Fundraising Growth Now!

If you have ever seen the classic Bob Newhart sketch, “Stop It”, you know how hilarious it is. But it's also very relatable for anyone involved in arts fundraising. Staff and volunteers are under constant pressure to keep contributed dollars rolling in, yet often slip into habits that hurt more than help results.   So, in Bob Newhart’s fashion, Bob Swaney will visit seven common pitfalls in arts fundraising. While each comes with a declaration to “stop it,” Bob will follow up with a “start it” counter to help you build healthier, more effective fundraising habits. 

Contributed revenue goals drive the financial engine of your arts organization, empowering mission-driven programs, performances, and exhibitions, so fundraising goal-setting is too important to get wrong. Too often, organizations underestimate their potential or set their sights unrealistically high, leading to missed targets, underfunded projects, or overworked staff.    Today, Bob shares the key do’s and don’ts of goal-setting so you can create realistic—yet inspiring—revenue objectives that galvanize your team and motivate your supporters. 

When Giving Tuesday rolls around each year, nonprofits of all kinds buzz with energy, hopeful for a big day of donations. Yet, for arts and cultural organizations, putting too much weight on Giving Tuesday can be fraught with potential pitfalls. In this episode, Bob outlines five reasons why relying heavily on Giving Tuesday could be more of a setback than a windfall, and then provides five alternative approaches that can create lasting support beyond just a single day.

We've all been in those Board meetings or had those conversations where someone drops a big name or points out a high-net-worth individual with the phrase, 'Wouldn’t it be great if we could just get them to give?' But chasing people who may have deep pockets but no real interest in the arts is most often a fool's errand, and it pulls us away from building lasting relationships with people who actually want them. Today, Bob will give you five reasons why this obsession isn't productive. Then, we'll flip the script to look at why we should focus on the people who are already passionate about your arts organization.

Whether you’re a staff member or a Board volunteer, you know the pressure of asking for money. That pressure can manifest in hesitation, overthinking, and—let’s be honest—a lot of “what ifs” with things that almost never happen. Today, we’ll cover six common fear-based mistakes that fundraisers in the arts tend to make. Bob will also suggest some mindset shifts and practical alternatives to help you overcome those fears and take positive action.

In the past decade, the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera has journeyed from near-insolvency to a sustainable fiscal and artistic future. Bob Swaney interviews the SP&O’s CEO, Giuliano Kornberg, along with Giuliano's longtime mentor, Paul Hogle, President & CEO of the Cleveland Institute of Music, to discuss the details of the incredible organizational success story, with a hint of what lies ahead.  Apologies for the slight technical issues encountered during the recording and editing of this episode.

In an earlier episode a few weeks ago, Bob shared a few of his favorite quotes. We all like funny, smart, creative sayings, the kind that remind us to be our best, do our best, and forge onward. But like with all things, there’s another side to this coin, and we frequently hear quotes that are limiting and, yes, irritating. This episode will highlight a few of those less-favored sayings—the ones we at RSC Associates tend to avoid using. You will no doubt agree that at least one of these sayings is designed to limit, not expand, creativity and productivity.

When developing the fundraising message, how do YOU promote your arts organization? What words do you use? What stories do you tell? Many staff, board, and artists have a tough time answering. Let’s touch on how to get better at telling your organizational story and selling it, too. At RSC Associates, we help clients build their messages balanced on Facts, Finances, and Feelings. The first two – facts and finances are fairly easy for anyone to pull together based on the information on hand. However, the “feelings” that can strongly influence a donor prospect can often be a ‘miss’ in the message. Without the ‘feelings’, the facts and finances fall flat. Facts and finances “Tell,” while Feelings “Sell.” This episode will help you find that sweet-spot in balancing your message.  

In this episode, we're tackling a topic that every fundraiser has faced at some point: excuses for not making a major philanthropic gift. We’ll review the top ten reasons we often hear and, more importantly, what arts organizations can do to be more persuasive. We’re also going to get honest about what those reasons might truly indicate yet remain unspoken by your donors. 

RSC’s fundraising coaching approach is geared toward time-tested best practices and fundamentals that arts and cultural organizations can rely on to grow their fundraising programs. However, we must always adapt best practices to present-day realities. This installment features RSC's CEO, Catherine Heitz New, who joins Bob Swaney in a lively discussion about adapting the fundamentals to a changing philanthropic environment.

In recent years, there’s been a shift towards what I like to call the "power of sharing stories." This approach goes beyond just telling a story; it's about fostering meaningful conversations and genuine connections between donors and our beloved arts organizations. It’s what the true meaning of the word “inclusive” should be in a philanthropic environment.

I like clever sayings, fun saying and sayings that help me remember to be focused and effective. So today, and out of several dozen such sayings, I’m going share ten of my favorites – most of which I use regularly. I thought it might be fun to describe the saying, tell you where I heard it and what it means to me, especially when applied to fundraising in the arts. I hope you like these, too, and find some value and application in hearing them.

There are numerous reasons why fundraising staff and volunteers won’t ask a prospect for support without a lot of feet-dragging. Whether it’s for annual giving, a major gift or a planned gift, hesitation often seems more comfortable than taking action. This episode addresses the causes for delays in asking for support, and what you and your team can do to get out of your comfort zone and instead, 'err on the side of asking'.

Sometimes arts and cultural organizations treat their board like artificial intelligence, as if every board member should be all-knowledgeable and flawlessly responsive bots to answer questions, reveal solutions and be ready, willing and able to advance the herculean tasks to advance our arts organization. However, they should make themselves available only when we decide they are needed. It’s ok to treat A.I. this way, but don’t treat board members like this. This episode explores activating the board from the viewpoint of the board member, and what your arts organization can do to better encourage and equip your board to be part of a productive fundraising program.

We explore a pain point for most any arts organization: hiring fundraising staff. There are too many jobs for too few qualified professionals in the arts, and the expectations for staff to produce are always high. This episode outlines some of the top challenges faced by arts and cultural organizations when hiring fundraising staff, followed by the five truly ineffective yet commonly used recruitment techniques, and finishing with a handful of “best of” hiring practices that may help during your next search.

This episode delves into the relationship between the marketing and fundraising efforts in a performing arts organization. No matter the size, ticket sales and fundraising priorities are sometimes viewed as “in conflict”, with the patron put in the middle. We'll aim to eliminate the internal competition, and instead, make sales and giving come together in complimentary fashion.

This Episode addresses a crucial aspect of sustaining arts and cultural organizations -- expanding our annual fund donor base. In this ever evolving landscape it's essential to grow the donor base to meet the challenges and the opportunities associated within the arts, but it's also becoming increasingly difficult.

In the past decade, there's been a noticeable shift in the arts and cultural sector towards increased reliance on contributed revenue. In many arts organizations, total fundraising accounts for upwards of 65%+ of the overall budget. Therefore, setting the correct fundraising goals has become more important than ever. This episode outlines a few of the do's and don'ts when budgeting for your fundraising goals.

Part 2 of a conversation with RSC Associates leadership, Founder Bob Swaney and CEO Catherine Heitz New.  With the beginning of a new calendar year, and for many the mid-point of the fiscal year, Bob and Cat discuss current trends in fundraising for the arts, how to successfully build relationships, the importance of adaptability, and the extraordinary results that can be achieved when you engage communities, measure success and become more collaborative.  No matter the size of your arts organization, or the art you produce, this episode will give you the insights you need to succeed in your fundraising efforts!

RSC’s Fundraising Growth Now podcast is back with a conversation with RSC Associates leadership, Founder Bob Swaney and CEO Catherine Heitz New.  With the beginning of a new calendar year, and for many the mid-point of the fiscal year, Bob and Cat discuss current trends in fundraising for the arts, how to successfully build relationships, the importance of adaptability, and the extraordinary results that can be achieved when you engage communities, measure success and become more collaborative.  No matter the size of your arts organization, or the art you produce, this episode will give you the insights you need to succeed in your fundraising efforts!