WHY WE ASK

Opera is an expensive art form. To fully produce an opera, you need many elements — solo singers, a chorus, a full orchestra, sets, costumes, lighting, and sometimes actors and dancers.

Unlike touring shows and movies, which recover their production costs through multiple viewings, we have only two performances per production — never enough to recover all costs through ticket sales.

That’s why opera always needs both donors and audience members.

Nothing compares to experiencing the arts live.

Help make it happen — donate now!

Donor Recognition

Eugene Opera hosts periodic donor appreciation events to which high-level donors are invited.

In addition, all donors of $25 or more are acknowledged in the program book distributed at opera performances, at the appropriate recognition level as follows:

Season Sponsor ($20,000 and up)
Production Sponsor ($10,000 to $19,999)
Performance Sponsor ($5,000 to $9,999)
Conductor’s Circle ($2,000 to $4,999)
Director’s Circle ($1,000 to $1,999)
Patron ($500 to $999)
Contributor ($350 to $499)
Member ($200 to $349)
Donor ($100 to $199)
Friend ($25 to $99)

Ways You Can Help

Make a One-Time Gift

Your contribution will make a difference! Donate online, over the phone, or send us a check.

Become a Eugene Opera STAR — Pledge!

Everyone appreciates having a steady income stream. When you choose a convenient monthly pledge of $25, $50, $200 or whatever you can afford, you also provide stability that we can count on. Monthly donors of $10 or more are identified as STARS in the program book distributed at opera performances.

Make a Gift in Honor or in Memory

A gift to Eugene Opera is always a thoughtful way to honor a friend, relative, or associate who cares about the opera — for any occasion! Or consider a memorial gift — an especially meaningful way to honor the memory of someone who cared about the arts. Tribute gifts also receive special recognition in the program book distributed at opera performances.

Purchase Community Tix

Opera lovers know how the human heart can be uplifted by this amazing art form, but there are many who cannot afford the price of a ticket. You can share the joy of opera with a deserving neighbor through the Community Tix program. Your tax-deductible contribution of $30 enables an approved social service organization to purchase an opera ticket for one of its clients for only $5.

Participating organizations have included St. Vincent de Paul, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lane County, Womenspace, Sponsors Inc., and Catholic Community Services of Lane County.

Give a gift of appreciated securities
If you have appreciated stock or fund shares, you may reduce your taxes by making your donation in the form of securities. You pay no capital gains tax, and the full market value qualifies as a tax-deductible donation. Eugene Opera receives the full market value of the securities, because as a non-profit we pay no capital gains tax. To qualify, you must transfer the securities directly to Eugene Opera (rather than selling and sending us the proceeds). You can easily do this through your brokerage; contact us directly for our routing information.

Make a direct transfer from your IRA account
If you are over age 70½, you may benefit from a special IRS provision, the “qualified charitable distribution” (QCD) from your otherwise-taxable IRA. When you make a direct transfer from your traditional IRA to a qualifying charity such as Eugene Opera, the transfer is exempt from income tax and can count toward your annual required minimum distribution (RMD). There are some restrictions on eligibility; contact your IRA administrator for details and forms. You’ll need Eugene Opera’s tax ID: 93-0679959.

Give from a donor-advised fund
These relatively new funds are increasingly popular as a way to consolidate your charitable giving and simplify your record-keeping. They may also have tax advantages for some individuals. They provide a convenient mechanism to “bunch” multiple years’ worth of donations into a single year, to benefit from itemizing deductions that otherwise might fall below thresholds under the recent tax reform act. With such a fund, you receive the tax benefit of your donation in a single year but can spread the distribution of gifts over multiple years. And you can donate appreciated securities to gain additional tax benefits (see above). Many investment firms offer donor-advised funds. Minimum initial investments are typically $5,000 or $10,000.

Recurring donations
Instead of a one-time gift, you may prefer to make smaller monthly donations that can really add up over time. You can easily do this by authorizing us to charge your credit card a monthly gift amount; contact us at 541-485-3985 or eugeneopera.com/donate. Or your financial institution may allow you to set up a recurring payment from your checking or money market account. Such
donations are particularly helpful to us in smoothing out our cash flow, so that we have a regular income stream.

Give through AmazonSmile
Eugene Opera is a qualified charity with AmazonSmile. To directly link your Amazon account, click here.

Oregon Cultural Trust credit
Oregon offers a unique tax benefit to encourage support for the arts. Here’s how it works: make a donation to a qualifying organization such as Eugene Opera. Make an equivalent donation (up to $500 for individuals, $1000 for couples) to the Oregon Cultural Trust. Your Oregon Cultural Trust donation then qualifies as a tax credit on your Oregon income tax – meaning you subtract it directly from your tax due. In effect, you are choosing to direct your tax dollars to the arts in Oregon. And both your Eugene Opera donation and your Oregon Cultural Trust donation may also be eligible charitable deductions on your federal tax return.

We encourage you to consult your financial and/or legal advisors to determine which type of gift is best for you and for legal requirements regarding these gifts.

For more information about donating to Eugene Opera, please contact Erika Rauer at 541-485-3985.

Eugene Opera is exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code, and donations are tax deductible as provided by the IRS code. Our federal tax id is 93-0679959.