Kristin Reeves
Kristin Reeves (MET’22)
Membership & Individual Support Manager, Jacob’s Pillow
MS, Arts Administration; Graduate Certificate, Fundraising Management
This interview was originally published in spring 2023. Kristin has since accepted the position of Manager of Special Events & Board Relations for Signature Theatre Company.
What do you do in your current position?
In my current role, I manage our membership program, which brings in roughly $1.2 million annually through membership levels starting at $50 through $25,000. I am also part of the three-person individual giving team, so I’m also responsible for bringing in gifts under $2,000 that go towards programmatic support or to our annual fund. Much of my role is focused on donor relations, explicitly identifying and cultivating potential donors as they begin their philanthropic relationship with the Jacob’s Pillow dance center.
Why did you choose MET for your graduate studies? What set MET apart from other programs you were considering?
When I was applying, I lived in Boston and worked for an arts service organization based in the city. Since I was already working in the field, I wanted to be sure I could continue my career while getting my degree, which meant I needed to find a flexible program to fit my life and work schedule. The MS in Arts Administration program at MET has a great reputation within the industry, and I’d heard such positive things from folks who had graduated from the program at various points in their careers. That, in conjunction with the options of doing an internship or taking the class on consulting with Janet Bailey and Anita Lauricella, made me confident that I would get the training and experience I needed from the program while not having to backtrack from my current career path.
Were you able to use faculty as a resource? Is there a particular faculty member who enhanced your experience at MET?
So many of them enhanced my experience! Janet Bailey, in particular, changed my outlook on being an arts management professional. I took her Leadership in Times of Crisis (MET AR 781) course in the summer of 2020 and the Advanced Management and Consulting for Arts Organizations (MET AR 804) course with her and Anita Lauricella. All of the faculty supported me throughout my time in the program, and I feel fortunate to stay connected with many of them as colleagues in the field.
Are there any specific skills or competencies you acquired during your studies that qualified you for a promotion, professional designation, title change, or other benefits?
Before I started at MET, I worked primarily in patron services and box office but knew I wanted to shift into development. Making that transition can be challenging, but I started taking courses within the Fundraising Management Graduate Certificate program almost immediately upon getting to BU. Because of what I learned in these courses, I got my first role on the Jacob’s Pillow philanthropy team and was promoted to my current position upon completing the program. The start of my entire career in fundraising is thanks to MET.
How were you able to adapt to some of the challenges of balancing work, home life, and school? Did you benefit from MET’s flexible class delivery options?
I was specifically looking for a program that would let me maintain that balance of work, home, and school, and while it was a lot of work, MET made it as easy as possible. The final course I took in my program—Individual Fundraising (MET AR 723)—was meant to be in person, but Lew Karabatsos let me take it virtually since I was in the Berkshires for my job!
Were there specific developments in your line of work (i.e., evolving best practices, new technological tools, or other catalysts) that prompted you to pursue a graduate education?
The desire to move into fundraising prompted my search for graduate programs.
Did earning your degree lead to a different career focus, or broaden the scope of opportunity within your existing line of work? Can you share your perspective on that?
I completely shifted into fundraising, an entirely different focus than I came into the program with (and one I’d been hoping to make for a while!). What’s great about MET is that you’re required to “try everything on for size”—there’s a good amount of personalization that you get to do with course selection. There’s also a solid foundation of required courses that introduced me to a whole world of careers in the arts that I didn’t even know about. Even within fundraising, I thought I wanted to be a grant writer. Through being introduced to other fundraising practices, I realized I had a greater interest in working directly with donors.
What specific elements of your MET studies were essential to expanding your career opportunities? Consider faculty or student support, quality of instruction, course projects, or other elements of your program that were critical for your success.
The faculty is SO incredibly supportive. As I mentioned, Prof. Karabatsos made sure I could take my final course in the program even though I wasn’t in Boston anymore, but so many others supported my specific career goals along the way. The consulting course was the best class I’ve taken throughout my academic history because it was hands-on, with real-world stakes. Still, we had the safety net of Janet (Bailey) and Anita (Lauricella) (and MET as a whole) to take risks and do the work we had been trained to do until that point.
Do you believe there has been a positive return on your investment in terms of the cost of the BU degree?
Absolutely, 10 times over.
What is one piece of advice you would give to someone who is considering applying to this program?
Just apply already! If you’re looking for a program that can be molded and shaped to fit you, your goals, and your life, I can’t recommend MET enough.