Targeted Giving, Stronger Engagement: How Maltz Jupiter Theatre Boosted Annual Appeal Results with DonorSearch AI

Client: Maltz Jupiter Theatre
Sector: Performing Arts

“With DonorSearch, we were able to build a mailing list of 10,000 prospects, all based on data we already had. We reached more of the right people, brought back lapsed donors, and got stronger results than we had in the past.” – Calvin Bankert, Maltz Jupiter Theatre

Client Overview:

Maltz Jupiter Theatre is a premier regional theater serving South Florida, recognized as the largest member of the League of Resident Theatres in the southeastern United States. Dedicated to presenting Broadway-quality productions at accessible prices, the Theatre balances ticket sales with philanthropic support from the community. As the organization works to shift more focus toward contributed revenue, it continues to look for innovative ways to optimize fundraising.

The Challenge:

Maltz Jupiter Theatre needed to expand the impact of its annual giving program, particularly its year-end appeal.

• In the past, the development team relied on purchased mailing lists, which often included recipients with no connection to the Theatre.
• They needed a more efficient way to identify prospective donors already within reach, those with the potential to give but who had not yet been meaningfully engaged.
• As a small team, they required technology that was easy to implement and offered immediate, actionable insights.

The Results:

• Stronger Appeal Performance: Using DonorSearch’s AI-powered tools, Calvin Bankert generated a custom mailing list of 10,000 individuals directly from the Theatre’s CRM—based on wealth, engagement, and giving capacity. The result was a more targeted, responsive audience.
• Higher Engagement from the Right Prospects: Maltz Jupiter Theatre saw an increase in first-time donors, re-engaged lapsed donors, and achieved a better overall response rate compared to the prior year’s list. Predictive scoring aligned with results, reinforcing confidence in the strategy.
• Smarter Segmentation: By analyzing factors like proximity, ticket history, and prior support, the team focused its energy on prospects more likely to give, eliminating the guesswork from the process.

The Solution:

DonorSearch’s DSAI platform enabled Maltz Jupiter Theatre to identify high-potential donors within their own database. Using predictive modeling and visual segmentation tools, Calvin and the team crafted a list that reflected donors’ capacity and propensity to give, allowing for a more data-informed approach to annual giving.

The Benefits:

• Efficient Prospecting: DonorSearch’s visualization tools helped distill nearly 100,000 records into a manageable, high-value prospect pool.
• Ease of Use: Despite initial apprehensions, the onboarding process was smooth and well-supported. Clear definitions and real-time help from the DonorSearch team made adoption easy and effective.
• True Collaboration: Maltz Jupiter Theatre recalled how the DSAI team was responsive, adaptive, and open to feedback—offering new ideas and troubleshooting support as needed. Their collaboration empowered the team to use the platform more effectively.

Conclusion:

With a small team and ambitious goals, Maltz Jupiter Theatre has used DonorSearch AI to turn insight into action. From improving appeal performance to uncovering unseen connections among board members and prospects, the Theatre is now prospecting with more confidence and clarity.

By removing the guesswork and surfacing the right opportunities, DonorSearch has become an indispensable partner in Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s mission to bring world-class theater to the community.