Latest Blog Posts

The five common questions about the National Arts Fundraising School

11 Feb 2019 by Bernard Ross
1625 Views

Maybe the challenges you face are more regarding your own questions about the National Arts Fundraising School. Below we tackle some of the common ones.

Five reasons not to come to the National Arts Fundraising School

04 Jan 2019 by Bernard Ross
1457 Views

Before you try to persuade someone to support your attendance at the School ask yourself five key questions. If you can answer ‘yes’ to most of these then you won’t benefit. If you answer ‘no’, then you definitely should come.

Halloween? Spooks? Witches? Creepy Crawlies? Hah! The real Halloween terror is within…

29 Oct 2018 by Bernard Ross
1323 Views

The Power of the Network

26 Sep 2018 by Dana Segal
1287 Views

With over 1,800 people trained through the National Arts Fundraising School over the past 30 years, the alumni network is an amazing source of advice, guidance and support when you leave the school.

Lucy McNally reviewing some print with a fellow participant on NAFS in 2016

Alumna interview: Lucy McNally shares her story – NAFS and beyond

29 Aug 2018 by Anna Esslemont
545 Views

Lucy McNally attended the National Arts Fundraising School in 2016, three years after joining LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) as Development Manager (Individual Giving). We caught up with her to find out what impact the School had.

Fundraising in the arts might feel like an uphill battle… but to challenge is to change

19 Jun 2018 by Anna Esslemont
517 Views

One of our newest Alumni, Suzanne McLellan, Marketing and Audience Development Manager at The Gaiety Theatre in Ayr describes her experience on the School.

Live from NAFS: Dana’s blog (day 5 & 6)

23 Apr 2018 by Dana Segal
378 Views

Today’s blog will be my final blog – because I feel like it sums up the whole week in one simple act. You may ask yourself – how quickly can the learning on NAFS be implemented? The answer? As quickly as you read that last sentence.

Two wooden marrionettes in different gestures and poses.

Live from NAFS: Dana’s blog (day 4)

19 Apr 2018 by Dana Segal
465 Views

Day four at NAFS prepares our attendees for the all important pitch (if you know someone who has been on the course… ask them about the pitch task!) and our communications expert Jules Bellingham takes attendees through the part of the ‘ask’ that, ironically, we think about the least… the physical experience of it.

Live from NAFS: Dana’s blog (Day 3)

19 Apr 2018 by Dana Segal
500 Views

Company giving has had a lot of press lately: most recently an artist led campaign that meant BAE recalled their sponsorship of the Great Exhibition of the North – which means that cultural organisations have to consider whether they want to pursue corporate support at all, let alone how they want to go about it.

Live from NAFS: Dana’s blog (Day 2)

17 Apr 2018 by Dana Segal
456 Views

“One of the most powerful words in fundraising is ‘imagine’. Imagine if you could change this today. Imagine if you could stop this forever. Imagine if you could make this happen.” Day two at the National Arts Fundraising School kicks off with Director of the school, Bernard Ross, encouraging our attendees to re-imagine their own […]

Live from NAFS: Dana’s blog (day 1)

16 Apr 2018 by Dana Segal
472 Views

Fresh from day one of the first of our 30th anniversary Schools in 2018, tutor Dana Segal shares her thoughts…

Alumna interview: Lucy Blythe’s story – over 25 years of fundraising

12 Apr 2018 by Anna Esslemont
619 Views

Lucy Blythe is one of the outstanding fundraisers of her generation – having held the most senior roles at a number of leading arts and cultural agencies including the RSA, The Victoria And Albert Museum and Kew Gardens. Across these agencies she has led a number of successful high-profile campaigns and projects.