The non-profit Garde Arts Center is the sum of all those who claim it.

It is the result and reflection of the many communities it serves.

You, then, are the key to ensuring that the Garde remains as that special place where not only the arts flourish but all those who visit and participate can come together in an historic, intimate and beautiful “town green” setting.

Every year, since 1985, individual donors, families, businesses, foundations, government and volunteers have provided critical dollars and resources to sustain and maintain the Garde’s programs and historic facilities. With the horrific impact of COVID-19 on our community and the world,  your support matters now more than ever.

If you enjoy our landmark theater and our wide range of offerings – and believe that they enrich the lives of your neighbors, our children, our region, and generations to come – we welcome your support at any level to ensure the day will come when once again we can welcome all safely inside our beautiful theater.

Below, we offer some details on the many opportunities to support your state-of-the-arts quality-of-life enhancing Garde Arts Center.

Give Now

Donate Online Make a Recurring Donation Dedicate a Seat

We rely on current gifts to support our programs and daily operations as well as facilities improvements and other special projects.  To ensure our longterm financial sustainability, we are also building an endowment.  The most common ways to make a gift are online, by mail, donating appreciated securities and – increasingly popular for those aged 70 1/2 –  the IRA Charitable Rollover.  (You can transfer up to $100,000 of qualified retirement assets to the Garde, which goes toward required minimum distribution and may offer additional tax savings).

Give Later

Have you ever considered making the Garde and its mission part of your legacy?  The most common form of a legacy gift is a bequest. Other vehicles range from making the Garde a beneficiary of your IRA/retirement plan or a life insurance policy to gifts of real estate to gifts that provide income for you. You may be surprised about how easy some of these options are!

Scroll through to learn more about our initiatives and ways to give.

And, for a confidential conversation about any ideas you have to support the Garde, please get in touch with Jeanne Sigel at 860-961-4106.

 

Give Online

Donate Online Recurring Donation

Give by Phone or Fax

You can make a gift by calling: (860) 961-4106 or faxing a donation form to: (860) 447-0503

Give by Mail

You can also give by printing this form and mailing to:

Garde Arts Center
Friends of the Garde
325 State Street
New London, CT 06320

The Garde has been fortunate to win the confidence of annual or multi-year gifts of $10,000 or more towards very costly facility and operations needs.  To learn about current projects that can benefit from major giving, contact Development Director Jeanne Sigel at (860) 961-4106 or jsigel@gardearts.org.

 

Program and Operating Support

Major gifts have supported summer programs for children, ticket subsidies, underwriting for music, Broadway and opera programs, educational programs, cash reserve funds, seed money for additional staff.

Facility Preservation and Equipment Capital Support

These gifts help preserve the historic theater and make necessary repairs and improvements to the building, and upgrade theatrical equipment and fixtures.

Named Gifts

Major gifts for programs or capital needs can be acknowledged with special signage and printed acknowledgment for areas in the theater facilities or as a named designated fund or program.

It’s Never Too Early

Contact Development Director, Jeanne Sigel at (860) 961-4106 or jsigel@gardearts.org for more information. The Garde Arts Center is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 charitable organization. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.

Why Give

  • You want to be remembered
  • You want to make a difference
  • You want to choose your legacy

Giving Mechanisms

  • IRA beneficiary designation
  • Charitable Remainder Trusts
  • Charitable Gift Annuity
  • Life Insurance
  • Real Estate
  • Bequests

A gift to the Garde Arts Center in your will leaves a lasting legacy, ensuring that the arts continue to enrich lives in our region for years to come.

A simple sentence is all it takes to include the Garde:

“I give to the Garde Arts Center, a nonprofit corporation currently located at 325 State Street, New London, CT 06320 or it’s successor thereto, ______________* [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose.”

When creating any estate gift for the Garde Arts Center, we encourage you to speak with your legal and financial advisers.

 

Did you know…

…that an estate gift can be made in any amount?! Large or small, every estate gift that is made to the Garde is meaningful, is received gratefully, and, most importantly, is helping to elevate the spirit of our community for generations to come! What a wonderful legacy we all can create at the Garde!

 

 

Program and Operations Fund

A Garde-managed fund for unrestricted or designated contributing to various Garde programs and operational needs.

Facility Preservation and Equipment

A Garde-managed fund for building and maintenance reserves and designated gifts for annual capital improvements and equipment.

Garde Endowment Fund

The Garde Arts Center Endowment Fund was established by the Garde’s Board of Trustees to fulfill its vision for greater stability and sustainability for this regional hub for the arts, education, and community.  It is a permanent endowment fund held at the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut (CFECT) designed to generate a reliable and predictable annual revenue stream over the long term.  This is yet another strategy in the Garde’s quest to ensure it will continue to provide stimulating, relevant cultural programming for a diverse audience from all age groups and a broad geographic range, in a treasured top-notch historic theater.

For more information contact:

Alison Woods
Vice President & Chief Development
860-442-3572
alison@cfect.org

To contribute to the Endowment Fund on-line, click here:     Garde Endowment

 

Memorials and Tributes

Gifts in honor or memory

Dedicate a tax-deductible donation in the memory of a friend, family member, or loved one. Your memorial message will be acknowledged in our annual season Playbill. To make a memorial gift, click here. You can also call (860) 961-4106 or  mail your gift to Garde Arts Center, Garde Memorial Fund, 325 State Street New London, CT 06320

Seat Dedications

You can ensure that the Garde continues to play a vital role in our community for generations to come with a tax-deductible contribution of $1,000 for one or more seats in the name of your family, business, or a loved one with a permanent inscribed seat plaque in the beautifully restored historic Garde Theater.

Named Gifts

Major gifts for programs or capital needs can be acknowledged with special signage and printed acknowledgment for areas in the theater facilities or as a named designated fund or program.

 

To assist in serving your needs, please contact Development Director Jeanne Sigel at
(860) 961-4106 or jsigel@gardearts.org

The Garde Arts Center is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 charitable organization. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law.

Why Sponsor?

In general, ticket sales cover only 65% of program costs. Sponsorship is a critical source of support that helps sustain the Garde facilities, staff, and operations.

Garde staff can customize your sponsorship needs and ensure maximum visibility for year-round community outreach and organizational stabilization during the pandemic.

Call Jeanne Sigel at (860) 961-4106 or email at jsigel@gardearts.org for further information.

Sponsorship Options

Event Sponsorship
Garde-presented and hosted events and series such as Winter Cinema, Schooltime Performance, Broadway at the Garde, Opera, Music, New London Talent Show, Summer on Stage, and Special Events are a memorable way to creatively entertain and engage friends and business associates in an exciting entertainment setting.

Community Access Sponsorship
Many sponsors help underwrite ticket subsidy, scholarship, education programs, and volunteer and intern offerings, often through the Garde’s community outreach initiative P:ACE (Partners: Arts, Community, Education).

In-kind Sponsorship
Businesses can receive sponsorship benefits by donating essential services for operations, maintenance, and improvements.  Examples are Atlantic Broadband providing free phone and internet services, Blu-Prints Unlimited, Inc. providing free posters, signage, and printing, and Nutmeg Restoration providing new doors for Garde storefronts.

With Thanks to Our Sponsors

Garde Digital  and Print Playbill Advertising

 

Our audience is your audience!  As a featured advertiser in the Garde Arts Center Print and Digital Playbill, your company’s message will be delivered to over thirty thousand patrons repeatedly throughout the year. The Playbill is printed and distributed to the patrons at each performance.  This season there will be even greater exposure through digital channels to feature your business in a fascinating and dynamic magazine full of interesting news and insights into the Garde and our community.  In addition, with our new Digital Playbill, four times a year you will be able to insert and update videos, place active links to your business products and services, and offer special discounts.

Garde patrons notice and appreciate Playbill advertisers and reward them with their patronage and business. In addition, your playbill advertising dollars directly support Garde events and PACE: Partners in Arts, Community, and Education programs which, in turn, support our education/non-profit partners and stimulate the local economy as well.

Reserve your space TODAY to lock in the best position. To place your ad, use the order form below, call Jeanne at (860) 961-4106 or email your interest or questions to jsigel@gardearts.org.

 

Playbill Order Form

Volunteer Opportunities

As a community-supported non-profit organization, the Garde welcomes the participation of talented folks who lend their time and skills in support of programs, projects, and staff.

The volunteer categories include:

    • Performance Volunteers: (supporting these general event types: Garde Theater, Schooltime Matinees, Oasis Room)
      – Lobby Monitors
      – Aisle Captains
      – Program Distributors
      – Seat Ushers
    • Patron Service Volunteers:
      – Concessions (bar backing and merchandise sales)
      – Concierge (providing theater and community information to patrons)
      – Reception Attendants (help support show-related and community receptions, and private parties and meetings)
    • Box Office Volunteers: (ticket scanning and assistance during performances, answering phones, and providing general information during regular box office hours)
    • Artist Hospitality Volunteers: (set up/presenting dressing room and green room food, providing amenities and special services/transport for artists)
    • Facility Volunteers: (assisting with displays, décor and cleaning; theater and building maintenance)
    • Special Project Volunteers: (community outreach, social networking and administrative support)
New and returning volunteers please fill out the Volunteer Application below while we update our portal for the 2022-23 Season.

 

Click Here for Our Volunteer Application

Already a registered Volunteer: Sign-up now for upcoming events:

 

APRIL 2023

MAY 2023

JUNE 2023

 

If you have any questions please contact us at volunteer@gardearts.org