How to Engage Individual Donors?: A new study tackles that question
A new report by the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance looks at what motivates donors to give to the arts and what organizations can do to better engage high-net-worth donors.
"The decision not to support the arts is more often related to having different priorities and passions than it is a conscious choice to ignore the sector,” says Linda J. McAleer, president of The Melior Group, which led the research.
Donors, explain the researchers, support causes about which they are passionate: "These causes most frequently include education, religion, human services and social justice. However, there is insufficient awareness of how these issues intersect with arts and culture."
According to the research, donors respond to meaningful engagement beyond their checkbooks and prefer to invest in transparent organizations. "They look for organizations where they feel confident that there is strong leadership and sound financial management," explains the report.
“This research shows that the key to success in cultivating individual donors is showing an organization’s social impact on the communities it serves, from children to the elderly, from healthcare to schools and everything in between,” said Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance President, Maud Lyon. “Donors who see the arts as a solution to a community’s needs give more and more often.”
Image: Unsplash/Madison Kaminski