The Art of Fund Raising


Book Description

This book highlights for non-profit professionals and volunteers often overlooked techniques and strategies for successful fundraising--techniques and strategies designed to avoid costly mistakes resulting from missed opportunities, under-utilized leadership, and squandered budgets. It's not necessary to read this book from beginning to end. Each concise chapter stands alone, spurring new ideas and encouraging the reader to reexamine customary fundraising approaches. From capital campaigning to leadership development, from evaluating fundraising cost-effectiveness to raising endowment, Gary offers helpful tips for strengthening a charitable organization's fundraising appeals, motivating its leadership, and implementing effective major gift strategies. Developed and tested over 40 years of Gary's management consulting experience throughout the philanthropic sector, his insights and sound advice have inspired others in their dedicated support of our nation's charitable organizations and enterprises.




Good and Plenty


Book Description

Americans agree about government arts funding in the way the women in the old joke agree about the food at the wedding: it's terrible--and such small portions! Americans typically either want to abolish the National Endowment for the Arts, or they believe that public arts funding should be dramatically increased because the arts cannot survive in the free market. It would take a lover of the arts who is also a libertarian economist to bridge such a gap. Enter Tyler Cowen. In this book he argues why the U.S. way of funding the arts, while largely indirect, results not in the terrible and the small but in Good and Plenty--and how it could result in even more and better. Few would deny that America produces and consumes art of a quantity and quality comparable to that of any country. But is this despite or because of America's meager direct funding of the arts relative to European countries? Overturning the conventional wisdom of this question, Cowen argues that American art thrives through an ingenious combination of small direct subsidies and immense indirect subsidies such as copyright law and tax policies that encourage nonprofits and charitable giving. This decentralized and even somewhat accidental--but decidedly not laissez-faire--system results in arts that are arguably more creative, diverse, abundant, and politically unencumbered than that of Europe. Bringing serious attention to the neglected issue of the American way of funding the arts, Good and Plenty is essential reading for anyone concerned about the arts or their funding.




Managing the Cultural Business


Book Description

The arts and cultural sector has always been a challenging area in which to find business success; the advent of the global health crisis due to COVID-19 has greatly amplified these challenges. Thanks to the expertise of 22 scholars, this text elaborates on the most common key strategic mistakes and misunderstandings to help arts and cultural organizations finding success. This book starts by looking at the evolution of competition in those industries. Several new and challenging drivers shape the competitive environments of arts and cultural organizations. A customer-centric approach helps in identifying ten crucial managerial processes in which strategic mistakes are commonly made. This book proposes a revised managerial vision of the key processes that constitute every arts and cultural organization. Each chapter offers an innovative analysis of a classic managerial problem, describing popular mistakes and providing case-based insights derived from real world important examples. Specifically, each chapter elaborates on two illuminating examples, one of which is always chosen among the Italian arts and cultural organizations, thus belonging to the world’s leading cultural sector. Speaking to current and student arts managers, this insightful book channels national and supranational cultural heritage to provide essential reading for managers of present and future arts and cultural organizations.




Relationship Fundraising


Book Description

Internationally acclaimed fundraising consultant Ken Burnett has completely revised and updated his classic book Relationship Fundraising to offer fundraising professionals an invaluable resource for learning the techniques of effective communication with donors in the twenty-first century. Filled with illustrative case histories, donor profiles, and more than two hundred action points, this groundbreaking book shows fundraisers how to Implement creative approaches to relationship-building fundraising Avoid common fundraising errors and pitfalls Apply the vital ingredients for fundraising success Build good relationships through marketing Achieve a greater understanding of their donors Communicate effectively with donors--using direct mail, the press, television, the telephone, face-to-face contact, and more. Prepare for the challenges of twenty-first century fundraising




Your Art Will Save Your Life


Book Description

A candid guidebook about art-making in the midst of oppression—"a slim, necessary revelation" (Maggie Nelson, The Argonauts). Visiting the Andy Warhol Museum as a teenager, Beth Pickens realized that art was imperative for reflecting—and thus remaking—the world. As an adult, she has dedicated her life to arts nonprofits and consulting, helping marginalized artists traverse the world of MFAs, residences, and institutional funding. Writing in the aftermath of the 2016 election, Pickens reminds emerging artists that their art is more important than ever. She gives advice on fostering creativity and sustaining an innovative practice as conversations about grants, public programming, and arts funding in schools grow ever-more heated. Part political manifesto, part practical manual, this resource reminds us that art has always been a tool of resistance.




It's NOT JUST about the Money


Book Description

Are you searching for the next big idea in fundraising to help your organization soar? It's actually right under your nose in your database. Major Donors. Right here, right now, you have the donors who have the capacity to give five, six, and yes, seven figure gifts. This book tells you how to find them, and what to do once you have them. Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels tell you everything you need to do to take your organization to a new level of performance in major gifts. This book is packed with easy to implement ideas and strategies to create, build, and manage a robust major gift program. You won't put this book down. You'll be entertained and helped. You will learn how to create a culture that puts relationships with donors above everything else. You will be left inspired to succeed; because, ultimately, it's NOT just about the money.




The Cycle


Book Description

In the third book of his popular trilogy on creating and sustaining arts organizations, Michael Kaiser reveals the hidden engine that powers consistent success. According to Kaiser, successful arts organizations pursue strong programmatic marketing campaigns that compel people to buy tickets, enroll in classes, and so on—in short, to participate in the organization’s programs. Additionally, they create exciting activities that draw people to the organization as a whole. This institutional marketing creates a sense of enthusiasm that attracts donors, board members, and volunteers. Kaiser calls this group of external supporters the family. When this hidden engine is humming, staff, board, and audience members, artists, and donors feel confidence in the future. Resources are reinvested in more and better art, which is marketed aggressively; as a result, the “family” continues to grow, providing even more resources. This self-reinforcing cycle underlies the activities of all healthy arts organizations, and the theory behind it can be used as a diagnostic tool to reveal—and remedy—the problems of troubled ones. This book addresses each element of the cycle in the hope that more arts organizations around the globe—from orchestras, theaters, museums, opera companies, and classical and modern dance organizations to service organizations and other not-for-profit cultural institutions—will be able to sustain remarkable creativity, pay the bills, and have fun doing so!




Achieving Excellence in Fundraising


Book Description

Achieving Excellence in Fundraising is the go-to reference for fundraising principles, concepts, and techniques. With comprehensive guidance toward the fundraising role, this book reflects the latest advances in fundraising knowledge. Coverage includes evolving technologies, the importance of high net worth donors, global fundraising perspectives, results analysis and performance evaluation, accountability, and credentialing, with contributions from noted experts in the field. You'll gain essential insight into the practice of fundraising and the fundraising cycle, reinforced by ancillary discussion questions, case studies, and additional readings. With contributions from members of The Fund Raising School and the faculty of Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, this new edition includes detailed guidance on nonprofit accounting practices as defined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, rounding out the complete, thorough coverage of the fundraising profession. Designed to provide both theory and practical knowledge, this book is an all-in-one resource for anyone who performs fundraising duties. Understand donor dynamics and craft an institutional development plan Explore essential marketing and solicitation techniques Learn effective volunteer recruitment, retention, and management strategies Fundraising merges a variety of fields including psychology, business management, accounting, and marketing, making it a unique role that requires a uniquely well rounded yet focused skillset. Amidst economic uncertainty and a widening wealth gap the world over, it's more important than ever for fundraisers to have a firm grasp on the tools at their disposal. Achieving Excellence in Fundraising is the ultimate guide to succeeding in this critical role.




Getting Your Sh*t Together


Book Description

This comprehensive book is informed by decades of experience and years of research into how to perform as a professional artist in the 21st century art world (or worlds). This book is filled with easy-to-follow instructions that will help you teach everything -- archiving work, start a mailing list, write a grant, and everything else you can think of. This straightforward book even addresses topics you may not think artists need to know about now! Consider this a handbook for teaching the business aspects of an art career. This book is written and designed to empower you to help artists understand the wild world of art careers. Syllabus and handouts included. Far too often artists find themselves having to compromise their art and their life because they were not taught accurate up-to-date methods for dealing with business situations. Because of this lack of preparedness artists miss out on valuable opportunities, financial rewards, and access to receptive audiences. This book aims to help teachers teach professional practices to artists everywhere, helping to avoid these pitfalls and get on the track to success on their own terms. Whether you are a gallery-bound artist, a public artist, an emerging artist, a hobbyist, a crafts-person, a student, or a seasoned artist in need of a tune up, this manual will help you train artists.




Fired-Up Fundraising


Book Description

Praise for Fired-Up Fundraising: Turn Board Passion into Action "Fired-Up Fundraising is honest, realistic, practical, and inspiring. It transforms the whole concept of fundraising from obligation and drudgery into passion and fun. Every CEO, development director, development consultant, and board chair needs to have and use this book." —Charles F. (Chic) Dambach President and CEO, Alliance for Peacebuilding Former Senior Consultant, BoardSource "A breakthrough! Fired-Up Fundraising takes the mystery out of engaging your board in the ongoing work of fundraising. In this well-organized little book, Gail Perry lays out a commonsense, four-step process that will fire up your board and help you meet your fundraising goals, year after year." —Mal Warwick author of How to Write Successful Fundraising Letters "Fired-Up Fundraising: Turn Board Passion into Action is by far the best book I have ever read on how to involve board members in the entire process of fundraising, from identifying prospects, cultivating them, and finally making 'the ask.' Just as important, it is an invaluable guide on how to select, enlist, train and especially inspire board members so they take ownership of their institutions. Every nonprofit CEO and development officer should read this book." —Robert L. Gale President Emeritus, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges and founder of BoardSource (formerly known as the National Center for Nonprofit Boards) "This is the book for which EVERY nonprofit chief executive has been yearning since time immemorial. Every nonprofit needs money to survive and thrive, and every nonprofit has a board of trustees to help raise it, but few nonprofits come anywhere near using their boards to maximum benefit. Fired-Up Fundraising, a reader-friendly, realistic, and practical playbook written by a richly experienced, highly literate fundraiser turned consultant, takes readers by the hand and leads them step-by-step through eminently doable ways of inspiring the greatest possible engagement of-and return from-their trustees. It will instantly become the gold-standard guide for building successful boards." —Joel Fleishman Professor of Law and Public Policy and Director, The Foundation Research Program, Duke University