If there was a scorecard that judged Kent County charitable organizations on management, mission, long-term strategic planning, as well as the commitment levels of board members and staff, there would be little doubt that the Mainstay in Rock Hall would be in the top three in the region.
For two decades, the Mainstay has done almost everything the “right” way since director and founder Tom McHugh started the music venue after retiring from Vassar College. With a perfect balance of the right kind of performers, physical space, volunteers, and simply a lot of downright fun, McHugh and the board of directors of Mainstay have made this Rock Hall organization one of the most respected on the Eastern Shore.
That “poster boy” status was recently challenged with the announcement that McHugh would make good on his repeated threats to retire this year. And, as a result, The Mainstay board had to think twice about keeping its doors open without the charismatic Irishman at the helm.
To the credit of the directors and a small handful of Mainstay’s closest friends, after a long study phase, a decision was made to continue, Tom or no Tom, for the love of music and the Rock Hall community. But what was the cost of that decision?
It turned out to be about a quarter of a million dollars. That was the extra revenue needed to keep Mainstay going over the next five years, pay a new executive director, and buy enough time for the organization to modify their business model to expand programming to attract new audiences and revenue streams as musical tastes changes in American society.
One of the key players in guiding the Mainstay into the “Tom-less” era has been Damon Bradley. No stranger to strategic plans and fundraising, given his highly respected role as headmaster of Washington’s prestigious Landon School for fourteen years, Bradley spoke to the Spy about keeping the Mainstay forever with its first-ever capital campaign.
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