If you are an independent TA in NY State or a fearless leader trying to find money to pay Teaching Artists, you may have noticed that there is no more extra money in the budget for art.
None.
We wonder just how bad it will get.
Sure, it may be cathartic and accurate to blame the rich people for bringing back the depression, but, since we desperately need their leftover money to continue our work, it would not be politic to offend them.
According to a report by Giving USA, recessions do not seem to be a strong determining factor in arts giving and regular non-rich people also like to give money to worthy causes.
That's good news. That raises the possibility that there is still some money somewhere in your neighborhood community. It is probably hidden in people's wallets and the job is to get them to take it out and hand it to you before the end of the year.
The Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT) is a multiracial organization that promotes the connection between fundraising, social justice and movement-building. They sound like hippies, but they are so smart about getting the money...it's thrilling.
According to the experts at GIFT, here are three key things to know about fundraising:
1. People give when they are asked, and rarely give when they are not. Even when people are asked, they don't always give. So, you need to ask for more gifts than the number you need to bring in, and you need to be comfortable with people saying "No."
2. Donors are not ATMs. You need to thank them and keep them posted on what your organization is doing with their money if you want them to give more than once.3. You can't raise all the money your group needs by yourself. Spend some time building a team of people to help you.
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