'COVID, CULTURE & CASH' - Arts Fundraising During Coronavirus

Arts and culture organisations across the world have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdown. While some are now starting to reopen the financial impact on organisations and artists has been enormous. From day one fundraisers have been under huge pressure to raise money to keep their organisations afloat and ensure they can continue to provide cultural experiences for towns, cities and communities across the UK.

But how do you fundraise for arts and culture organisations in the middle of a global pandemic?

Throughout 2020 we have been interviewing arts fundraisers, asking them to share their stories of fundraising during this time. The resulting podcast series aims to provide a record of how the UK arts fundraising sector responded to coronavirus at different stages of the pandemic, while also providing you with some ideas and inspiration for fundraising within your own organisation.

Good luck and stay safe!

P.S. You can listen to every episode of the Apollo’s Muses podcast on Spotify or on iTunes. Subscribe to hear new episodes as they are published.

Episode 10: Steph Graham, Dana Segal and Lucy Stone - Reflections on applying to Arts Council England's Culture Recovery Fund

Something a little bit different for Episode 10. In this episode Steph Graham (Arts Sector Consultant), Dana Segal (International Fundraising & Management Consultant) and Lucy Stone (Director, No Stone Unturned Fundraising) me to reflect on the application process for Arts Council England’s Culture Recovery Fund. Having been part of a team that supported over 200 organisations to apply for funding (including commercial and subsidised organisations) we discuss what we thought made a strong application, where organisations struggled, how well the scheme met the needs of the sector and what we can learn from this process.

Recorded on Tuesday 1 September 2020

To find out more about the Arts Council England Culture Recovery Fund, visit https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funding/culture-recovery-fund-grants

Episode 9: Anna Vaughan - Fundraising Consultant, Glow Fundraising and Chair, Institute of Fundraising Cultural Sector Network

Anna Vaughan (Fundraising Consultant at Glow Fundraising, and Chair of the Institute of Fundraising Cultural Sector Network) shares her assessment of how the arts fundraising sector has responded to coronavirus, the lessons we can take from the last 3 months and some suggestions for arts fundraisers to focus on now.

Recorded on Tuesday 14 July 2020

During our conversation Anna and I talked about the digital events being organised by the Institute of Fundraising Cultural Sector Network. You can find out more about the Network, book tickets for the upcoming free events and sign up to receive their newsletter here: https://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/groups/sig-cultural/

Episode 8: Dana Segal - International Fundraising & Management Consultant

International Fundraising & Management Consultant Dana Segal reflects on how the arts fundraising sector have responded to the coronavirus pandemic and shares her advice on where fundraisers should be focusing as we prepare for the “new normal”.

Recorded on Wednesday 8 July 2020

During our conversation Dana mentioned the “Defining the New Normal” conference that she is curating with Fundraising Everywhere and the National Arts Fundraising School. You can find more information about the conference and buy your tickets here https://fundraisingeverywhere.com/arts/

Episode 7: Dr Andrew Higgins - Director of Development, Imperial War Museums

Dr Andrew Higgins, Director of Development at Imperial War Museums talks about how he’s been working with his team to plan for the future while still dealing with the uncertainty around coronavirus.

Recorded on Monday 1st June 2020

During the conversation Andrew mentioned the digital content that IWM has been producing. You can find examples here and here.

Andrew also recommended the Glyndebourne Open House streamings, which can be found at www.glyndebourne.com/openhouse/. The video of the Lord of the Rings cast “Reunited Apart” can be found here – www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_U0S6x_kCs

During the summary, David mentioned two other useful resources for arts fundraisers. The first was the Institute of Fundraising’s Cultural Sector Network. The second was the “Defining the New Normal” conference curated by Fundraising Everywhere and the National Arts Fundraising School. Early bird tickets for this online conference are available from https://fundraisingeverywhere.com/arts/

Episode 6: Dominic Haddock - Head of Development and Communications, English Touring Opera

Dominic Haddock, Head of Development and Communications at English Touring Opera talks about the company’s fundraising campaign to support their freelance artist and crew, the steps they are taking to keep their supporters engaged during lockdown and thoughts on what might come next.

Recorded on Wednesday 6th May 2020

During the conversation Dominic mentioned the digital content that ETO has been producing during lockdown. You can find all of the content – including the singing lessons – here – https://www.youtube.com/user/ETO5254

Episode 5: Felicity Sutherland - Head of Development, Dulwich Picture Gallery

Felicity Sutherland, Head of Development at Dulwich Picture Gallery talks about launching the organisation’s coronavirus appeal and finding the right tone for communications to supporters.

Recorded on Monday 4th May 2020

You can find more information about Dulwich Picture Gallery’s coronavirus campaign here – https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk/join-support/donate-now/

Episode 4: Dorcas Morgan - Development Director, Park Theatre

Episode 3: Kieran Jones - Development Manager, Young Classical Artists Trust

Kieran Jones, Development Manager at Young Classical Artists Trust tells us how the organisation quickly moved to establish a Hardship Fund to support musicians at an early stage in their career, and how the appeal has raised 20x the original target in just 4 weeks.

Recorded on Monday 27th April 2020

During our conversation Kieran mentioned a video that YCAT has sent to supporters, as well as digital performances they have made available. You can find them here:

‘An Die Musik’ video for supporters –  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ybhZr449lw

Digital Performances from YCAT – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVKx6pM3z1Lyhke-2siG4Ng

YCAT Instagram Page – https://www.instagram.com/ycatrust/

Episode 2: Sarah Miguel - Head of Business Development, People's History Museum

Episode 1: Samir Savant - Festival Director, London Handel Festival

Samir Savant, Festival Director of the London Handel Festival, talks about how he has engaged supporters after the coronavirus pandemic cut short the 2020 Festival.

Recorded on Thursday 16th April 2020

(Click here to to watch the St John’s Passion performance from Thomaskirche, Leipzig, on YouTube, as recommended by Samir)