The Saints

What The Saints does

The Saints is an Illinois-based 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization founded in 1980 to support performing arts organizations in the Chicago metropolitan area through volunteer ushering and charitable giving. The organization recruits and manages a membership of 1,500+ individuals who serve as volunteer ushers at 150+ Chicagoland venues — including Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Steppenwolf Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra — in exchange for complimentary seats to performances. Membership dues ($110/year, with a $55 reduced rate for members age 40 and younger) and tax-deductible donations fund operations and a grant-making program.

The Saints operates three integrated programs. The Volunteer Membership Program recruits, onboards (via virtual Zoom orientations), and coordinates members, with each assigned venue receiving a dedicated Saints coordinator who manages scheduling, communications, and show listings. The twice-weekly CyberLine email and monthly Spotlight newsletter serve as the operational backbone for last-minute volunteer mobilization. The Saints Arts Grants Program awards grants of up to $7,000 per project to performing arts organizations for artistic development and production needs (applications open annually Feb 9 – Mar 2 for the following program year), while the MatchGrants Program matches member donations to eligible organizations. Over the organization's history, more than $1.36 million has been granted to Chicagoland performing arts organizations, with more than $100,000 disbursed annually.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform — it runs on the ClubExpress club management system — and has no mobile app, public API, or external integrations. Governance is provided by a volunteer Board of Directors (President Faye A Ryan, Vice-President Terry Anderson, Treasurer David J Mangefrida, Secretary Laura Heyser, plus program chairs), with no parent organization, subsidiaries, or external ownership. The Saints has been a member of the League of Chicago Theatres for over 25 years and received the League's 2024 Tribute Award for impact on the Chicago theatre community. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; funding derives from individual membership dues and charitable donations within the Chicagoland market.

Name

The Saints

Legal name

The Saints

Website

https://saintschicago.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Saints is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1980 that recruits 1,500+ volunteer members to usher at 150+ Chicagoland performing arts venues in exchange for complimentary seats, while funding over $100,000 in annual grants back to those organizations through member dues and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Performing Arts Support Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Ushers & Seating Attendants (HSACAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ), Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

Keywords

• Volunteer usher services
• Performing arts support
• Arts grant funding
• Nonprofit volunteer membership
• Theater venue staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from volunteers who serve as ushers. Dues fund operations and arts grants programs.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations to support Saints Arts Grants and operational fund. The Saints is a 501(c)(3) organization (EIN: 36-3730836).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Saints is a non-profit volunteer organization that provides volunteer ushers to 150+ performing arts venues across the Chicagoland area. Members pay annual dues and serve as ushers at performances in exchange for complimentary seats, while member dues also fund two grant programs (Saints Arts Grants up to $7,000 per project and the MatchGrants donation-matching program) that support performing arts organizations.

Product overview

The Saints is a non-profit volunteer organization serving the Chicagoland performing arts community through a portfolio of interconnected services. The core offering is usher volunteer services, where over 1,500 members provide staffing support for over 150 venues in exchange for complimentary seats to performances. Supporting this volunteer base is the Membership Program, which recruits and manages volunteer ushers. For member organizations, The Saints provides Venue/Coordinator Services that assign dedicated coordinators to handle scheduling and communications. Financial support is delivered through two grant programs: the Saints Arts Grants Program awards direct grants up to $7,000 to performing arts organizations, while the MatchGrants Program matches member donations to eligible organizations. Together, these programs represent over $100,000 in annual financial support to the performing arts community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Usher Services Volunteer ushering services for performing arts venues, including ticket scanning, patron greeting, seating assistance, program stuffing, and intermission support. The Saints provides trained volunteers who receive a seat to the performance in exchange for their service, at no cost to the venue.
• Volunteer Membership Program Annual membership program enabling individuals to serve as volunteer ushers at Chicagoland performing arts venues. Members pay dues ($110/year or $55 for those 40 and under) and receive access to volunteer opportunities and complimentary seats to performances at 150+ venues.
• Venue/Coordinator Services Dedicated coordinator assignment for performing arts venues, handling volunteer scheduling, show listings, newsletter publicity, and emergency communications through the CyberLine system. Venues can initiate partnership by completing the New Company/Venue form on the website.
• Saints Arts Grants Program Financial grant program supporting performing arts organizations in Chicagoland. Grants up to $7,000 are awarded for artistic development or production-related purposes including costumes, puppetry, commissioned works, premises improvements, community engagement, and technical equipment.
• MatchGrants Program Matching donation program where Saints matches voluntary donations made by members to eligible performing arts organizations, amplifying member charitable contributions to support the arts community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.36 million granted to performing arts organizations through the Saints Arts Grants Program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Arts Alliance IllinoisminorOthersLogo displayed on Saints website indicating affiliation or collaborative relationship with Arts Alliance Illinois, a statewide arts advocacy organization.
• Lawyers for the ArtsminorOthersLogo displayed on Saints website indicating affiliation or collaborative relationship with Lawyers for the Arts, providing legal resources for arts organizations.
• League of Chicago TheatrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe League of Chicago Theatres awarded The Saints the 2024 Tribute Award recognizing their significant impact on the Chicago theatre community. The Saints have been part of the League for over 25 years.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Chicago Community Trust: Major regional community foundation serving Chicagoland with arts and culture grantmaking; comparable in funding the same performing arts nonprofits that The Saints serves, though at much larger scale.

Others

• Arts Alliance Illinois: Statewide arts advocacy organization listed as a partner on The Saints' site; comparable in serving Illinois performing arts and cultural organizations through advocacy, grantmaking, and convening.
• League of Chicago Theatres: Strategic partner and trade association for the Chicagoland professional theatre community; awards The Saints its 2024 Tribute Award and shares the same not-for-profit arts support ecosystem in Chicago.

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: National volunteer engagement nonprofit; shares the mission of mobilizing volunteer service for community benefit and could absorb or partner with volunteer-driven models like The Saints.
• United Way of Metro Chicago: Large Chicago-area nonprofit that funds and convenes community-serving organizations; shares geographic scope and a community-impact mission with The Saints, though at much larger scale across many causes.
• MacArthur Foundation: Large national philanthropy headquartered in Chicago with significant arts and culture grantmaking in Chicago; comparable as a grantmaker to performing arts but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic scope.

Emerging players

• Idealist (by Points of Light): Online nonprofit and volunteer opportunity directory; comparable as an entry point that connects volunteers with arts and cultural organizations in the same recruiting channels The Saints uses for new members.
• Catchafire: Skills-based volunteer matching platform serving nonprofits; comparable as a marketplace that mobilizes volunteers to support nonprofit capacity, though focused on pro bono professional services rather than in-person ushering.
• Taproot Foundation: National nonprofit that connects skilled volunteers with nonprofits; shares the volunteer-staffing-for-nonprofits model and could be a structural analog if The Saints expanded beyond ushering.
• VolunteerHub: Volunteer management software platform serving nonprofits that run large member volunteer programs; relevant as potential infrastructure / technology peer to The Saints' coordinator-driven scheduling operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SaintsVolunteersPerformingArts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-saints-volunteers-for-the-performing-arts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Saints