We are very excited to share the news that Crossroads Comedy Theater is now, officially, a nonprofit organization! I received our letter of determination of tax exempt status over the weekend – only 17 days after we submitted our application. I expected an up to six month wait with the potential for back and forth, requests for more information, potentially getting denied and an appeal process… but none of that came to pass. Thankfully. We passed the bar. We are a 501c3. So what does this mean?
The first thing it means is that the process of learning about navigating all of this continues. It’s a lot of reading, YouTube videos, webinars, calls and emails to theatre owning friends in Philly and beyond, and probably some luck. All of this is new and we need to take our time as we move into this new phase.
It also means we have a board of directors. This board is comprised of people from across the country. The board’s job is to make sure that Crossroads is staying on mission and working to ensure long-term sustainability in the communities in which we operate. In time, our website will be updated with board information and any changes to it.
Another thing this means is that people will be able to donate directly to us, rather than through a fiscal sponsor, and have those donations be tax deductible. This also gives us 100% of the donations whereas before a percentage was taken for the service. We can also accept bequests, devises, and transfers or gifts. So, if you have any buildings laying around, we’ll take them. This status also opens us up to more grant and funding opportunities. It doesn’t mean we will get them, but at least it’s an option now. The hope is that there are some comedy loving arts angels out there or comedy friendly grants that can help us build up our operations in both Indianapolis and Philly. With me in Indianapolis right now, Philly needs a proper team to ensure smooth operations, growth and outreach, and the establishment of an actual, brick and mortar, location for Crossroads Philly. A massive thank you to Lisa Lawrence, Channing Billups, Nikema Black Carter, Kelly Conrad, Laura Somogie, James Knight, all of our instructors, and our event staff and volunteers for keeping Philly alive. It’s a lot of organizing and planning on my end, but it’s all been carried out by these amazing people and others since we formed in 2021.
If you are curious if/how you can help us as we take this on, here are some thoughts:
- Many of you already helped by taking a class in Philly or Indy and it’s greatly appreciated. Some even told others and got them involved in what we do. That’s one of the best things you can do for us. Continue to spread the word about who we are and what people can gain by giving us a look.
- Keep taking classes that interest you! As we grow we will expand what we offer to both people that are interested in performing and those who have absolutely no interest in performing and are more interested in the benefits our classes provide away from the stage. Click here for Philly classes and click here for Indy classes.
- Do you have skills in the nonprofit world? Grant writing, researching, proofreading, etc. and want to volunteer some time to assist with those efforts? That could be something.
- Maybe you know some philanthropic arts lovers who are looking for a new cause to champion and a building or stage to name after themselves. Tell them about us!
- Are you involved in any groups or organizations that do anything where an improv workshop would be beneficial? Let’s do that!
- Other skills we could use in time: website design, video editing, photography, marketing, graphic design, and anything not listed that you want to offer, I’m open to hearing it.
If you’re itching to support this new phase through a donation, you can check out our Donate Page. This page has information about how your donation helps Crossroads and our communities by extension and will be updated with a process for direct, tax-deductible donations to Crossroads. For now, you can still access our Fractured Atlas donation account on the Donate Page. We will also be holding a fundraiser soon for our Fall activities all over Philly, Indianapolis, and other locations.
For now, thank you. Thank you for supporting us these last three years, helping us get to this point, and we hope that you’ll join us for this next chapter.
Mike Marbach
Founder & Managing Director
