In 2010, Irish Arts Center was a shoestring operation with a 99-seat venue in a crumbling building. 

At the same time, said Executive Director Aidan Connolly, “There was a lot of heart, good people and a great history.” Aidan was in the early phases of leading an ambitious turnaround project to transform the small, grassroots theatre into a leading venue for contemporary Irish arts across disciplines, and to develop and construct a new building to support that mission.

Aidan gathered his small team and big dreams for a retreat. He led an exercise designed to uncover their hedgehog concept: the area where they wanted to place their relentless focus. The team articulated an artistic direction in which the organization could thrive. They mapped out an ecosystem including media, funders, organizational allies and connectors, with artists at the center.

But they struggled to find the single unifying hedgehog concept that would keep them aligned. One half-joking comment opened the discussion: “We’re Irish. We’re really good at throwing parties.” The team realized they had a special ability to create meaningful human experiences around the art. They were leveraging that hospitality to generate powerful fundraising. And everyone at that staff retreat connected to the idea of hospitality. 

“And so from that day forward, the concept of creating an environment of warm Irish hospitality around everything we do became a core value,” Aidan said. “It crystallized our focus.” 

The concept drove fundraising events that fueled the art. It even became a key value in designing the center’s new building. In numerous stakeholder interviews, they heard a consistent desire for a place to gather, share ideas and build connections. 

Then, Aidan shared, “The economic outcomes followed.” The Irish Arts Center grew their annual fund more than sixfold. Over 10 years they raised enough to fund their new building with no debt and a cash reserve. And they discovered that their focus on hospitality fueled more than fundraising. The warmth radiated from artists and audiences to volunteers and everyone else in their ecosystem. 

“It’s a contagion of loyalty,” Aidan said.

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Aidan Connolly presented this talk live as part of Tessitura’s Innovator Series at the Tessitura Learning & Community Conference in Washington, D.C., in August 2024.