Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy and Cause4 have launched two partnerships and welcomed a new team member to help them take forward a programme of work around diversity and inclusion.

The first sees Inc Arts, a national body campaigning for increased inclusion in the arts sector workforce, tasked with developing a new programme for early stage fundraising Fellows, as well as managing communications initiatives to help broaden fundraising as a career choice across the arts and cultural sector.

This is led by its Director Amanda Parker, who will work closely with the Chair of the Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy Scrutiny Committee and non-Executive Director for lead partner Cause4 , Paul Amadi, who is currently Chief Supporter Officer at the British Red Cross and works with Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy to expand diversity and reach.

Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy and Cause4 will also be working in partnership with fundraising think tank Rogare on an intensive action research programme. In addition, the team is creating a new Diversity Champion role. Led by a current fundraising practitioner, this post will lead initiatives to engage fundraisers from the widest range of backgrounds into opportunities, development and training within arts fundraising.

The new strategic partnership with Rogare and its Director Ian MacQuillin will see Cause4 work on a research project exploring workforce development and career pathways into fundraising and development across the charitable sector.

The academic and action research programme will consider current entry routes into fundraising for school leavers and graduates, effective training and qualification routes and employer attitudes to fundraising. It will draw on best practice from other professions including apprenticeships through to chartered status and professional qualifications.  The aim is to synthesise new ideas from existing theory to professionalise fundraising, its entry routes and to broaden its appeal and wider diversity.

Michelle Wright, Programme Director of Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy and CEO of Cause4, commented:

“We have made some good interventions into widening and upskilling the fundraising workforce through initiatives like the Fundraising Fellowships programme and Culture Change but there is much more to do. It now feels essential to make urgent change in the essential area of diversity and inclusion. Amanda’s role and the partnership with Inc Arts will bring new impetus and ideas to this vital area of work.

“The partnership with Rogare will support us to build evidence about the barriers facing individuals in getting into fundraising and will help us build future training and development programmes based on need. It will inform our accredited programmes with partners the University of Leeds and the Arts Marketing Association starting from apprenticeships right through to PhD through face to face training and eLearning.”

Amanda Parker, Director of Inc Arts added:

“The importance of our sector’s fundraisers goes far beyond their role in supporting and sustaining arts creativity. Fundraisers are the sector’s most vocal and eloquent champions, there’s so much more for the sector to gain from having those with lived experience making the case for art that’s exciting and inclusive. Fundraisers are a vital part of ensuring that what gets made has inclusion at the heart. I’m excited about what we can do together to help create diverse champions, using their unique skills to support sector-wide change.”

You can read the original article by Melanie May on UK Fundraising here.