Dana Segal, =mc’s newest Partner Consultant and co-leader of The National Arts Fundraising School offers up the first instalment of her daily blog.
This time three and a half years ago, I was arriving at Dean’s Place as a participant on The National Art Fundraising School. £5 million in donations raised later, I’m returning as a Lead Tutor to pass on experience, advice and skills to 31 ambitious and passionate people working in the arts, culture and heritage sector.
As we kicked off the first day of activities, I thought to myself “What has changed in the sector since the last time I was here?”
- Corporate Giving is declining in cash value: although there is an increase in community benefit funding (which includes in-kind support), the cash value of corporate donations is going down. This is an important realisation and means arts organisations should consider whether this is a space they want to operate in.
- Legacy Giving has huge potential: with a projected increase in the overall number of legacies to be made, legacies are the next big fundraising opportunity and arts organisations are not playing well in this space. The sector is worth £2.2 billion – how can arts organisations make the case for legacy gifts?
- More and more Trusts & Foundations are being set up today than ever before: with around 10,000 charitable trusts in the UK today, there are plenty of potential supporters who might be interested in what the arts & cultural sector has to offer.
- Individual Giving is still the biggest potential source of income: not only can individual giving secure the future of an organisation, but people are the life blood of art & culture – so are also likely to be its greatest supporters. The arts and culture has nothing to say without relationships and human to human interaction, so why not apply this to your fundraising strategy too?
I am really looking forward to exploring each of these strands in detail with our eager participants. More updates to follow throughout the week.
Dana Segal
Partner Consultant
The Management Centre
