Partnership with StageRight! gives Saint Vincent students a head start

LATROBE, PA – Throughout the spring semester, students in the Nonprofit Communication course at Saint Vincent College benefited from working with StageRight!, a Greensburg-based performing arts school, to develop fundraising, social media, marketing and public relations materials.

The course, instructed by Dr. Melinda Farrington, an associate professor of communication and media arts within the College’s School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, focuses on integrated marketing and communication in the nonprofit sector.

Areas of study include fundraising and donor relations, special events, grant research and writing, working with boards of trustees, volunteer management, and how to communicate with and steward supporters.

“We met StageRight! when we hosted a Public Relations Society of America event on campus last fall,” Farrington said. “We struck up a conversation, and I mentioned that students work with a nonprofit client in the community for the spring course.”

Farrington later met with StageRight! representatives in December 2025 for a follow-up meeting. They agreed to be clients as StageRight! had some communication and marketing needs that Saint Vincent students could fulfill.

The 13 students in the class during the spring semester were a mix of business, communication and history majors. The course, offered every other spring at the College, operates as if it is the creative agency for the client. It begins with students interviewing the clients to develop integrated marketing communications recommendations. StageRight! representation then reviewed and approved the students’ project recommendations, which included:

• a public relations plan that addresses a recent transition in leadership, communication with former students and a complete regional media contact list;
• an analysis of what sorts of events would be effective to help raise awareness for the organization without huge expense and without overtaxing a limited staff;
• a social media style guide, calendar and post-templates;
• a series of promotional poster templates;
• an analysis of donor activity for the past five years with recommendations for future fundraising, including fundraising management software recommendations; and
• research on appropriate foundations and draft foundation inquiry letters.

Students self-selected into the above projects, with most students working on two or more teams. The student teams presented the work to StageRight! staff during class on Friday, May 1.

“We thoroughly enjoyed collaborating with the students in Dr. Farrington’s class,” said Stacey Nedrow-Ross, who serves as general manager of StageRight! She was joined by Jake Emmerling, artistic and development director. “They were thoughtful, forward-thinking, and eager to contribute innovative workflow improvements that will save time while also helping to inspire increased volunteerism and community engagement. They were a pleasure to work with—highly intelligent, insightful and collaborative. StageRight! will undoubtedly benefit from the work they completed this semester.”

Farrington praised StageRight! for its commitment to providing a learning environment in the performing arts that is inclusive and helps students build leadership skills that will serve beyond the classroom.

“Working with nonprofit organizations in our region meets the Saint Vincent mission of integrating their profession with a purpose beyond themselves,” Farrington said. “Students get the experience of navigating working with a client, meeting deadlines, presenting recommendations in a constructive manner and learning to maintain the scope of work.”