News

Huge Matching Gift Opportunity for 2024

We’re not even three months into 2024, and already we’ve been blown away with Katy Martin as our new President of Renew the Arts. Since her appointment in January, Katy has been diligent in meeting with hosts, booking Porchlight events, and working with the team to organize all of our systems. Her passion for this work, her administrative gifts, and her strong interpersonal skills are positioning Renew the Arts for success. 

The best part? Her efforts have already inspired one of our board members to pledge a matching donation for any new recurring pledges in 2024 up to a total of $10,000 out of an abundance of confidence in how things are moving forward. How exciting is that?!

This means anyone who starts a new monthly donation to support Renew the Arts of $10 a month or more will be matched dollar for dollar (up to a total of $10,000) for the remainder of 2024! Thanks to this generous donor, your recurring donation will have double the impact for the rest of this year. If you are able and willing, your participation in regular monthly giving to RTA will accelerate our growth in helping equip others to become art patrons through conversations on the podcast, providing practical hospitality opportunities through Porchlight, and modeling patronage through project sponsorships.

New Year, New Leadership

Dear family and friends who have come alongside my work at Renew the Arts,

On January 2nd, I joyfully stepped into the role of Chairman of the Board of Renew the Arts, and Katy Martin has stepped into my previous role of leadership as President and CEO of Renew the Arts. 

Looking back on my many years in that role, I am most proud of the work we’ve done with Porchlight, and the sponsorships we’ve managed to provide artists over time. I think so fondly of the projects, artists, podcast episodes, and beautiful cultural artifacts I’ve had the privilege to be a part of over the last nine years (if you include my tenure at the Nehemiah Foundation for Cultural Renewal). 

Why We’re Leaving Social Media

Recently, Porchlight posted the last (planned) social media content for the foreseeable future. Since you’ll hear and see less from us there, we wanted to explain ourselves a bit, and invite you into some better ways to connect with Porchlight.

First off, we recognize  some productive uses for social media platforms. Lots of the artists we work to support have robust social media presences. Since most all of us use these various platforms, we probably don’t have to argue too much for their potential benefit.

Nonetheless, we’ve decided that, for our organization and work, social media conflicts almost centrally with our mission at Porchlight. I’d like to explain why.

Announcing: Our New Hosting Network!

The time will come when we can safely gather again, seeing each other’s faces, shaking hands, and embracing. I long for the energy of sharing meaningful experiences together again.

When we’re finally able to gather like this again, let’s make the most of it. And there’s only one thing that can draw people together like family: live music (and food, of course!). Someone once told me they love live music because of the “feeling of togetherness.” I think that’s a feeling we could all use right about now.

But restrictions around COVID-19 will keep live music and entertainment venues closed for longer than almost anything else. This is tragic; but in it, we see an opportunity for all of us.

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No, it's not a trap. We promise not to bombard your email inbox. In fact, most people complain we don't send enough emails! But here's what you can expect:

  1. In the following week or so you'll get a few messages. These are individually designed to catch you up on all the great things we're doing!
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  3. And once you have a handle on our work, we can try to get you plugged in. Maybe you're an artist who wants to get more involved. Maybe you want to keep tabs on our projects. Whatever has drawn you to our work, this is the best way to get plugged in.

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