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FAQs

Ways to Give & FAQs

Your support keeps the arts alive at Overture Center! As a donor, you play a vital role in sustaining our performances, education programs and the preservation of our beloved venue. There are many ways to make a gift—whether through annual contributions, corporate sponsorships, stock donations or including Overture in your estate plans. Every gift makes a lasting impact, and we are deeply grateful for your generosity. Explore the many ways you can give and find answers to frequently asked questions to make your giving experience easy and meaningful.

Contact Information

Overture Center Foundation, Inc.

Mailing Address:

Overture Center for the Arts 201 State Street
Madison, WI 53703

EIN: 01-0645482

Ways to Give

Making a gift through a transfer of appreciated stocks or securities that have been held for more than one year can often provide tax benefits for you. Securities must be transferred directly to Overture Center to be eligible for tax benefits.

Step 1: Please notify us if you plan to give via securities by contacting development@overture.org or 608-258-4145. This helps us ensure the gift is correctly attributed to you.

Step 2: Instruct your broker to transfer shares to:

LPL Financial at Lake Ridge Bank

Account Title: Overture Center Foundation, Inc.

Account Number: 4918-7412

DTC Number: 0075

LPL Financial Contact: Paul Zander, 608.798.5234, paul.zander@lpl.com

All securities that are publicly traded, such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, UITs, structured notes and REITs, can be deposited. Others need to be confirmed before transferring to the trading account.

All approved securities will be transferred using the Automated Customer Account Transfer Service. You will receive an acknowledgment for the value of the sale.
Simply request your IRA custodian to make a direct gift to Overture Center Foundation. For people over age 72, giving through your required minimum distribution (RMD) can provide tax advantages. Beginning in 2023, the SECURE 2.0 Act raised the age that you must begin taking RMDs to age 73. Please note that gifts must be transferred from the IRA directly to Overture to be eligible for tax benefits.

Also, you may designate Overture as a beneficiary of your IRA in your estate plans. This can reduce tax implications for your heirs while continuing your support of the arts. Visit the Planned Giving page for more information.
Employer matching programs are an easy way to double your impact on the arts. Please consult with your HR department for your employer’s policy. If documentation must be filled out by the non-profit, please send it to development@overture.org.

Please note, matching gifts will be soft credited to your account and combined with your gift for your recognition level. However, your donor benefits will reflect your personal giving. For example, a donor who gives a $500 personal gift that is matched will be recognized for a $1,000 gift in the playbill and will receive $500 level donor benefits.
Monthly giving provides steady support, greater impact over time and convenient, ongoing generosity. Set it up once and make a difference all year! Monthly gifts to Overture can be set up by phone or by using an Overture donation slip and paid by either credit card or ACH.

To set up a monthly gift by phone, please call 608-258-4148.

If you would prefer to provide your information through a donation slip, obtain one from our office during business hours or by contacting development@overture.org or 608-258-4145.

Monthly gifts are run on the 15th of every month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Giving to Overture benefits our community’s creative culture, and it can provide benefits for you, too.

Overture provides nearly 500,000 artistic experiences in our community annually, and nearly 40 percent of those are through free and low-cost education and engagement programs. Gifts to Overture’s annual fund support general operations, such as education and engagement programs, utilities, business operations, performances and the people who make these extraordinary experiences possible.
Overture Center was originally founded as a city entity in 2004. In 2010, Overture Center became an independent non-profit organization. It does not receive taxpayer funds. However, it is eligible for an annual grant from the City of Madison’s Room Tax Commission.
The Overture Forever Campaign is a $30 million combined fundraising campaign to invest in the capital needs while growing the endowment to ensure Overture remains a vibrant center where everyone is welcome, engaged and challenged through the arts.

Twenty million dollars of this effort will support the Overture Endowment Fund, creating sustainable funding for the next generation to enjoy the same Overture experiences we have today.

The remaining $10 million will support the Sandra Gajic Capital Fund, which will address major projects over the next 5-10 years. These critical projects include replacing Overture's 26 roofs and updating theater rigging, architectural lighting and numerous ventilation systems.

GIVE TO THE OVERTURE FOREVER CAMPAIGN
An endowment is essential to supporting Overture’s long-term sustainability to ensure our facility and programs can continue to provide extraordinary experiences in the arts for future generations.

The Overture Center Foundation Capital Endowment was established in 2017 to support capital projects to keep Overture Center a state-of-the-art facility for presenting and enjoying the arts. This fund is managed by the Overture Center Board’s Investment Committee. The current endowment balance can be found in Overture’s most recent Annual Report.

GIVE TO THE OVERTURE ENDOWMENT FUND

Prior to Overture Center, an endowment fund was established in the Madison Civic Center’s name at the Madison Community Foundation. This endowment has since been renamed the Overture Center Foundation Endowment Fund and supports general operations. Gifts to this endowment can be made to the Madison Community Foundation at www.madisongives.org.
It is easy to include Overture Center in your will!

Sample language for your will:

I give and devise to Overture Center for the Arts, located in Madison, Wisconsin, (the sum of $__________, or _____ % of my residuary estate, or describe the specific asset to be gifted), to be used for its general support (or for the support of a specific fund or program).

Overture Centers for the Arts Tax ID: 01-0645482

LEARN MORE ABOUT PLANNED GIVING
Named after Dr. Richard P. Anderson, a respected pediatric psychiatrist and emeritus professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, the Anderson Legacy Circle recognizes those generous individuals who are leaving a future legacy to Overture through their wills, retirement plans, life-income plans and other creative planned giving arrangements. To join, simply leave a gift to Overture in your will, trust IRA, 401(k), life-insurance policy or other non-probate assets. And please let us know, so we can thank you for your generosity.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PLANNED GIVING
There are countless ways for your company or foundation to make a difference at Overture. We serve individuals of all ages and have programs that reach across the state of Wisconsin. Gifts of all sizes have a profound impact on the programs and performances we offer to the community. Please reach out to Director of Institutional Giving Cayla Minear at cminear@overture.org to explore partner levels.

LEARN MORE ABOUT INSTITUTIONAL GIVING

Have additional questions?

Reach out to us and we'd be happy to answer!

Director of Individual Giving

Judy Ham

she/her

608.443.1733