7:45 – 8:45
Divas, Drama – and that’s just the Donors!: Everything you want to know about an Arts Fundraising Career
Being an arts fundraiser is exciting, and the sector is growing fast.  But for many of us, the path from charity to arts fundraising is as mystifying as a Jackson Pollock.  What skills do you need?  What differences should you expect?  Where to start?  By the end, you will have the tools you need to determine whether a career as an arts fundraiser is right for you.
Kurstin Finch Gnehm, Head of Individual Giving and Legacies, The Royal Academy of Music
Breakfast Roundtable Discussion

9:00 – 10:00
President’s Plenary Panel: Leadership in an Era of Disruption: What your Leadership needs from you
Senior leaders reflect on what’s ahead in this new world of Brexit, political disruption and shrinking resources
Sue Cunningham (chair), President and CEO, CASE
Charlie Jeffery, incoming VC at York and Vice Principal at Edinburgh
Shearer West, VC University of Nottingham

10:00 – 11:00
Maximizing your Donor and Affiliate Groups
Cultural Institutions depend on upper-level donor groups for stable annual operating support and to deepen engagement with potential major gift donors. This session will explore best practices in establishing or managing your donor and affiliate groups to ensure that you are reaching your fundraising goals and maximising the impact of these groups.  The panel will talk about common pitfalls and success stories in building leadership annual giving programmes.
Christine Begley (chair), Senior Vice President, GG+A
Charlotte Appleyard, Director of Development & Business Innovation, Royal Academy of Arts
Rebecca Preston, Director of Development, RSC
Fern Potter, Interim Director of Development, Birmingham Royal Ballet

11:30 – 12:15
Crisis Communications in Arts Institutions
Koen Brakenhoff, Director of Marketing and Development, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

12:15 – 13:00
Unlocking cultural assets to enhance reputation with your local community
All universities, colleges and schools have cultural and sporting assets which can be shared with local communities.  Theatres, museums or galleries attract external visitors to campus but walking trails, outdoor events, retail and talks can also be valuable in enhancing your reputation amongst local community members.  Using “Destination Warwick” as a case study this session will explore the benefits and challenges of sharing a university campus with those living nearby.  With Coventry poised to be UK City of Culture in 2021 the session will preview plans for both of the City’s universities to collaborate with local authorities, business and the cultural sector to promote the City as a visitor destination and enhance its reputation as a place to live, study and work. 
Ian Rowley, Director of Engagement Group, The University of Warwick

14:00 – 15:00
Secrets from Small Charities: Creative Ways to Build Relationships with Small Donors
Small charities are using their strengths to build strong relationships with major donors. This session will share case studies from small charities that are leveraging their unique assets to engage with major donors in creative ways. It will provide inspiration and practical ideas you can implement at your organisation.
Christine Harris, Philanthropy Manager, London School of Economics and Political Science

14:00 – 15:00
Corporate Giving Panel Discussion
The panel shall highlight the do’s and don’ts when it comes to corporate giving, and how to make an innovative case for corporates and your institution; what are the trends and new models, what are the pitfalls, how to manage expectations and what are the narratives for the pitch.
Katarina Hägg, Vice President External Relations, Stockholm School of Economics
Caroline Hart Sehested, Head of Global Early, Talent (Global People & Organisation), Novo Nordisk
Charlotte Reeves, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Tate
Nick Marsden, Head of Development, Design Museum

15:15 – 16:15
Stewardship: is it all Champagne and Canapés?
Hear from three major arts institutions about their stewardship programmes for entry-level supporters to major donors and everyone in between. Explore the tension between philanthropic- and benefits-led programmes, content versus cause, the mystery of the international patrons’ trip and the challenge to stay on top of the competition.

Is great stewardship the be-all and end-all? How can you build a community of loyal supporters for your cause? How do you do this on ever-tighter budgets? Why do we do so many donor events in the arts and do they work? This session will include takeaways for development professionals working in the arts, cultural sector, education and beyond. Learn top tips, hear case studies and have your questions answered.
Kary Kelly, Director of Development, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Lee Rodwell, Director of Development, University of the Arts London
Joanna Newell, Head of Philanthropy, Southbank Centre

14:00 – 15:00
A University-Led Partnership Approach to Culture-Led Regeneration
University of Sunderland’s leadership in transformational, culture-led helped Sunderland become the first UK university to be funded by Arts Council England to lead a successful Creative People and Places project – after six years The Cultural Spring has worked with more than 40,000 people in and around the city.
This session will be a case study in how creative partnerships between Higher Education and Arts and Culture can collaborate to support community-based urban renewal.
Graeme Thompson, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Sunderland

For those arts and culture institutions looking to strengthen their development programme, this one-day workshop will be interactive, thought-provoking, challenging and fun!

Led by Lorna Somers, AVP, Development at McMaster University in Canada and Joanna Motion, Partner at More Partnership.

9:30 - 14:30

The Cultural Conundrum: Telling a Powerful Story for the Arts 

It’s a noisy universe out there – and a contested philanthropic space. In a world of refugees, rough sleeping and disease, how can you catch attention for your museum or gallery, theatre or orchestra? How distinctive is your story from that of every other cultural entity on your doorstep? And who are your most effective story-tellers? We’ll explore the key elements of framing your own narrative and telling it with clarity and conviction. 

Stellar Stewardship & Enduring Engagement 

We understood, long before we had the validating data, that a thoughtfully stewarded gift that includes the ‘need to do’ as well as the ‘special’ touches was likely to result in additional commitments – financial and beyond.  Our much amplified attention to areas such as stewardship, recognition and stakeholder engagement is now proving its value. These have often been understaffed and under-resourced activities.  Let’s talk about what a robust, creative and truly bespoke supporter engagement plan looks like and how it is implemented and measured.  

Ethical Intelligence in a Fractious World

“Museums cut ties with Sacklers as outrage over opioid crisis grows”. “Mark Rylance resigns from RSC over BP sponsorship.” “How Jana Peel’s dream job came to a nightmare end.” Insert your own names here…? Headlines like these occur with increasing frequency – and yet funding for Arts and Culture is under more pressure than ever. We can share our own experiences of this existential challenge while working out how best to navigate the ethical puzzles hardwired into our jobs.

The “Neverending Story”:  Harnessing a Campaign’s Best Bits

Campaigns in the HE sector are ubiquitous and their financial goals, increasingly jaw dropping!  We’ve watched as the “m” in millions is regularly replaced by the “b” in billions and this despite years of rumours that the campaign as a fundraising construct is on its last legs!  Truth is, however we feel about campaigns, they provide something magical that can help us engage supporters and significantly advance our institutions.  And while a campaign in the context of the cultural sector is a different animal and must be to scale, it’s still helpful for us to unpack both the traditional campaign framework and the campaign of tomorrow and build an inventory suited to our own culture and aspirations.

Tackling Transitions 

One minute it’s all going pretty well. The donors love the Director. The trustees are engaged. The fundraising team are increasingly professional. Happy ever after? Alas, nothing lasts forever. Planned or unplanned, there is no escaping leadership change – at every level within your organisation. So to maintain momentum and sustain relationships, what can you anticipate and prepare for? And if the changes are unexpected, how do you minimise paralysis and optimise continuity? We’ll work together on the do’s and don’t’s of surviving transitions.