponsor all year long and get multiple exposures to thousands of arts-loving Midcoasters, plus free or discounted tickets for your staff and customers. Available for every budget.

• Membership Campaign: Runs annually from June 1, offering benefits like free passes, early ticket access, discounts, Waldo merchandise, and more.

• Be the Light Campaign: A series of Friendraiser house parties and a Backstage Pass event that includes a theatre tour, live music, silent auction, food and libations to raise $65,000 to replace the ancient, wasteful and very hot incandescent lighting instruments for our stage with LEDs.

• Annual Appeal: Now seeking $50,000 in matching grant(s) for the 2025 Appeal.

Giving Opportunities

Median household income in Waldoboro is 10% less than the Maine average. In Waldoboro, 63% of students qualify as economically disadvantaged, and seniors represent 29% of the total population.

We offer classroom-based theater education programs and field trips free of charge to area schools, as well as sliding-scale payments to all of our in-house education programs for youth and adults to ensure access across all demographics. We apply for many grants each year to fund our educational programs and to support general operations, but the competition is increasingly fierce, and we’re behind our projections.

We urgently seek business sponsorships to meet the growing demand for in-school theater education programs. We also accept in-kind donations of goods and services for general operations.

Volunteer Opportunities

New volunteers are always welcome. We depend on volunteers primarily to serve as ushers, sell concessions, or staff the box office at each event, and with roughly 100 events per year, that means we need a lot of you! We also need volunteers to pitch in on a day of landscaping or a building project. Getting your staff to volunteer as a group is a great way to build camaraderie and have fun while giving back. Visit our website or call the theatre to inquire about volunteer opportunities.

At A Glance

Established: 2017 / Employees: 5 / Annual revenue: $592,467

Top funding sources

58% Program service and rental revenue (ticket sales, class fees, rental fees, food & beverage)

38% Direct public support (grants, individual donations, memberships, business sponsorships)

3% Other types (fundraising events, gallery art sales)

1% Investments (interest, CDs)

Contact

The Waldo Theatre

PO Box 587

916 Main St., Waldoboro, Maine 04572

(207) 975-6490

thewaldotheatre.org
@thewaldotheatre
@thewaldotheatre.bsky.social

Awards/Accolades

Maine’s Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission recognized The Waldo Theatre with a Community Development Award in 2023 for historic preservation and community building.

Mission Statement

The Waldo Theatre uses the power of the arts to entertain, engage, and celebrate community in Midcoast Maine all year long. Through accessible performances and classes including live music, theatre, comedy, and film, The Waldo seeks to enhance the quality of life for all the region’s residents, regardless of means.

Area served

We serve over 50 communities throughout Lincoln, Knox, Sagadahoc and Waldo counties and beyond.

Leadership

Susan Hodder
Executive Director

Board Officers

Kimberly Sampson, Board President, Director, Little House School

Michael Amico, Board Vice President, Researcher and Performer

Chris Davis, Board Treasurer, Executive Director, Maine Aquaculture Innovation Center

Maia Zewart, Board Secretary Editor, Lincoln County News

Board Members

Barbara Boardman, Architect and Landscape Designer

Rebecca Cooney, Artist, Writer

Maya Crosby, Director of Applied Learning, Lincoln Academy

Susan Kellam, Author