Get Educated, Get Inspired: Resources for Fundraisers

As arts organizations strive to keep donors engaged, questions are increasing about donor fatigue and new ways to motivate donations.  This is especially true when arts organizations aren’t able to offer traditional benefits to donors, and donors themselves may be under both financial and personal stresses. 

Our research team has combed through donor research and commentary to serve up the latest and most thought provoking material.  Read on to see the newest donor data or spark an idea for your next big campaign.

The Donor Perspective

Watch Musical America Worldwide’s interview with Susan Feder, Program Officer for the Arts and Culture Program at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  Susan discusses the Mellon Foundation’s recent shift to social justice issues and their support of both social justice and the arts simultaneously.  She also outlines how the Mellon Foundation is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in support of the arts.

16 min video  

A Provocative Idea

Read a blog from Nonprofit AF, run by Vu Le, entitled Why We Need to Move Away from Empathy in our Fundraising Approach.  Vu argues that while empathy has its place, it can also leads to negative outcomes in times of significant social change and the rise of movements like Black Live Matter.  As a result, Vu recommends moving from empathy to trust and justice in fundraising strategies.   

9.8 min read

The Latest Data

Listen to TRG Arts’ Deep Dive in Donation Data webinar (or review the slides) from early August that showcases data on UK and US donor data from their COVID-19 Sector Benchmarking Insight Report.  The data includes total gift revenue and number of gifts, looks at larger versus smaller gifts, as well as compares larger vs. smaller gifts – among other topics.  

31 min video / the bulk of data findings starts at 2:36 min and ends at 18.45 min

The Science Behind Giving

Read Nonprofit Pro’s article, COVID-19 Giving: Age Isn’t Just a Number of Fundraisers, to dive into a recent study's findings that shows people become more altruistic as they age.  

4.8 min read

For extra credit or for those more academically inclined…

Read this open source chapter in a book from two psychology professors on the development of an altruistic personality.  They outline the 7 stages of altruism – from the least to most altruistic, which complements the study highlighted in Nonprofit Pro.

28 pages; 45 min read / 7 stages of altruism overview starting on page 15