Networking event to highlight benefits of coordinated fundraising and marketing approach 

Professionals working in Scotland’s arts and heritage sectors are being invited to explore the benefits of a coordinated approach to marketing and fundraising at a special training event taking place at the Surgeon’s Hall in Edinburgh this month. Continue reading Networking event to highlight benefits of coordinated fundraising and marketing approach 

Digital fundraising toolkit launched

A new interactive digital toolkit has been unveiled to help people working in Scotland’s heritage sector to develop their fundraising skills. The launch follows the conclusion earlier this year of a four-year training programme, “Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage” (RSH), specifically designed to build up knowledge and skills in fundraising within the heritage sector.

Led by independent charity Arts & Business Scotland in partnership with Archaeology Scotland, Built Environment Forum Scotland, greenspace scotland and Museums Galleries Scotland, the RSH programme was funded by The National Lottery and successfully delivered fundraising training and advice to 804 individuals from more than 519 heritage organisations throughout Scotland between its launch in 2014 and its conclusion in March 2018.

A key legacy from the RSH programme, the new “Inspiring Fundraising” digital toolkit is an online resource that encapsulates many key elements of the training delivered through the RSH programme, using a combination of films, animations and case studies in a range of accessible formats, including British Sign Language and audio-description. It offers users a step-by-step guide to effective fundraising, from understanding the principles of fundraising to developing and implementing a successful fundraising strategy.

Covering everything from crowdfunding to legacies, writing a case for support to creating a charitable trust, the toolkit also provides access to a variety of sources of further information, training and advice. It has been made possible through expert input from a wide variety of organisations from across Scotland’s heritage sector, including Abbotsford Trust, Glasgow Women’s Library, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Dundee Heritage Trust.

Coinciding with the launch, hosted at historic Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian, the partners behind the RSH programme have also released the findings of a major new report into the current funding landscape for Scotland’s heritage sector.

Entitled “The State of Heritage Funding Now”, the specially commissioned report highlights the ‘double whammy’ effect of decreasing lottery funding as a result of declining National Lottery ticket sales and a fall in local government budgets for cultural and related services, which is compelling heritage organisations to look elsewhere for alternative sources of funding.

Despite this trend, the new research shows a continued strong reliance by the heritage sector on grant and lottery funding with only a third of heritage organisations surveyed currently sourcing any funding from corporate support and levels of corporate support remaining broadly static within the sector over the past four years.

The report suggests that the RSH programme has played an important role in improving fundraising skills within Scotland’s heritage sector over this period but that many organisations still struggle to find the time and capacity to 1implement effective fundraising strategies.

The report has been drawn up following extensive desk research, face-to-face consultation with more than 40 heritage sector stakeholder organisations and a detailed survey completed by more than 160 organisations from across Scotland’s heritage sector.

It concludes with a series of 20 individual recommendations aimed at developing a more comprehensive picture of funding in the Scottish heritage sector and placing future funding of the sector on a more sustainable long-term footing.

Commenting on the launch of the “Inspiring Fundraising” digital toolkit, Head of Programmes at Arts & Business Scotland Carl Watt said: “Running over the past four years, Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage was a hugely successful training programme for the Scottish heritage sector.

“Following its conclusion, the partners wanted to create a long-term legacy in the form of an online resource that heritage organisations can continue to access in the future as a means of further building up organisational knowledge and skills around fundraising.

“It’s great to be hosting the launch of the new toolkit here at Rosslyn Chapel, representing as it does so many different aspects of Scotland’s hugely varied heritage sector, from archaeology and the historic built environment to green space, museum curation and arts heritage. With diminishing funds coming from traditional grant and lottery sources, this is a critical time for the heritage sector to explore ways of tapping into alternative sources of funding. I’m sure this digital toolkit will be a really valuable resource to help Scottish heritage organisations to achieve that.”

Ian Gardner, Director of the Rosslyn Chapel Trust, commented: “The funding landscape for heritage organisations such as Rosslyn Chapel is changing quickly as traditional sources of funding diminish and we look for ways to access alternatives such as corporate support, partnerships with business and legacy giving.

“This new digital toolkit will be invaluable in giving our team a wealth of practical advice on all aspects of fundraising in a format that is accessible and easy to digest.”

Lucy Casot, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: “Thanks to players of the National Lottery, hundreds of heritage organisations across Scotland have learned skills which are vital to secure and grow their business.

“This new digital toolkit will allow many hundreds more to benefit from that learning, strengthening the sustainability and longevity of the heritage sector.”

SHAMANIC coming to Edinburgh

SHAMANIC by The AniMotion Show 28.09.2018

In Association with Rip It Up by The National Museum Of Scotland 

Shamanic is a visceral collision of alternative rock, live painting/projection and architecture to be launched within, and upon, the cloistered walls of Edinburgh University Old Quad on 28 September 2018. This outdoor show will transport its audience into sensual overload through a live union of sound and vision.

This is music and image as one.

The line-up:

Prelude reading by Rula Lenska

Fay Fife (The Rezillos) – vocals + theremin

Maria Rud (Artist) – paints + brushes

Ted McKenna (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band) – drums + percussion

Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps /The Gun Club / The Bad Seeds) – guitar + vocals

Chris Agnew (The Rezillos) – bass

Marilyn Carino – electronics +vocals 

This event is the latest incarnation of Maria Rud’s AniMotion Show and a significant departure musically. The show is best known for the epic live shows with the renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie.

The AniMotion Show with Evelyn Glennie was launched in the NMS Grand Gallery. Since then, the show toured in China, USA and Europe.

SHAMANIC is the fruit of a creative friendship between Fay Fife and Maria Rud. Fay and Maria have already worked together while legendary drummer Ted McKenna was immediately enthused by the idea of collaboration when first introduced to the show, excited to embrace the scope for experimentation that Maria’s live visuals open up.

Rula Lenska said: I am honoured and thrilled to be taking part in this unique magical collaboration of art, music and the spoken word. Powerful, transporting, and life enhancing. And SHAMANIC!!”

Kid Congo, flying in from New York, completes the line-up and sets the scene for an art-rock experiment the like of which has not been seen since the end of the psychedelic era.

The music created for SHAMANIC is a soundclash of 60s garage, alternative rock and contemporary electronica, laced with a punk spirit. That defiant DIY spirit runs through all aspects of the show’s development.

SHAMANIC is in partnership with and was part inspired by Rip it Up by The National Museum of Scotland which celebrates Scottish popular music, giving The Rezillos and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band top billing.

Collaboration is at the core of SHAMANIC. Edinburgh based AV specialist War Productions Ltd is not merely the sponsor, but a collaborative partner. Thanks to this sponsorship, SHAMANIC will use the latest State-Of-The Art technology, enabling both the art project and the business company to develop, trail and showcase new AV applications.

Independent charity Arts & Business Scotland is also providing match funding for War Productions Ltd’s sponsorship of SHAMANIC via its Culture & Business Fund Scotland. Launched in April 2017, the programme aims to encourage partnerships between businesses and the cultural sector by match-funding business sponsorship of cultural projects pound for pound. This match funding defines the importance of collaboration between business and the arts, which can benefit one another and most importantly, the Public.

Carl Watt, Heads of Programmes at Arts & Business Scotland, said: “Shamanic is an event born out of collaboration between artists, and War Production Ltd’s sponsorship is a great example of how businesses and cultural organisations can also come together to deliver something creative for mutual benefit. 

“We are delighted to support their partnership through our Culture & Business Fund Scotland and hope they will inspire other businesses and cultural organisations to work together to produce unique cultural projects in their local communities.”

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Scottish businesses urged to ‘make the most’ of Year of Young People through cultural support

 

Scotland’s business community should be making the most of 2018 as Scotland’s Year of Young People as an opportunity to cultivate their next generation of customers by supporting projects specifically aimed at improving youth engagement with culture. Continue reading Scottish businesses urged to ‘make the most’ of Year of Young People through cultural support

Arts & Business Scotland strengthens leadership team with four new Trustees

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Scottish arts and heritage “missing out on £millions in untapped legacy funding”

With sources of public funding under ongoing pressure, Scotland’s arts and heritage sectors could be missing out on millions of pounds of fundraising potential in the form of individual legacy giving, legacy fundraising expert Richard Radcliffe (above) has warned. Continue reading Scottish arts and heritage “missing out on £millions in untapped legacy funding”

Art installation captures unique ‘energy’ of Scottish community foundation

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Arts & Business Scotland becomes Living Wage employer

Scottish charity Arts & Business Scotland has been officially accredited as a Living Wage employer by the Living Wage Foundation and Scottish accreditation body, the Poverty Alliance, joining organisations in Scotland who have committed to paying their staff at least the Living Wage rate of £8.45 an hour. Continue reading Arts & Business Scotland becomes Living Wage employer

Call for new applications as Lothians benefit from over £2.8 million in business/arts partnership funding

Cultural organisations across Edinburgh and the Lothians are being urged to get their funding applications in now as a pioneering programme that promotes collaboration between Scottish business and culture celebrates a decade of success, investing more than £2.8 million across 175 individual arts and heritage projects in the Lothians. Continue reading Call for new applications as Lothians benefit from over £2.8 million in business/arts partnership funding