This is a design document for my course on fundraising for Coldtowne Theatre.

It also contains an overview of the business goal and problem, target audience, learning objectives, course outline, and assessment plan.

I used this document as a road map when building the course using Rise.

Title:  Fundraising for Coldtowne Theatre
Tool Used: Articulate Rise

Deliverables: design doc, job aid

Disclaimer: This course was created for portfolio purposes only and does not represent paid client work.

The Audience: This training was designed for the staff and volunteers at Coldtowne Theatre—a beloved local improv theatre in Austin, TX. The learners are primarily millennial and Gen X part-time employees who are passionate about live comedy and committed to sustaining their creative community. Most have full-time jobs outside of the theatre, so the training needed to be concise, practical, and accessible asynchronously.

The Business Problem: Due to Austin’s high property taxes, ticket sales alone are not sufficient to sustain Coldtowne’s operations. The organization needed a consistent fundraising program to boost donations by 10% compared to the previous year. However, staff and volunteers lacked formal training in donor engagement, social media outreach, and event follow-up strategies—leading to inconsistent fundraising outcomes.

The Solution: To address this, I designed an asynchronous eLearning course in Articulate Rise that walks learners through every stage of hosting a successful fundraiser—from social media promotion to donor follow-up. The course includes scenario-based role-playing activities and practical examples that help staff understand how to engage donors confidently and consistently. This unified framework helps ensure that every event supports the theatre’s long-term financial stability.

Sample Highlights:

• Scenario-based eLearning built in Articulate Rise

• Realistic fundraising simulations and knowledge checks

• Visual storytelling, and infographics

• Adult learning principles emphasizing relevance and autonomy

• Logical module flow from planning to post-event follow-up

The Process: I used the ADDIE model to design this course, starting with an analysis of the theatre’s fundraising challenges and audience constraints. From there, I created a design document to map the instructional flow, ensuring each section addressed a key fundraising milestone. The final build leveraged Rise’s modular structure for clarity, accessibility, and visual engagement.

Kirkpatrick Level 2 Evaluation: Learners complete a scenario-based quiz at the end of the course with four multiple-choice questions simulating real fundraising decisions. A score of 75% or higher is required to pass, with feedback provided after each question.

Kirkpatrick Level 3 Evaluation: Success will be defined by the theatre’s ability to apply learned engagement strategies during live fundraising events, as measured by an observed 10% increase in donations year-over-year.

This large-format poster, created in Canva, supports the Fundraising for Coldtowne Theatre eLearning course.

It serves as a visual reminder of the theatre’s fundraising guidelines and best practices, helping staff recall key engagement and follow-up strategies covered in the training. The poster format was chosen to encourage team discussion and accountability—ideal for display in conference rooms or rehearsal spaces where planning meetings take place.