A Growing Arts Program With Growing Expenses

Encore Performing Arts, based in St. George, Utah, is an educational theater nonprofit serving youth ages 6–18. Through productions, classes, and a 100+ member show choir, Encore helps students build confidence and life skills while participating in the performing arts.

Through acting, singing, and dance, Encore helps young people build confidence, empathy, teamwork, and leadership. Each year, hundreds of students participate in classes, camps, and a 100+ member show choir. Their stage productions range from junior shows where every child gets a role to large-scale performances like Les Misérables and the company’s original annual production of A Christmas Carol.

The impact is unmistakable: children learn communication, collaboration, and confidence while discovering a lifelong love of the arts. But behind the curtain, Encore faced a growing challenge: keeping up with the finances that make it all possible.

The Challenge: Scattered Systems

With multiple shows, hundreds of students, and endless details — props, sets, concessions, costumes, and travel — expenses piled up fast. Staff and volunteers relied on debit cards with fixed limits. Budgets were difficult to track across shows, and receipts were often missing.

“It felt like everyone had their own way of doing things,” said Amy, Finance Director at Encore. “Receipts went missing, expenses weren’t tagged correctly, and budgets were hard to follow.”

Even more significant, Encore wasn’t reclaiming the Utah nonprofit sales tax refunds available through the TC-62N process. Nonprofits can get back 8% of what they spend, but only with detailed receipts and a properly filed form.

“I asked if we got our sales tax refunds. No one even knew we could,” Amy recalled.

The Solution: How Givefront Simplified Finances

With Givefront, Encore finally brought order and visibility to their finances:

• Smarter spending controls: Staff now use Givefront cards with adjustable limits and instant text notifications. If someone needs to spend, they can request a card directly from the Givefront Platform.
• Reliable receipt tracking: Receipts are uploaded by text, with the platform flagging anything missing.
• Utah TC-62N refunds: Givefront automatically separates sales tax from every transaction, stores receipts, and prepares the information needed to file for refunds.
• QuickBooks Online sync: Givefront automates expense coding with rules, syncing cleanly to QBO for accurate, audit-ready books.

“It’s flexible enough that I can make changes on the backend, but rigid enough to make sure we are audit-ready,” Amy explained. “That’s exactly the balance we needed.”

Automating Utah TC-62N Refunds: $8,000 Back Each Year

With Givefront, Encore Performing Arts now automates the entire Utah TC-62N sales tax refund process. The system tracks eligible expenses, separates out sales tax, stores receipt documentation, and prepares everything needed to complete the TC-62N exemption form.

The impact was immediate. Within the first few months, Encore filed for refunds that nearly covered an entire props budget. Over the course of a year, those refunds add up to about $8,000 in savings — the equivalent of a part-time staff salary or multiple program budgets.

“That refund money is huge for us,” Amy said. “It was too tedious for us to track before. Givefront makes it super simple.”

Looking Ahead

Encore Performing Arts has grown into the region’s only dedicated youth-focused theater company, serving hundreds of children and families every year. With Givefront, they now have the financial systems to match their vision: clear budgets, stronger controls, real-time visibility, and reliable tax savings.

“Absolutely, I’d recommend Givefront to other Utah nonprofits,” Amy said. “And the Givefront team has been nothing but helpful every step of the way.”