Successful Fundraising for Arts and Cultural Organizations : Second Edition

Rating:
Summary: Unique, beneficial
Review: Among the vast sea of fundraising titls, Hopkins' work stands out as an especially helpful resource guide for those involved in arts/culture nonprofits -- specialized in topics of arts-related donor management, tax issues, and mission formation, without losing sight of the bigger fundraising picture. Current, thorough, and very much with-the-times. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: This book presumes no prior knowledge of fund raising
Review: There are thousands of arts and cultural organizations in the USA, including museums and other exhibition spaces, orchestras, dance companies, zoos, choruses, jazz ensembles, theater companies, and botanical gardens. Yet the income earned from sales of tickets, merchandise, and services typically covers only 50 to 60 percent of their operating expenses, according to authors Karen Hopkins and Carolyn Friedman. Hopkins, the executive vice president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, and Friedman, the chief development officer of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, further point out that the budget for the National Endowment for the Arts has of recent been dramatically reduced by Congress. "Fundraising for arts and culture in the United States today is a challenging and increasingly complex process," state the authors at the outset. "Because of the uncertain economic climate, Americans are reexamining their charitable contributions and are tightening their belts in all areas of support for nonprofit institutions, including those dedicated to arts and culture." Clearly, arts and cultural organizations facing the challenges of the next century are in need of new strategies and more effective fund development programs if they are to make up the budgetary shortfall with charitable contributions. Successful Fundraising for Arts and Cultural Organizations provides fund raisers a clear-headed, workable blueprint for better and more effective fund raising. This book presumes little or no prior knowledge of fund raising, and yet is thorough enough to provide even experienced fund raisers an opportunity to reassess their own strategies and beliefs, and test them against those of two very experienced fund raising professionals. Steel sharpens steel. The authors proceed step-by-step, right from the beginning: institution building. "The first step . . . in preparing to raise funds is for management to articulate clearly the artistic or programmatic purpose of the organization," they state. Basic? Very. But a step neglected at the peril of the Organization. And far too many arts and cultural organizations fail to construct the kind of dynamic board called for by Hopkins and Friedman. As expected, the authors cover board leadership, focusing on the board of trustees, especially its composition, structure, and even recruiting of the right members. A central premise: that board members must lead in a fund development campaign. Again, hardly revolutionary. But far too many arts organizations stumble in recruiting the right trustees - with disastrous consequences. Senior staff roles are not neglected, either. The authors describe the roles of such positions as artistic or program director, managing director, marketing director, finance director, and development director. A useful section on volunteers is included, as well. Perhaps most useful is the author's comprehensive and pragmatic treatment of the various modes of fundraising, including the annual fundraising campaign, as well as raising funds from businesses, from foundations, from individuals, and from government. Under the chapter covering the annual fund, for example, the authors guide the development director in determining the goals for a fundraising campaign by considering potential projects, estimating income and expenses for each project, and then selecting the programs to be promoted that have both artistic or cultural merit and financial viability. As they do throughout, the authors provide a useful chart to rate the programs to be promoted. Other charts include an outline of the steps toward accomplishing a long-range goal; board members' spheres of influence; material for a board orientation manual; campaign support plan; campaign status report summary; hypothetical corporate research profile; hypothetical individual research Profile; organizational budget, program budget; sample customer track; telefundraising results report; how to fill out an NEA application form; gift tables (gifts required/prospects needed for either a $2.5 million or a $6 million capital and/or endowment campaign); and glossary of giving opportunities. Importantly, the book places each mode of fund raising against the backdrop of the "big picture" in terms of which methods can be expected, statistically speaking, to raise funds most effectively. As if to underscore the practicality of this book, the authors include 13 appendixes (see table of contents below). Especially interesting is Appendix D, "Web Resources for Non-Profit Fund-Raising," a particularly relevant topic these days. TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter 1. Institution Building Chapter 2. Leadership Chapter 3. The Annual Fundraising Campaign Chapter 4. Business Chapter 5. Foundations Chapter 6. Individuals Chapter 7. Government Chapter 8. Special Events Chapter 9. Capital and Endowment Campaigns Appendixes: A. Basic Fundraising Books B. Keeping Up: Magazines, Newsletters, and Newspapers C. Research Resources D. Web Resources for Non-profit Fund-Raising E. State Foundation Directories F. State Arts Councils and Regional Arts Organizations G. State Humanities Councils H. Fundraising and Management Organizations I. Arts and Cultural Service Organizations J. Sponsorship vs. Advertising: Comparing Return K. Fundraising Materials L. Capital Campaign Materials M. Teaching Ideas for Arts Administration Students

Rating:
Summary: A Great Introduction
Review: This is both a great introduction for those who want to learn more about this field, and a wonderful fresh perspective for development professionals and executives in the arts. Lots of practical info for those seeking funding, but also a great overview on the current climate of funding for the arts. It should be required reading for board members of arts organizations.

I am preparing to teach a graduate-level course on fundraising for the arts, and plan to use this as a basic text.