Texas Ballet Theater: Rebuilding the Subscription Renewal
The role
I led marketing and communications at Texas Ballet Theater.
The problem
For a ballet company, subscribers are the base everything else sits on. Lose them at renewal and you spend the next season buying them back.
What we changed
We treated renewal as its own campaign. The strategy was set months ahead, and we launched it weeks before the season announcement. The case was the company and the art, not next season's titles. We asked subscribers to stay with Texas Ballet Theater, not to shop the calendar.
The result
At Texas Ballet Theater, we rebuilt the subscription renewal. Attrition dropped to the lowest in the company's history, and revenue for the 2025–26 season rose 56%.
What it means for your organization
Renewal comes first. A subscriber who renews is the person most likely to become a donor later, but only if the first ask is the renewal and the gift request comes after they have used the season.
Related
- How I work with nonprofits: nonprofit marketing and fundraising consulting
- Marketing and development for museums and performing arts
- Next case: Bowers Museum: marketing and fundraising under one roof
Book 20 free minutes. I'll tell you where your renewals and donors are leaking and what I'd change. No pitch.