ORLANDO, Fla. — Rows of phone banks, crooning celebrities, affable hosts: An entire generation grew up with the TV telethon. Now in the age of coronavirus fundraising, the telethon is back — with twists for a modern audience.
Last weekend alone saw four variations on the classic fundraising technique, with more on the way, including a traditional televised version from United Arts of Central Florida that’s in the early planning stages.
There’s a good reason the telethon endures: It works.
Just ask Orlando Fringe development director Lisa Hardt, who last year ended a 24-hour telethon early when the organization made its $2,400 goal in 15 hours. Or the trio behind the “Greater Orlando Social Distance Showcase,” who with two installments under their belts have raised more than $14,000 for local performers. Or the organizers of “Stay in With Pride,” which brought in more than $8,200 from 14,000 viewers to assist the LGBTQ community.
“We grew up with them, right?” said Brendan Lynch, a shareholder with Lowndes who serves as board president of United Arts. “We watched the celebrities — even the minor ones. And if you called in, you hoped a random celebrity would answer the phone.”
Indeed a whole generation watched Tony Bennett singing on the Easterseals Telethon, Marie Osmond hosting for the Children’s Miracle Network, and in the most famous of them all, Jerry Lewis signing off for the Muscular Dystrophy Association each Labor Day weekend with “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
“Oh my gosh, I watched it every year,” says Breakthrough Theatre owner Wade Hair of the MDA spectacular, which ran from 1966 to 2014. “I remember staying up late to see it. They would have Broadway people… it was fascinating.”
There was also a special thrill “whenever they did, ‘Here’s the new total.’”
Hair was hoping to raise about $8,000 during his theater’s update of the classic formula on Saturday. Instead of airing on television, it streamed on the theater’s Facebook page. Donors didn’t have to call but instead were to use electronic money transfer.
In one way, though, it is faithful to the time-honored tradition. The show’s 90 performers were to sing in real time.
“Everybody’s going live,” Hair said. “It’s more like theater that way. Whatever happens, happens!”
Like many of the national telethons, the “Social Distance Showcase” uses a mix of recorded performances and live chat with creators Michael Wanzie, Rich Charron and Kenny Howard.
Originally envisioned as a one-time event, the trio soon realized the financial need for unemployed entertainment industry workers wasn’t going away soon, so they are continuing with weekly shows.
The latest productions are shorter than a traditional telethon, but that’s because of the ongoing work it takes to put the show together.
“Despite the casual appearance of our showcases, which is by design because we want them to feel like friends sharing a visit, it takes a huge chunk of time,” Wanzie said. Each week involves recording the guests’ performances, prepping them for their live interviews and technical rehearsal, as well as overseeing the donations. So far, 144 unemployed people have been given $100 each to help with basic needs.
For its one-time event, Orlando Fringe will go the other direction: Hardt and co-host Lindsay Taylor return at noon EDT on Wednesday for another 24-hour gig — and this year, Hardt pledged to go the distance.
One lesson learned: Rest up.
“We lost a lot of momentum in the middle of the night last year,” Hardt recalled. “Lindsay tried to teach me to crochet at 4 in the morning. It did not go well.”
With its eclectic nature and simple electronic donating, the format suits the Fringe’s fan base, an important consideration, she said.
“A lot of our donors are micro-donors. We don’t have the $10,000 givers,” she said.
SAK Comedy Lab also tweaks the format for its audience. Its ongoing online “Million Dollar Telethon” — where the goal has been adjusted down to $500 by scrawling out the million on the logo — is a combination of telethon spoof and actual fundraiser.
Assisted by artistic director Emily Fontano, executive director Chris Dinger plays the frazzled host, complete with the old-fashioned rotary phone for callers. Performer Adam Scharf is an overzealous hair-and-makeup stylist. But the fundraising is real at 7 p.m. EDT each Sunday night, to help the downtown club stay in business during the COVID-19 shutdown.
A side benefit of telethons is strengthening connections with the community, several arts leaders said.
“We got patrons engaged, and we educated them about how much we rely on donations,” Hardt said.
Blue Star, entertainment director for Orlando Pride, also used “Stay in With Pride” to educate.
“It shows a new side of Pride, that it’s not just a parade,” she said. “There are other levels of what we do for our community.”
Money raised through “Stay in With Pride” goes to the LGBTQ+ Relief Fund, managed by the Contigo Fund, set up after the Pulse massacre to support the local Latinx and gay communities.
United Arts plans to do things “the old-fashioned way,” Lynch said, as life starts returning to a sense of normalcy later this year. The organization will partner with WUCF-TV for an in-studio event with live performances and locals staffing the phones to accept pledges in support of arts groups throughout the region.
“The message will be you supported us through the start of this,” he said, “and we will need your support for the next phase.”
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