'Urgent need' for fundraising skills in the arts 4

Fundraising | Celina Ribeiro | 1 Apr 2011

Most arts organisations are not confident that philanthropy will be able to plug funding holes, as a new report finds that two-thirds of organisations believe they do not have the fundraising skills to meet their income targets.

Hot on the heels of the Arts Council England announcing its new national portfolio, cutting funding entirely to 206 organisations, an Arts Quarter study has found that the majority of arts bodies – specifically those with an annual income of less than £5m – feel they lack the fundraising capacity to attract voluntary income.

Last December secretary of state for culture, Jeremy Hunt, tried to cool fears about government pulling funding for the arts when he outlined a ten-point plan to increase philanthropy in the area, which included an £80m matched fund, encouraging more donor recognition, and making 2011 ‘the year of corporate giving’.

But these raft of measures, broadly welcomed by the 587 organisations surveyed by Arts Quarter, have failed to bolster optimism in the sector, 50 per cent of whom don’t believe that philanthropy will reach the levels required for another one or two decades.

Half of those organisations did not even believe their organisations had a consistent case for support which they could take out to potential donors.

In its summary of the report, Arts Quarter said, “There is an urgent need to develop the skills of existent staff as well as look at how external resources can be deployed to supplement these.”

Three main areas of skills shortage were identified: identifying and cultivating major donors, incentivising corporate philanthropy and the ability to formulate a fundraising strategy. Three quarters of arts respondents said they wanted bespoke mentoring as part of an effort to bolster these skills.

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John Godfrey
Director
Artful Fundraising Ltd
7 Apr 2011

It saddens yet like my colleague above doesn't surprise me. I began my fundraising career in the Arts (and worked in the Arts as a performer and administrator previously).

As a consultant and trainer I encourage colleagues in the arts to recognise their untapped fundraising potential - the enthusiastic and often well off individuals attending theatres and galleries daily. However, there is a need invest in obtaining skills and advice to succeed. For the most part I fail to convince.

[Reply]

Pete Stevens
Marketing Manager
GOSS Interactive
4 Apr 2011

Quick fix fundraising? In October the Arts Council announced that a 29% cut to budget was to be expected. This has given organisations 5 months to start to re-address their business models. However as the Arts Quarter highlights skill shortages in fundraising exist. One solution to meet this challenge is to approach experts who can guide you through the most cost efficient channel for raising funds – digital - and transfer knowledge to your staff so that they can work efficiently in this area.

Having a successful strategy that the organisation is able to implement effectively using their current staff will ensure time is not wasted and make the most effective use of the organisation's resources.

Having staff skilled in the design and implement a digital strategy for fundraising can ensure that you drive relevant and meaningful traffic to your site. That visitors are more likely to convert to supports, that you can maximise the value you get from each new supporter and their life-time value, and ultimately that you ensure costs are kept to a minimum so that more of each donation goes to your cause.

[Reply]

Adrian Salmon
Annual Fund Manager
University of Leeds
1 Apr 2011

It really saddens me to read this, particularly because in my former role as Head of Client Services for The Phone Room Ltd we did what I thought was hugely valuable work for a wide range of arts organisations, helping them build a pool of individual donors from their audience members - who showed huge levels of loyalty and commitment, and donated millions across the sector.

But the boards of these organisations were often hard to convince of the merits of the activity, even when successful. The value, of course, is precisely the positioning of the organisations as charities that are deserving of support, and also the identification of those closest to them who are philanthropically minded - in their direction! It is sad to see that lack of vision then reflect in this uncertainty now....

[Reply]

Dawn Varley
Purple Vision
1 Apr 2011

'Half of those organisations did not even believe their organisations had a consistent case for support which they could take out to potential donors'... Which is a) very scarey and b) the crux of the matter. Organisations need to understand why they exist and the purpose of their mission/vision - if you can't tell me what you do and why it's important why should I decide to support you?

Greater recognition of fundraising as a profession, and up-skilling those concerned is key - as is developing a robust fundraising strategy which it applied to day to day operations. But starting with the mission is crucial!

[Reply]

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