New to Museum Fundraising? Our Tips for Making the Most of Giving Tuesday
By Perry Raymond (Board Member At-Large) and Dana Congelosi (Board Secretary)
For the GLAMZ (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums, and Zoos) sector and nonprofit fundraising, Giving Tuesday is one of the most important days of the year for raising funds, major gifts, and gaining volunteer support. But Giving Tuesday (in)conveniently lands during the busiest time of the year for many GLAMZ institutions. The holiday season is notoriously chaotic, when holiday tours, out-of-town travel, school groups, and exhibition launches all seem to pile on right when Giving Tuesday arrives. The holiday-season burnout is real, so we wanted to offer some tips and tricks to maximize your development efforts this Giving Tuesday.
How do you get people to give you money? It’s the unavoidable question on everyone’s minds, but it doesn’t have to be as intimidating as it seems. Non-profit development can be approached from any angle, but the most important principle is this: donors want to know that their support has a lasting, tangible impact. As museum professionals, we know that the impact of museums and other cultural organizations goes far beyond the gallery walls. GLAMZ institutions are much more than just objects in collections; they are pillars in the communities that they serve. The key to successful fundraising this Giving Tuesday (or really any time of year) is helping potential donors understand the value and impact of these organizations the way that we do.
Keeping that in mind, here are some tips to communicate the value of your organization and the potential impact of a donor’s support when making your Giving Tuesday ask.
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DescriptiPeople contribute to a cause because they want to be connected to a mission in a meaningful way. Rephrase your mission in terms of what it looks like in action. For example, rather than saying:
“We collect art,” → demonstrate how donating to support this mission is funding the representation and support of local and diverse artists
“We make heritage more accessible,” → describe how digitization teams have developed extensive online collections or transcribed oral histories so more people can engage with and learn from collectionson text goes here
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Show prospective donors what happens behind-the-scenes to keep the organization running, with a focus on potential impacts of their support.
Are there objects in your collection in need of conservation? Let people know why they should care about preserving them!
Do your beloved monthly events only exist thanks to donor contributions or volunteer efforts? Highlight those programs, and your volunteers while you’re at it!
Could you offer a behind-the-scenes tour to potential donors? Oftentimes people want to hear more from your staff about how the museum operates and what objects don’t make it into permanent displays!
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Museums are much more than just the objects in their collections! They’re made up of lots of hardworking museum professionals whose work impacts their communities in key ways. Let potential donors know about the human impacts of their contributions.
Focus on community impacts.
Whose lives are made better because of your institution?
Are kids allowed to visit for free because of donations?
Will additional funding allow you to improve accessibility and welcome more members of your community?
Highlight the people and volunteers behind your museum whose hard work keeps the organization running. Donations support them, too!
Highlight the human connection to objects in your collection (because let’s face it, the collections are still important!)
Why do objects in your collection matter to people?
How can objects in your collection help people connect to and understand others better?
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Use specifics when sharing the real impacts of funding and how donor support has led to positive outcomes for your organization.
What programs were you able to run?
What positions, internships, or grants were you able to fund?
What new objects were you able to acquire?
How many new people did you reach because of these initiatives?
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Just as each object contributes to the value of a collection, each individual supporter contributes to the strength of an institution as a whole. Encourage your institution’s most loyal friends and visitors to make gifts in whatever ways they can.
Promote matching programs. Matching gifts make people much more likely to give and can even incentivize larger donations if they know they’ll be matched. Try gathering support from local businesses, board members, or sponsors to create fundraising partnerships.
Celebrate generosity in all forms. Generosity can be measured not just in money, but in time, random acts of kindness, and energy. Promote upcoming volunteer opportunities or ways that visitors can spread the word about how to get involved.
Will You Support NEMPN this Giving Tuesday?
Like many GLAMZ institutions, NEMPN is a nonprofit organization that relies heavily on donations and volunteer support to continue operation. We provide support for emerging professionals through community programming, advocacy work, and professional development opportunities. Your support this year will allow us to continue improving our annual Museum Workers’ Advocacy Day, a completely free online conference focused on advocacy for museum workers and issues directly impacting our community. Please consider supporting NEMPN by making a donation or getting yourself an early holiday gift from the NEMPN Merch Shop.
We understand that many museum professionals may not be in a position to contribute to NEMPN’s mission financially, especially in these difficult times. We hope you will consider donating your time by becoming a committee member and volunteering for an upcoming project. The work we do would not be possible without the time and effort of our committee members. Fill out our Committee Interest Form to get involved. Please email secretary@nationalempnetwork.org if you have any questions regarding volunteering with NEMPN.