Hands-On Fundraising

Donor Communications

  • About
  • Hands-On Fundraising Blog
  • Services
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Blog / How to raise money for an arts organization

How to raise money for an arts organization

Raising money for an arts organizationAre arts organizations different?

I spent the better part of my nonprofit career at arts organizations. My love of theater brought me into the nonprofit world. I know more than a little about raising money for an arts organization.

So let me tell you a little story. One day I was talking with people at a social service organization. They complained that they had it so much harder when it came to fundraising. An arts organization has all these wealthy donors! And they love giving to something they can enjoy themselves!

I just laughed. Because in all my years in the arts, I usually heard just the opposite. “It’s hard to raise money for the arts! It’s not like we feed hungry children!”

So let’s begin by saying that often the grass is greener – or barer – on both sides of the fence. It’s all about your perspective.

The basics are still the basics. Fundraising is about building relationships. It’s about connections between donors and your mission. That’s true whether you’re housing people, curing disease, or making art possible.

You’re still going to use most of the tools, too. A strong case for support. Emotional, consistent communication. Great donor care.

But the arts have some unique challenges and advantages.

Raising money for an arts organization

Challenges

The case for support

You look at a world of hurt. And have a difficult time “justifying” a request to support art. “How can I ask for money for theater when people are hungry?”

It’s not wise to ignore this question. It’s a good question. But the answer is to be found in your audience. And this is where it’s important for a fundraiser to understand the art form.

If you don’t believe art matters – if you don’t feel it has an important role in people’s lives and in our culture – then you might reconsider working for an arts organization. It will be hard for you to raise money.

If, however, you’re a true believer – if you think art has the power to change lives, even change the course of history… well, then you share something with your audience.

(Working in a smaller community, I can also tell you that people who support theater and symphony and museums are often the same people who support shelters and food banks and literacy organizations. Donors donate – and have no obligation to be consistent to make our lives easier!)

So before you begin, you need to answer the question: why does our art matter? Unsure how to explain it? Go to the experts: current donors. Ask them why it matters. Learn their stories. Dig into their emotional attachment to your organization.

That’s where you’ll find the most compelling answer.

Urgency

This is a related challenge. Let’s face it – no one is going to die if the show or new exhibit doesn’t open.

On the other hand, the show must go on – so you do have some built-in deadlines to work with. At the theater, we had a performance season that ran from September through June. So I found I had a few calendar-based deadlines I could use. The end of the calendar year was one. The end of the season was another (though the weakest).

The last was a few months from the start of the new season. That’s when raising money for an arts organization was especially important. Why? We were making final decisions about what we could offer. And those decisions revolved around what we had to spend.

Donors or patrons?

One of the consistent problems I faced as a fundraiser was an inside problem. Who owns the list, marketing or fundraising? What’s the priority, signing on new subscribers or finding new donors? Can you raise money from someone who is not a subscriber yet?

Of course, this is a leadership issue. And a philosophical one.

Leaders should never allow a tug-of-war between the two income-generating departments. And philosophically, the answer is so simple – though too rarely understood. Quit looking at it from the organization’s point of view and start looking at it as a patron/donor.

When you can get past this challenge, the two departments can work dynamically together. And then both are more successful. When donors and patrons are treated as individuals, they’re more likely to be loyal.

When they get a steady, consistent stream of communications, not some from here and some from there, they won’t be confused.

So get the systems together. Stop fighting over territory. Start working together.

Controversy

Unless yours is a particularly staid art form, you may find your donations vary based on the public’s reactions to your organization’s work. If yours takes on challenging topics, you know you risk losing donors – sometimes large ones. If enough supporters are upset, it makes raising money for your arts organization difficult.

The best antidotes for this are education and relationships. If those donors are caught off guard, or feel like the last to know, you might have problems. Bring them close, though, and that’s less likely. You may have to push to be sure you’re able to do this. But push. It’s worth it.

Staff exhaustion

You rarely work 9-5 if you work in the performing arts area. Get ready to put full days in at the office and then stay through to meet donors.

If you’re in a leadership position, it’s important to take this into consideration. Offer your staff flexibility. Some days will need to be long – others can be short. If you’re a staff person, carve out that space. Take your lunch away from the office. Make some flexibility demands when you’re hired or during reviews.

It can be demanding. On the other hand, you’ll see a lot of good theater, dance, or music performed!

Raising money for an arts organization

Advantages

Performances and openings and more

Arts organizations’ biggest advantage is art. They have tremendous opportunities to bring people directly to their mission. They can offer educational and social opportunities other types of nonprofits can’t. If you’re raising money for an arts organization, that’s your big advantage.

Don’t waste it!

Donors love those opportunities, too. Many years ago, I reworked my organization’s donor benefits. We had been doing the old tote bag/t-shirt thing. Instead, we began offering open rehearsals, backstage tours, and dinners with artists. The chance to see behind the scenes and meet artists was much more appealing than a coffee mug!

And every time donors came to the theater, we had the chance to build on their love for it. And we had a chance to meet donors personally.

A common language

Chances are your donors share something important with you: you speak the same language.

Use it to help donors feel like the insiders they are. Just be sure it’s inclusive, not exclusive. The arts don’t need to be snotty.

You’ve shared experiences, too. Audience members know the quiet thrill of a curtain rising or that moment’s pause before applause washes over the room.

Feed their passion. Use these commonalities to build stronger relationships with supporters.

Self-interest

Arts lovers love art. So supporting their favorite art form provides something they can enjoy themselves.

They’re also often keenly interested in sharing their passion. So education programs for new audiences are terrific funding opportunities.

The bottom line

For those who love them, the arts are not frivolous. They’re not extras or nice-to-have. They’re what gives life depth and meaning. They’re how people come together – to wrestle with big questions, to understand the human condition, to expand their worldview.

To be effective as a fundraiser in the arts, you need to connect to your own love. Understand your art form. (Being an English/Drama major meant I could discuss plays with well-educated patrons and artists. That was important!) Wear your passion on your sleeve.

And remember: You don’t need to excuse your cause. Your organization won’t be for everyone. So find your people – they’re already in your audience or building.

Meet them, listen to what they say – and then use the information to talk to other donors and possible donors.

It’s rewarding work. I will never stop missing it, myself. And the people I bonded with years ago over our shared love for theater are still some of my favorite people.

It’s an exciting privilege to work for an organization creating great art. Enjoy every second you can!

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Arts Fundraising, Blog, Fundraising Tagged With: arts organizations, donor relationships, fundraising basics 20 Comments

Fundraising advice served fresh to your inbox

Get yours here:

Comments

  1. Michael J. Rosen says

    March 22, 2016 at 6:14 pm

    Mary, fundraising for the arts involves unique challenges and opportunities. Your post nicely identifies many of these. Last year, I had an opportunity to hear Michael Kaiser speak. He’s THE arts turn-around consultant. He offered some great advice which I included in a blog post that folks can find here: https://michaelrosensays.wordpress.com/2015/05/15/im-sorry-but-mother-theresa-was-wrong/ .

    Reply
    • Mary Cahalane says

      March 22, 2016 at 9:22 pm

      Thanks, Michael. I will check that out!

      Reply
  2. Jayne Cravens says

    March 23, 2016 at 2:28 pm

    You are so right on, as usual. Like you, I got started in my marketing and PR career with arts organizations, and what I learned at those organizations formed the basis for the skills I apply to international humanitarian organizations now. I just want to post this over and over as a blog: “Fundraising is about building relationships. It’s about connections between donors and your mission. That’s true whether you’re housing people, curing disease, or making art possible.”

    Reply
    • Mary Cahalane says

      March 23, 2016 at 2:53 pm

      Thanks, Jayne! We sure learned a lot back then, didn’t we? And it’s true – the basics are the basics, whatever the mission.

      Thanks so much for commenting – I love to hear your perspective.

      Reply
      • Jayne Cravens says

        May 2, 2017 at 11:31 am

        Hartford Stage understood this. It was something Nikos at the Williamstown Theater Festival also understood. A few years after those experiences, I worked at a really awful theater (now bankrupt and gone) and the Executive Director kept asking me for Hartford Stage’s “secrets” for fundraising. She kept thinking there was some trick, some step-one-step-two-step-three-MONEY! The idea of being a true part of the community, of building personal relationships with a variety of people, the idea of *constant* cultivation – she would just shrug and say, “I don’t have time.”

        Reply
        • Mary Cahalane says

          May 2, 2017 at 12:55 pm

          We had a few things going for us – all of what you said, plus I think we were a bit ahead of the curve with telephone fundraising then. And even there, the idea was about staff for that function, not an outside firm, and relationships. We did a lot of learning by doing, especially when I first started, but sometimes you learn really valuable things that way.

          If you don’t have time for donors, they won’t have time (or money) for you!

          Reply
  3. Susan Detwiler says

    May 4, 2017 at 11:44 am

    Mary, love the clarity of your writing, and the emphasis on arts organizations. Great points.

    Reply
    • Mary Cahalane says

      May 4, 2017 at 11:46 am

      Thank you, Susan!

      Reply
      • Jennifer Ott says

        May 4, 2017 at 5:08 pm

        Agreed, Susan !!

        Reply
  4. Eric Bryant says

    May 3, 2019 at 2:45 pm

    Don’t forget about text-to-give! We’ve worked with a number of arts organizations to set up an effective text to donate service for them. Texting and mobile giving are so powerful that it’s amazing these technologies are still so underrated in the nonprofit community. SMS, for example, is truly a cinderella technology for nonprofits and social enterprises.

    Texting is cheap, fast and easy. Has almost zero barrier to entry. And is built into every phone. People in lower-income communities, not just in the U.S. but around the world, have been utilizing SMS to give to charity.

    We’ve been helping nonprofits use text messaging to raise funds since 2008. We offer a text to donate service that is affordable and effective. Learn more https://gmg.cm/blog/do-sms-donations-work

    Reply
  5. Jen says

    March 11, 2020 at 10:53 am

    Very useful blog for me as a newbie in fundraising from abroad (Paris, France), where the culture is very much ”public funding” oriented in my new line of business (theatre). I have 15K€ to raise from scratch with to produce a show. I’ve targeted specific potential donors (businesses) and I’m trying to craft a great letter to initiate first contact…. You’re helping a lot here. I find it very hard honestly…. and challenging (why on earth would they GIVE my organization…) etc. etc.

    Reply
    • Mary Cahalane says

      March 11, 2020 at 11:06 am

      Thank you, Jen! If I might make a small suggestion for you? Don’t let yourself think that donors won’t want to give. Think about why they would. It can be tough with businesses… they’re more likely to make a marketing, rather than philanthropic, decision. So give them some reasons to want to do that, as well. Also: your letter by itself isn’t likely to do it all. Follow up will be everything. Let them know in your letter that you will be calling. Then on the call, listen as much as you talk. Even with businesses, it’s still all about relationships!

      Good luck! Let me know how it goes?

      Reply
      • jen says

        March 11, 2020 at 11:16 am

        Very true. As a former business owner having had to “sell” consulting services, I cannot disagree 😉 Now the “why they would give” is the tricky part ! Thanks for your support Mary.

        Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Crowdfunding for the Arts and Culture - bv02 says:
    June 8, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    […] – to wrestle with big questions, to understand the human condition, to expand their worldview” (Cahalane, […]

    Reply
  2. Crowdfunding for Arts and Culture – Make Giving Happen | Crowdfunding says:
    June 8, 2017 at 4:18 pm

    […] – to wrestle with big questions, to understand the human condition, to expand their worldview” (Cahalane, […]

    Reply
  3. What one brilliant arts organization can teach us about fundraising – Hands-On Fundraising says:
    January 16, 2018 at 11:49 am

    […] One of the most popular posts I’ve published is about fundraising for the arts. […]

    Reply
  4. Do you have a cause worth joining? – Hands-On Fundraising says:
    April 3, 2018 at 11:49 am

    […] For advocacy groups, this makes perfect sense. But what about an arts organization? […]

    Reply
  5. How to raise money for an arts organization | Wikifund says:
    August 9, 2018 at 4:46 am

    […] From https://mcahalane.com […]

    Reply
  6. Raise Money For A Non-Profit Arts Organization | Invest YYC says:
    December 24, 2018 at 1:49 am

    […] upgrade of your current investors and the identification of new prospects is key to the growth of an organization. For this purpose, invest in the screening of the investors […]

    Reply
  7. Arts fundraising – why donor experiences are your big win – Hands-On Fundraising says:
    June 26, 2019 at 8:15 pm

    […] for arts organizations, this can be your super power. Why? Because your mission is a fabulous donor experience […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Fundraising advice served fresh to your inbox

Get yours here:

Search

Recent Posts

  • How you can find a good story
  • Fundraising lessons we can use from Ukraine
  • Why your fundraising program should focus on people
  • Why the AI robots are not going to take your job
  • Are you nervous about 2023? Here’s what you can do

Work with me!

Let's talk about how I can help your organization raise more money.

Contact

  • Donor communications
  • Fundraising Strategy

Copyright © 2023 · Mary Cahalane · Hands-On Fundraising · 847 S. Main Street · #183 · Plantsville, CT 06479