Fundraising Development Programme 2007
MLA South East is pleased to announce the second year of our very successful fundraising bursary scheme, launched as a pilot last year. It is aimed at individuals who currently have or plan to assume responsibility for fundraising within their organisation.
All of last year’s participants rated the programme as ‘excellent’.
- ‘I found all aspects of the course to be extremely valuable…I have learnt a huge amount’
- ‘great awareness of the challenges currently facing fundraisers in the museums & galleries sector…a genuinely useful, high quality training experience’
- ‘…it is one of the best programmes I have been involved in’
- ‘I have learned how to produce an effective fundraising strategy
This year’s scheme particularly welcomed applications from people working in museums as it is run in partnership with the South East Museum Hub and with Renaissance Sharing Skills funding. People working in libraries and archives were also encouraged to apply.
Over the course of a year, up to ten bursary-holders will be able to focus on all aspects of arts and heritage fundraising, benefiting from expert teaching and sharing experiences with one another. The programme includes attendance at the week long National Arts Fundraising School, and a series of focused workshop sessions, leading to the production of a draft fundraising strategy.
Details of our 2006 Fundraising Programme are available to download from the right of the screen.
South East Audiovisual Collections Commercial Study
Following on from the recommendations of the South East Audiovisual Mapping Project & Strategy (2004), MLA South East attracted £15,000 of funding from the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to conduct a partnership study with the support of Screen South to assess the commercial potential of audiovisual collections in the region. Resources resulting from this work include a report, a series of 5 commercial case studies between commercial providers and collections in the South East including a partnership between BBC Motion Gallery and the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu and a toolkit to help those with audiovisual collections in the South East generate income by meeting the needs of potential commercial partners.
An additional grant of £20,500 from SEEDA is enabling us to develop one of our commercial opportunity case studies between Wessex Film and Sound Archive (WFSA) and Moving Image Communications (MIC), a commercial library. The project has made parts of WFSA's marvellous collections available for sales through clips on MIC’s website: MIC is also providing dedicated marketing, management, and promotion. The collection is now online through MIC’s site and comprises some marvellous amateur and promotional films illustrating powerful images of everyday life in Wessex.
MIC will report to MLA South East so that we can determine whether the pilot could be the basis for a successful business model that may be relevant to other organisations with audiovisual collections in the region and SEEDA will evaluate the success of the overall project.
Read more about the South East Audiovisual Collections Commercial Study.
Arts & Business Skills Bank
Arts & Business can help arts organisations build their skills to resolve professional and organisational issues through introduction to a pool of skilled business managers. Business people are selected who can offer practical guidance to help you tackle specific issues, acquire new skills, develop your career or who will enhance your board
Through their bespoke matching service arts managers gain access to expert business advisors who provide guidance to help successfully complete a project, transferring skills and knowledge along the way. Further information.
Public Libraries Income Generation Project: Interim and Business Models Report
The interim report, written by Daren Kearl on behalf of MLA South East, examines current practices of income generation across public libraries within the UK, with special reference to the South East region. In each income stream, the report aims to highlight best practice and discuss why this is successful. Recommendations are given for those areas that would see an increase in income, upon the adoption of business models to be explored in Phase 2 of this project.
Following the interim report, it was decided that four models would be developed for Phase 2 of the project. Models examined include merchandising and e-commerce; exit strategies; guidance on book withdrawals and sales and local studies premium research services.
Download the reports from the right of the screen under 'Related Resources'.
Arts & Business South East Advice Surgeries and Seminars
Arts & Business South East Managers can provide one-to-one sessions on sponsorship, fundraising, New Partners, Double Your Money or Professional Organisational Development. Advice surgeries are free of charge and generally take place at the Arts & Business South East offices in Brighton and Eastleigh. If your organisation is based in Surrey, East Sussex, West Sussex or Kent please contact Kelly Hall on 01273 738 333 to arrange an advice surgery. If you are based in Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire or Berkshire please contact Helen Gunston on 023 8061 9172. A&B also run sponsorship and fundraising seminars. Further information.
Sharing Skills
Funded by the South East Hub, and managed in partnership with MLA South East, Sharing Skills focuses on developing and improving skills in key areas of need, and tests creative ways of sharing these through partnership.
The programme has resulted in a huge drive of new projects providing free support and staff training opportunities for museums and galleries, large and small, across the region.
One of the largest new developments is the South East Skills Bank: a comprehensive online listing of organisations and individuals willing to share their expertise and experience with others for free. These skills range from media and PR, through design and photography, to pest control. Read more about the Sharing Skills programme.
National Lottery Advisory Service
Jointly sponsored by The National Archives and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the service supports archive services throughout the UK in making applications for lottery funding. This support is offered to any organisations holding archives or undertaking projects involving archival material.
Support includes information on current lottery trends, programmes and eligibility criteria; advice on fundraising strategies and seeking partnership funding; assistance with project planning and the application process through consultation, lottery workshops and application reviews prior to submission.
More information about the service is available form the National Council on Archives website or by contacting the Archive Lottery Advisor, Louise Ray, by telephone 020 8392 5347 or by email louise.ray@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Income Generation Project
This interim report (October 2006) examines current practices of income generation across public libraries within the UK, with special reference to the South East region. In each income stream, the report aims to highlight best practice and discuss why this is successful. Recommendations are given for those areas that would see an increase in income, upon the adoption of business models which will be drawn up in the second phase of this project. Download the interim report.
Association for Cultural Enterprises
The Association for Cultural Enterprises (ACE) is the UK’s only organisation for professionals in the field of cultural and heritage commerce. It aims to promote best practice through the provision of training and networking opportunities and to encourage commercial operations within the not-for-profit cultural and heritage sector to work collaboratively for their mutual benefit. It provides a programme of study and training days and a two-day annual conference and trade exhibition, which all provide excellent networking opportunities. Cultural Trading magazine is published twice annually and ACE is aiming to make its website increasingly interactive and informative. Any cultural organisation, be it museum, art gallery, library, gardens and/or historic site, is eligible for membership of ACE, provided that it has charitable status or is otherwise conducted as a not-for-profit enterprise.
