Teatteri Toivo, a dynamic theater community that has been active in the Finnish theater scene for 17 years, has started a partnership with Fundis. Fundis is a payment app that allows everyone to support a cause important to them at no extra cost. Fundis will become available later this autumn, and this partnership offers the theater a new way to engage its audience and expand its funding base.
Toivo is known especially for its bold and cinematically visual style, combining deep social resonance with artistic experimentation. Toivo’s artistic direction emphasizes both premieres and international adaptations, aiming to inspire and challenge the audience to dive into multi-layered stories.
Teatteri Toivo’s mission is to create high-quality theater that is both artistically ambitious and socially significant. The partnership with Fundis supports this goal by enabling a broader financial foundation, helping the theater continue to produce bold and impactful performances.
Fundraising in the cultural sector at a turning point
Like many other cultural operators, Teatteri Toivo has experienced fundraising challenges, especially following the pandemic and economic uncertainty. Next year, the entire field will be affected by cultural budget cuts and VAT increases on tickets, which will further increase financial pressure.
“Fundis’s responsibility and values resonate strongly with us, and we are happy to be part of this new way of fundraising,” comments theater director Sara Salmenmäki. “We believe this partnership will increase the appreciation for supporting culture and revolutionize the fundraising field.”
Toivo’s office manager Minna Wallenius is pleased with the partnership: “The growth of sponsorship has been slow in recent years, which has increased the pressure to find new funding models. At this point, Fundis offers a significant solution and creates new opportunities to engage customers and increase the theater’s visibility.”
Teatteri Toivo is involved with Fundis as both a supporter and a beneficiary. You can support the theater directly through Fundis, but what fits our style even better is that when we host corporate parties, weddings, or Christmas parties, the customer can pay via Fundis and get the chance to choose which cultural or sports cause a portion of the purchase price supports. This adds meaning to events and enables supporting culture in a new way.
Fundis CEO Seppo Kuusinen is excited about Teatteri Toivo joining:
“Culture, and especially innovative independent operators, need support, which Fundis wants to help provide. Teatteri Toivo is a great example of the dedication people have when investing in the common good. I strongly believe that this investment will return many times over.”
Future outlook
Teatteri Toivo continues its strong line in 2024 by bringing the steampunk musical The Dolls of New Albion to the stage, and in 2025, two English-language sci-fi plays will be performed: The Parasites of Space and Gods and Parasites, both of which deal with timely social themes such as climate change, power, religion, and the future of humanity. The partnership with Fundis gives the theater a stronger opportunity to realize ambitious art projects and reach new audiences.
Seppo Kuusinen (back left), Juha Markkanen, Ilja Raunio, Minna Wallenius, Sara Salmenmäki.
