Presenter

Dale Hedding

Vice President, Arts Consulting Group

Dale Hedding joined Arts Consulting Group (ACG) in 2014 to lead and expand its Revenue Enhancement practice with a focus on contributed revenues. He brings 25 years of leadership experience and fundraising success at internationally acclaimed arts organizations and has a depth of knowledge in how to advance institutions so that they can better serve their communities. He has a track record of enhancing the quality and results of development programs, creating dynamic annual fund and capital/endowment campaign operations, executing turnarounds, and implementing best practices for boards, volunteers, and staff teams. 

Prior to joining ACG, Mr. Hedding served as the Vice President of Development at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) for seven years, leading the development program through a period of dramatic transition, doubling the total number of contributions to 10,000 while growing core annual giving by more than 50 percent. He also directed board and staff teams through several $1 million plus major funding initiatives for new programs such as BSO OrchKids, affordable ticket initiatives, and the musician-inspired Music Matters challenge campaign, which raised $2 million as the BSO emerged as a revitalized, innovative, and financially stable organization.

As Director of Development and Volunteer Services at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) for five years, Mr. Hedding led a 12-person team that increased the annual fund to its highest level in ASO history and led the sponsorship campaign that secured naming rights for the new $35 million, 12,000-seat Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Mr. Hedding spent eight years at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he administered corporate, foundation, and government grants, including securing funding for one of the largest arts education programs in the nation, major international festivals, A Capitol Fourth concerts/PBS, and special projects and tours which doubled institutional giving to $12 million. He was subsequently promoted to lead the National Symphony Orchestra’s comprehensive fundraising program as a major component of the Kennedy Center’s $54 million annual fund. 

Early in his career, Mr. Hedding was a professional trombone player, serving four years in the U.S. Air Force Band of New England as Principal Trombone. He holds a bachelor of music degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a master of business administration in arts administration from SUNY Binghamton.