Creative Fundraising

Creative Fundraising!!!  The Art School way!

Some standard fundraising practices for student fundraising:

§         Partner with local businesses.  If you bring in a coupon, they will donate 10% of the proceeds on those sales.

§         Bake sales

§         In school shows/dances.  Put in your paperwork at student affairs to be a student group.  Apply for funds for an in-school event to fundraise for your project, invite students from Massart, Emerson, Tufts

Some classic fundraising techniques, which could be reinvented for the art context:

§         Walks for …, or …athons (getting sponsorship to do some endurance or tedious activity)  hmmm…reminds me a little of…performance art?

§         Auctions  (what could you auction?  It doesn’t have to be artwork, the auction itself could be artwork), or in the same line, a raffle

§         Selling stuff, you know, like an art or craft show.  If you are wanting to save money on supplies and get the most bang for the buck, sell found objects, pretty rocks, “art detritus” or process drawings.  It may actually work better then an art show, where people will concentrate on the value of the art object, instead of the value of contributing to your cause.

§         Services for $

o       Cleaning?

o       Art needs, like building stretchers?

§         Sell CD—art screen savers?  Very short video projects?

§         Joint fundraisers with an other organization who has an audience (and money)?

§         Use web fundraising tools.  You know, like a paypal button on your website.  A Chicago artist group is using fundraising web tools to raise money to send trash to the moon.  If they can figure out how to use these strategies, you can too. 

SOME PRINCIPLES:

§         Fundraising is a major place people learn about your project.  Make it count!  Let your fundraising, the values and creativity you bring to it, be a part of your project.  Let it SHOW YOUR BRAND.  If you need to build a network, be sure to collect emails

§         Who is your audience?  What is their price-point?  If you are offering a service or something in return for money, what is it’s regular value?  What is your “fundraiser premium”?

§         Put together a business plan!  So you have five dollars.  If you invest the five dollars in materials or publicity to do x and make 25 dollars, you have made a 20 dollar profit.  You can reinvest that 20 dollars in your next activity/project and make 200 dollars.  There is always a risk, but you can build that into your business plan.  So if you have 20 dollars, you might not want to spend it all on your next event.

§         Keep track of $$.  Make sure financial information is open and available for all, so no one can take the cash and drink it all at Punter’s.

§         If your energy is good, people invest in you.  If you are selfish, people will not spend their money on you.  The quickest road to fortune is by giving graciously.  Read “Economy of the Gift” by Lewis Hyde, to see how this principle is embedded in aesthetics.

–Andrew

March 7, 2009. Information.