Ask The Expert

Q Our local sponsorship has just crashed – the firm that supported us for the past five years has hit the buffers and won’t be renewing for 2011/12. We keep being told that private giving could bridge the gap, but we have limited resources in time and money, and we need to work quickly. Where do we start and how do we get individuals to give us cash?

 A: There are a number of ways in which individuals might support arts organisations.

You could set up a friends’ or membership scheme to encourage individuals to make annual donations. Spend some time deciding whether your offer is primarily about benefits, or is philanthropically led; the former tends to be a discount scheme and therefore may actually cost you money, whereas the latter could produce a small and steady income stream over time, particularly if your organisation is a registered charity and can claim Gift Aid.

If you already have such a scheme, think about higher levels of giving, or consider a one-off appeal for a specific production, an education project or just to fix the leak in the roof. Research shows that the more regularly someone attends your events, the more likely they are to donate, so cross-reference existing low-level donors with box office data to find your hottest prospects. And longer-term, you ought to be looking at legacy giving.

Of course, these suggestions presume that you already have contact information for your fans. If not – as in many galleries and museums – there are still things you can put in place. Simple steps like visibly situated donation boxes and campaigns to encourage people to donate their change in the bar/shop can reap rewards. Perhaps start a campaign asking visitors to donate foreign currency, or maybe there’s a colleague who’s training for a marathon – could they run in aid of your organisation? Auctioning ‘money can’t buy’ opportunities, such as a walk-on part in your panto, through e-Bay for Charities can also achieve significant support. Be creative!

Private giving can open up new opportunities but it shouldn’t be rushed. Individual giving takes time to establish. And do remember that our supporters are likely to be suffering just as much as we are in the recession, so this may not be the best time to launch