Latest Blog Posts

The five common questions about the National Arts Fundraising School

11th February 2019 by Bernard Ross
1801 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

4th January 2019 by Bernard Ross
1593 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…

29th October 2018 by Bernard Ross
1481 Views

The Power of the Network

26th September 2018 by Dana Segal
1420 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

29th August 2018 by Anna Esslemont
681 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

19th June 2018 by Anna Esslemont
658 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)

23rd April 2018 by Dana Segal
518 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)

19th April 2018 by Dana Segal
615 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)

19th April 2018 by Dana Segal
638 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)

17th April 2018 by Dana Segal
586 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)

16th April 2018 by Dana Segal
598 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

12th April 2018 by Anna Esslemont
803 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.

Using behavioural economics in arts & culture fundraising

28th February 2018 by Dana Segal
585 Views

Dana Segal, NAFS tutor and =mc Partner Consultant blogs on her experience at the Change for Good using Behavioural Economics seminar, and discusses how and why arts organisations should be looking to use these techniques in their fundraising.

Thinking about investing in arts fundraising training? 5 tough questions to ask your supplier before deciding

30th January 2018 by Anna Esslemont
543 Views

It’s never been more important to invest in skills and knowledge about private fundraising in the arts. These are tough times.

Perfect timing – Rachel Cockett, Director of Development, Birmingham Museums Trust

28th September 2017 by Rachel Cockett
634 Views

hortly after she took up her first fundraising role at Birmingham Museums Trust, a promotional leaflet falling out of a magazine led Rachel Cockett to the National Arts Fundraising School at the exactly the right time. Find out how it gave her the skills and confidence to take the Trust to a whole new level of fundraising success.