FUNDING - New Fundraising Initiatives (Arnolfini, Bristol)
Lyndsey Jones - Development Coordinator at Bristol’s Arnolfini - explains their recent capital campaign and ongoing fundraising initiatives
I studied French and Spanish at University so don’t have a fundraising background or a formal museum qualification. I chose a career in the arts because I wanted to work in a creative environment. It was quite challenging to get my first job. I applied for many positions and did some unpaid work experience in order to secure my first job as Development Assistant at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
I’m currently pursuing a course at The University of the West of England in Charity Fundraising Management, which is accredited by The Institute of Fundraising and will give me an academic foundation that I can apply to my job. I am still at the beginning of my career and am thrilled to be working at Arnolfini, especially at such an exciting period in its history, I have been here for just over a year.
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The development department at Arnolfini is a small unit that was set up prior to the organisation’s capital campaign. We have several ongoing fundraising initiatives which were created during this period. I’m responsible for Arnolfini’s Supporters scheme and the Corporate Membership scheme which was launched to coincide with reopening in September 2005.
The focus of the department has changed since completing the capital project; we are now concentrating on generating income towards revenue and project costs. We are therefore reviewing our fundraising strategy and researching new fundraising methods that we could initiate or develop in order to do this. We have to broaden and diversify our income streams; our development initiatives are just one way of doing this.
The recent capital campaign was a tremendous project to be involved with. A great deal of effort went on behind the scenes to make it possible. The Directors worked hard to generate interest amongst potential funders and sponsors, on both a regional and national level. A fundraising subgroup was set up of Trustees and staff to help steer the fundraising effort and we were incredibly fortunate that Sir Nicholas Serota volunteered to be Project Champion. The project was a massive challenge for a relatively small organisation but with a lot of hard work the team managed it and we reopened in September 2005.
For those looking to embark on a new funding or capital project it is important to ensure that they have the capacity to achieve the whole project from the outset. At Arnolfini we carried out an organisational review to identify any organisational issues that may have prevented the project from being completed. Securing money early in the fundraising schedule is also very important as it helps encourage other funding partners to get involved. It is crucial to allow sufficient time to raise the full amount required; we started fundraising in 2001 for a 2005 opening date.
Communication is essential; our Directors met regularly with key funders and kept them fully up to date with how the project was progressing. They were therefore supportive and understanding when it came to resolving any issues that arose. It is also important to communicate with your audience, so that they are fully informed and feel involved in the project which minimises the risk of alienating them. We held regular informal drinks sessions for our volunteers, supporters and staff to meet and catch up. They proved very popular. It is also vital to maintain enthusiasm amongst staff; carrying out a capital project is very challenging and everyone needs to be supportive of the project in order to achieve it successfully.
The completion of a project is a very exciting time: we now have a spectacular newly refurbished building which has generated huge amounts of interest and praise. We can now offer a lot more benefits to potential supporters.
There is a massive expectation for organisations that receive public funding to diversify their income. Many organisations have received considerable investment from The National Lottery through Arts Council England and The Millennium Commission and we have a responsibility to use this investment to become more sustainable.
One of the key factors in our capital project was the purchase of the freehold on our premises. We now rent three floors of our building as office space which generates a secure, ongoing, and reliable income for Arnolfini. Public funding will, of course, always be vital to ensure that organizations can present less popular or more challenging artworks. But I think we can meet the challenge of raising money from alternative sources.