You, as an arts manager, have to ask people on your board (and sometimes staff) to help solicit donations. This is typically the answer.
I'm not judging. It's an understandable reaction. The truth is, asking for money is 1) Difficult. 2) Uncomfortable. 3) Humbling. 4) Ballsy. 5) Unnatural.
With this entry I'd like to talk a little bit about why I feel soliciting donations from individuals has become so difficult...and it comes full circle because the reason it has become so difficult stems from the fact that it is difficult in the first place.
Here in my hometown of Madison and cities surrounding it, we have had our fair share of companies over the years that have run into financial trouble. This is not uncommon anywhere and the recession a few years ago certainly didn't help. What becomes frustrating is that when these organizations get into trouble and go to the press, the story that comes out is inevitably "Mayday! Mayday! Such and such company will close in fifteen minutes unless we get $500,000!"
Often those appeals to the press end up working out, because pleas for money and threats of organizations shutting down are often met with donations that save them. (That was, sadly, not the case of the Madison Rep in 2009.)
I'm not here to pass judgement on those companies or say what they did wrong because I wasn't there and I don't know the whole story. And I certainly know about financial troubles. What I CAN say is that it becomes frustrating when these are the only types of fundraising efforts that are made public on a broad scale. It makes it seem as though we ask for money only when we're desperate The public hears about yet another arts organization that "couldn't manage it's money." (Soooo not that black and white.)
A few years ago, after our production of The Wild Party, we came up a little short, mostly because I had given away a lot of ticket discounts to get butts in seats. It ended up being worth it because it expanded our audience long term, but in the moment we needed a little cash. So I started a fundraising initiative. And quite honestly I probably would have started it even if we hadn't come up short. The whole gimmick was "What can you get for $10?" The idea was to encourage people to give $10 and that that seemingly small amount could in fact make a difference. ($10 is a prop, costume piece, set of paintbrushes, a few 2x4s, etc.)
I was contacted by a member of the press who claimed they wanted to help. Alright, I said. But please understand, we are not closing. I just need to raise some money, like all arts organizations do at basically all times.
The person proceeded to publish an article stating that we were making a "plea" for donations. There was some questionable wording in the article too that I won't get into but it was not flattering and was largely inaccurate. The editor of the publication that ran the article received a strongly worded email.
I realize they have to sell papers/online subscriptions, but unfortunately it exacerbates this problem. If people assume that any organization asking for donations is on the brink of collapse, then it will have devastating long term effects. "You're asking for money again? Why? Because you can't manage the money you're making now?"
I'm not saying the press is not a vital tool to raise money, whether you're in crisis or not. I just wish the publicity was not always a doomsday message. It gives the wrong impression.
The truth of the matter is fundraising is vital to survival. And yet it is incredibly difficult. And as a person who is relatively shy and pretty new to this whole arts management thing I am continuing to learn what works, particularly in a very saturated market.
We as arts managers have a three part challenge:
1) We have to first come up with fundraising initiatives that are innovative and different, and we have to inform the general public and the press about what we're doing and why it's worthy of their attention. (The press may not bite, but if the public does that's a big part of the battle.)
2) We have to continue reaching as many people as we can in creative ways that are personal and interesting and make the donor feel like they're getting something, even if it has to be intangible for tax purposes. The hope is that someday the public will shift its perception of the purpose of fundraising.
3) I may get some argument on this, and it mostly applies to smaller organizations like the ones I manage. I very very strongly believe that we need to make sure people understand that even a small donation can make a difference. This is not typically true of mega charities that ask for you to donate a dollar when you're checking out at the grocery store. Your $1 donation goes to their paperclip fund, if you're lucky. But in a small organization with low overhead, a little bit of cash can go a long way. Those of us running smaller companies need to convey that. I have worked with a couple of organizations not much bigger than mine with board members that feel that requests at the $1000 level are not worth their time. You simply can't think like that, particularly if it's costing you nothing to ask for the donations.(And now, with Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc., you can run a fundraising campaign for a small administrative fee directly proportional to what you raise.)
One thing I was proud of that MTM did for a fundraising initiative was to build up our costume budget for Parade in 2012. We ran a fundraiser that allowed people to sponsor a specific costume piece. For a small amount of money people could put their name on a certain item in the show. So the program said "The Confederate Soldier's uniform is sponsored by...." We weren't raising huge amounts of money with it, but it's an approach to fundraising that does not indicate desperation AND makes it a personal experience for the donor.
This can work on a larger level as well. It gives an opportunity to the donor to see something tangible, even if they don't personally get anything. We know the typical name on the building, plaque with your picture tactics. What else can we do to personalize these experiences, and in more interesting ways? My company plans to pursue some more major fundraising in the coming years, and with that I want to get as creative as I can.
I would love, in (hopefully) many more years of doing this, to see the image of fundraising change, both in the eyes of the people who are solicited and in the eyes of the organizations who need the donations to survive. As part of that I would love for people to recognize the impact they can make with donations of any size on small, locally run nonprofits.
How do we get there?
I don't claim to be great at this....yet! But I've picked up a few tricks. Share your thoughts below please, I'd love to hear them.
I'm not saying the press is not a vital tool to raise money, whether you're in crisis or not. I just wish the publicity was not always a doomsday message. It gives the wrong impression.
The truth of the matter is fundraising is vital to survival. And yet it is incredibly difficult. And as a person who is relatively shy and pretty new to this whole arts management thing I am continuing to learn what works, particularly in a very saturated market.
We as arts managers have a three part challenge:
1) We have to first come up with fundraising initiatives that are innovative and different, and we have to inform the general public and the press about what we're doing and why it's worthy of their attention. (The press may not bite, but if the public does that's a big part of the battle.)
2) We have to continue reaching as many people as we can in creative ways that are personal and interesting and make the donor feel like they're getting something, even if it has to be intangible for tax purposes. The hope is that someday the public will shift its perception of the purpose of fundraising.
3) I may get some argument on this, and it mostly applies to smaller organizations like the ones I manage. I very very strongly believe that we need to make sure people understand that even a small donation can make a difference. This is not typically true of mega charities that ask for you to donate a dollar when you're checking out at the grocery store. Your $1 donation goes to their paperclip fund, if you're lucky. But in a small organization with low overhead, a little bit of cash can go a long way. Those of us running smaller companies need to convey that. I have worked with a couple of organizations not much bigger than mine with board members that feel that requests at the $1000 level are not worth their time. You simply can't think like that, particularly if it's costing you nothing to ask for the donations.(And now, with Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc., you can run a fundraising campaign for a small administrative fee directly proportional to what you raise.)
One thing I was proud of that MTM did for a fundraising initiative was to build up our costume budget for Parade in 2012. We ran a fundraiser that allowed people to sponsor a specific costume piece. For a small amount of money people could put their name on a certain item in the show. So the program said "The Confederate Soldier's uniform is sponsored by...." We weren't raising huge amounts of money with it, but it's an approach to fundraising that does not indicate desperation AND makes it a personal experience for the donor.
This can work on a larger level as well. It gives an opportunity to the donor to see something tangible, even if they don't personally get anything. We know the typical name on the building, plaque with your picture tactics. What else can we do to personalize these experiences, and in more interesting ways? My company plans to pursue some more major fundraising in the coming years, and with that I want to get as creative as I can.
I would love, in (hopefully) many more years of doing this, to see the image of fundraising change, both in the eyes of the people who are solicited and in the eyes of the organizations who need the donations to survive. As part of that I would love for people to recognize the impact they can make with donations of any size on small, locally run nonprofits.
How do we get there?
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I don't claim to be great at this....yet! But I've picked up a few tricks. Share your thoughts below please, I'd love to hear them.
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