Robin’s Flight Plan

Robin LaPlante headshot

A musical theatre nerd who loved rehearsing more than performing…Strange Bird founder Robin Allen LaPlante leans into the spirit of collaboration and storytelling to help those who help others. The art of storytelling is crucial to demonstrating impact and engaging audiences to join in the journey.

Over the last two decades, Robin has relayed the experiences of young musicians and emerging circus artists, maintained clean data and implemented new information processes, and she has partnered with diverse organizations to discover new pathways to achieve goals. After launching her consulting practice in 2020 she has helped

  • develop strategic communications plans;

  • advise and execute marketing tactics to increase reach and engagement;

  • fundraise through appeals, grants, events, and sponsorships;

  • manage and report on data; and

  • produce and execute online events.

Clients include Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Circus Smirkus, Vermont Youth Orchestra, Philadelphia Free Library Foundation, Atlantic Symphony, Upper Valley Humane Society, White River Ballet Academy, Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra, Theater in the Open, Puppet Showplace Theater, and Friends of Mascoma, among others. She lives in a cabin in the woods in Central Vermont with her family and a large dog that sometimes accompanies her on Zoom meetings.

Peacock standing on a branch

Marketing & Fundraising Specialist

We take the bird-eye view with our clients – helping to sort out the big picture and the fine details. Strange Birds Consulting empowers non-profits with data-informed communications and fundraising strategies, leading operations in fundraising, digital performance production, integrated marketing communications, development operations, content creation, ticket sales, event management, and more. We help your mission soar!

Expertise

Marketing Communications

Fundraising Operations

Special Events Development (in-person and virtual)

Data Management, Administration, & Implementation

Applied Technology

Nonprofit Management

Arts Administration

Collaborative Success

Highlighted Positions

LaPlante Consulting, Founder

  • Empowering non-profits with data-informed communications and fundraising strategies

    in pandemic-era and post-pandemic conditions. Leading operations in fundraising,

    integrated marketing communications, development operations, ticket sales, & events.

  • Vermont Youth Orchestra Association: Leading marketing communications program – developing marketing plans, executing outreach, securing advertising, & creating collateral for all programs.

    • Strategizing new tactics to reach new audiences, developing audience pipelines through early childhood education programs and performances that reach diverse Vermont communities.

    • Facilitating board workshops, constituent town halls, and participant focus groups to define market position and refine brand voice & visual identity.

    • Developing online crowdfunding fundraiser to close the gap during end of fiscal year campaign, raising nearly $12,000 in one month.

    Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestras: Providing interim marketing and communications management in 2023, developing a comprehensive annual communications plan and launching an email newsletter that received over 50% opens and nearly 10% click-through.

  • Front Porch Arts Collective: Provided emergency import services to match third-party data with database records, deduplicating and importing over 10,000 records in one week

    Friends of Mascoma: Reconciled third party database with financial management platform to support bookkeeping processes.

  • Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild: developing comprehensive fundraising plan, training volunteer staff, and advising on best practices

    • Using The Cycle framework, developing an institutional communications strategy based on the organization’s top initiatives.

    • Researching and implementing Neon One CRM database to consolidate over 6 tech solutions and centralize data. Importing over 13,000 historical records and then increasing database by nearly 30% in 6 months.

    • Creating ticketing plan for over 80 performances in one weekend and overseeing box office volunteers with no major issues.

    • Provide board training and facilitate committee meetings aimed at building consensus and developing organizational capacity

    Theater in the Open: providing fundraising and marketing leadership for outdoor theater and education company.

    • Researching, and implementing first-ever organizational database.

    • Overseeing configuration & import, developing online forms, & training.

    • Achieving over 95% capacity in ticket sales for yearly holiday Pantomime.

    • Overseeing Giving Tuesday campaign that raised over $11,000 in 24 hours. Developing end of year appeal to reach over 1000 patrons.

    • Writing and submitting grant proposals – achieving over $90,000 in funding

    Puppet Showplace: implementing a comprehensive fundraising plan for world-renowned puppet theater in advance of 50th anniversary

    • Facilitating major gift cultivation and solicitation for list of 32 identified potential donors of over $1000

    • Producing annual year-end appeal that increased gifts by 15%.

    Circus Smirkus: managing $1.2MM development operations.

    • Planning & executing record-breaking revenue campaign in FY22, raising over $620K, including a 6-week scholarship campaign that raised $70K.

    • Writing proposals for grants and sponsorships, achieving over $212,000 in new funding.

    • Rewriting fundraising database to match financial account list, streamlining and speeding up monthly reconciliation by 80%.

Circus Smirkus Logo

Director of External Relations

  • Circus Smirkus

    Greensboro, VT April 2019 – December 2020

  • Commanding data-driven communications and establishing best practices in marketing, fundraising, and enrollment of 16-city tour and 10-week summer camp, facilitating cross-organizational branding update to consistently articulate messaging, mission, and vision.

    • Engaging technology to generate $35K in 90 days with development and execution of digital circus training program during pandemic lockdown.

    • Engineering digital entertainment series, retrospectives, panel discussions, cooking show, piloting subscription model to beat goal by 220% in new revenue.

    • Managing crisis communications, cancellation / refund / donation processes and reconciling $400K, while enrolling new session with 100% safety compliance.

    • Managing over 50 camp staff members during the 2019 season, overseeing onboarding, orientation and training, and disciplinary actions.

    • Increasing fundraising 50% YOY and individual gifts by $100K with digital 2020 Smirktacular! Gala (leading 8-person planning committee and 4-person event execution crew) and crisis response fundraising appeal.

Highland Center for the Arts Logo

Marketing & Communications Director

  • Highland Center for the Arts

    Greensboro, VT April 2018 – April 2019

  • Driving exposure of first complete season expanding audience reach to achieve 80% earned revenue. Establishing marketing, box office, and customer service operations for studio, gallery, restaurant, and 250-seat performance space; engineering infrastructure, systems, and processes to produce 100 events in one year of programming.

    • Achieving aggressive acquisition results, increasing email list by 50% to double audience reach to 6500 in 9 months.

    • Developing and managing $60K marketing budget.

    • Hiring, training, and managing 5-member marketing and front-of-house/box office staff. Cultivated environment based on transparency & strategic planning.

    • Leading strategic branding development with full rollout of collateral based on organization’s interdisciplinary position.

    • Leading Salesforce PatronManager CRM implementation with data and architecture management, directing 7 staff in tool utilization.

Boston Center for the Arts Logo

Director of Marketing & Communications

  • Boston Center for the Arts

    Boston, MA November 2016 – April 2018

  • Implementing Salesforce PatronManager CRM for marketing & sales, managing data and architecture to improve executive engagement and revenue accountability

    • Strategically segmenting 11K subscriber list to increase open rate from 12% to 22% and click through rates from 1% to 4%

    • Developing style guide and consistent messaging for 50K public, donor, artist, and internal audience members while creating increasing BCA media coverage

      • Creating content and producing institutional brochure, vision and positioning statements, capabilities brochure, annual report, facility rental brochure

    • Supervising Marketing Manager, 2 interns, 8 videographers / photographers.

From the Top Radio Logo

Associate Director, Marketing and Communications

  • From the Top, Inc.

    Boston, MA April 2012 – November 2016

  • Promoting, assistant-producing, and managing station feeds of National Public Radio (NPR) show featuring young, classically trained musicians

    • Managing on-site production in halls nationwide, including artist handling, show prep, and marketing plans for 18 cities annually.

    • Launching YouTube channel, tripling audience to 3MM engagements in 6 months.

    • Achieving Strings Magazine’s “Top Classical Music Cover” with over 10MM views.

    • Managing ticketing database administration for 2 sold-out Boston shows every year with 1000 attendees.

A laptop, notebook with pen, and a variety of drinks and flowers on a wooden table near a window.

Technology

Blackbaud Altru CRM

Salesforce PatronManager

Raiser’s Edge

Tableau

Mailchimp

Vertical Response

Constant Contact

Neon

WordPress

InDesign

Illustrator

Canva

Adobe Premiere

“Robin was professional, creative, and consistently driving to bring continuity and cohesion to our brand. She jumped in to the work and quickly adapted as we navigated the uniqueness of remote performances…Her breadth of experience in development, marketing, events management, and production was immeasurably valuable to the work.”

— Sasha Vaut-O’Keeffe,
Director of Philanthropy at Vermont Symphony Orchestra

(Photo by Liza Voll, featuring Vermont Youth Orchestra Association musicians)

Education and Affiliations

  • Member of the Partner program with Neon One CRM

  • Common Good Vermont

  • Boston University, 2009
    Boston, MA

  • The Hartt School, University of Hartford, 2003
    West Hartford, CT