Black Mountain Center for the Arts Planned Giving Enables
Individuals and Community To Respond with Generosity
By Jessica Klarp


Black Mountain is rich. It is rich in community, rich in culture, rich in its history, rich in natural resources and most importantly rich because of the diversity, talent and generosity of its people. It was due to the generosity and the foresight of a group of local patrons who recognized the cultural and artistic need in the community to establish the Black Mountain Center for the Arts 15 years ago. Since then the Center has succeeded in enriching the people of our community. The Center’s mission: To Bring Arts to the People and People to the Arts is fulfilled every year by its impressively varied offerings. And it needs support to continue.

The Arts Center plays an integral role in providing our little town with a cultural center that is envied by much larger cities. Even regionally, nothing compares with the sophistication of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts in terms of variety of programming and the initiation of arts-related opportunities for its citizens.

With the generous help from donors and volunteers the BMCA has presented arts programming that has delighted and educated over 28,000 people annually. These audiences, students and visitors represent a broad demographic from the Swannanoa Valley and beyond. It cost money to provide the community with such a wide variety of free and low-fee programs.  Typically, tickets and tuition only cover about 1/3 of the actual expense of providing a program or event.

“The impact of a non-profit within a community is as significant as it has ever been,” said Gale Jackson, Executive Director of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts. “Most communities are growing in their recognition of that significance. The culture and lifestyle of a community reflects not only the individual residents but also the fabric of the community as a whole. Often the community is measured by the success of its non-profits. Newcomers and visitors are really aware of that, and often seek us out.”

As the Arts Center has matured, so has its need to raise money in a more significant way. Beyond taking donations at the door, applying for increasingly more limited grant funds, creating fundraising events and soliciting local business for sponsorships, the Arts Center needs meaningful gifts that will ensure the stability of this community resource into the future.

This is especially true since the dynamics of the community are ever changing. As large businesses such as the Chevy/Ford Dealership and the Beacon Manufacturing have become history, and the remaining corporate and business sources have been stressed by the current economy, it becomes increasingly important for individuals to embrace the life of the Arts Center. The Arts Center is not only a premiere cultural destination, but a place where friends can gather to expand their horizons through the arts. Right here. Without driving to Asheville.

And many of the people who have been touched by the BMCA have responded. Countless volunteers, tireless board members, energized audiences and students give back in a wide variety of ways. They have been captured by the spirit of the Center and are committed to enhancing this rich cultural treasure by being a part of the arts; some make that gift in perpetuity.

As a result of generous contributions, the Community Foundation of WNC has helped to establish a way for charitable gifts to go to the Black Mountain Center for the Arts Endowment Fund that will ultimately grow and keep the Center for the Arts alive for years to come. “People who have a significant sum, a bequest or a memorial could choose to put that money into this endowment fund, which would increase in value through investment in a diversified portfolio managed by the Community Foundation,” Jackson explained. “We have already received several generous designated gifts, including a scholarship fund and a literary arts programming fund, which can be supplimated with additional gifts. We also need people to give in ways that will enhance the general endowment fund, to grow that fund enough to put the interest to work.” This is a long-term process that reflects the Arts Center’s commitment to the future of the community and enhances the Arts Center’s ongoing fiscal health.

The Community Foundation can work with donors to facilitate their gifting desires including gifts of assets such as stock, real estate, art, life insurance, bequests, charitable gift annuities, and charitable remainder trusts.  There are many creative ways to "leave a legacy." The Center always recommends that donors check with their lawyers first to get professional advice about their financial decisions.

Jackson was quick to point out that any meaningful gift is appreciated. “We recognize that there is a wide demographic here in Black Mountain and we appreciate all levels of giving.” So whether you drop a check in the donation box after a rewarding night of music, volunteer your time, or work with a lawyer to put the BMCA in your will, any amount will help make the Arts Center, and as a result, the community that much richer.

For more information, contact the Black Mountain Center for the Arts at 828/669-0930.