David Hall, chief executive, Foyle Foundation

INCREASING THE FLOW OF CAPITAL FOR GOOD - INVESTING AND GIVING

Magazine article

The 10 action points seem to me to be sensible and practical in general. Some points such as promoting and increasing planned giving including legacies plus increasing giving from international donors are welcome longer term issues and are likely not to generate much in the short term.

Philanthropy certainly can and I believe should become a bigger part of the mixed funding economy. It has done so over the last 10 years and as individual giving to the arts is still in its infancy as compared to other charity sectors there is still some way to go in order to fulfill its maximum potential. However there needs to be a dose of realism, better fundraising needs investment and takes time to develop – there are few quick fixes and also it is unlikely that over the next 4 years increase in giving could make up for 15% or more funding cuts from the public purse.

Developing fundraising skills across the arts sector, in particular, individual giving seems to me to be crucial, particularly outside London, and the proposed £80m matched fund could be a useful catalyst for this.

In my experience, matched giving does boost philanthropy so I am sure the £80m scheme will have some effect and could be particularly helpful to smaller organisations. The problem is at present we do not know what the remit or aims of the fund are; these need to be very clear and measurable.

I am sceptical about getting more from the business sector as they also support homelessness, social welfare, education, environment and other good causes not just the arts. Also their giving is skewed towards London and there is little significant giving in the regions.

The most crucial action points for me are to develop fundraising skills and capacity across the sector and to share best practice – this could have a fairly immediate impact.

Promoting and increasing planned giving is a welcome long-term initiative which widens the funding debate and I am glad this is now being discussed so opening up this issue and another element of the funding mix for the arts.

It is good to see endowments on that agenda – though this is a very long-term strategy and an aspirational rather than achievable one for many arts organisations at present.

In the short-term there are more pressing immediate funding needs. For those who are more advanced in funding from individual giving then they can widen their strategy to start subtle targeting for legacies as part of their long-term funding and legacies, or one off special windfalls could boost existing or kick start endowments or smaller pots of restricted funding.

Harnessing increased use of digital technology is also important and will become more so as each year passes, also important is reaching and communicating with younger people/supporters;

Perhaps Arts Council England should take the lead in funding courses and seminars (run by others not them) to boost fundraising skills and sharing of best practice. There is the need for tax incentives to be widened to encourage more lifetime, not just legacy giving and donations of works of art.

David Hall
Prior to becoming The Foyle Foundation’s founding chief executive, David Hall was a lead consultant at AEA Management Consultants. He specialised in strategic development and business planning within the arts and heritage sectors. He also appraised major capital projects for the Arts Council of England, Scottish Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Fund. He is a member of the Development Council of the National Theatre and its Planning & Strategy Group, an adviser to Money Models Mission and is a member of the Engagement, Education & Access Committee of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

The Foyle Foundation
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