Essentials in Arts Fundraising (FutureLearn)

Essentials in Arts Fundraising (FutureLearn)

Develop practical skills to help you fundraise from a variety of sources and build resilience in arts and culture organisations. Learn how to fundraise effectively with arts and culture industry experts. External investment and philanthropy have always been crucial for arts and culture organisations. As the sector recovers from the pandemic, fundraising is more important than ever. This two-week course, led by experts in arts fundraising, will show you how to fundraise from a variety of sources to build resilience, even in times of crisis.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see FutureLearn's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Write a compelling fundraising application
You’ll learn to identify the criteria and strategies of the organisations that you are approaching. This knowledge will help you understand how to present a strong business case that explains the return on investment of your proposal and a clear budget that quickly shows what you’re trying to achieve.

Explore corporate sponsorship
You’ll be introduced to corporate sponsorship and understand what corporations are looking for when seeking partnerships with arts organisations. You’ll learn the benefits and challenges of working with a corporate partner and how to effectively identify, research, and approach partners that best represent your organisation’s unique values.

Design campaigns that promote individual giving and learn about digital fundraising
You’ll discover different types of individual giving programmes, understand what motivates people to give, and will design strategies to encourage donors to give. You’ll then be introduced to digital fundraising before exploring crowdfunding and how to develop appealing propositions suitable for your audiences.

What topics will you cover?

  • Introduction to fundraising, what makes effective and sustainable fundraising, and assessing potential income streams.
  • Writing effective fundraising applications.
  • Developing corporate sponsorship programmes: design, implementation, ethics and evaluation.
  • Creating individual giving schemes and exploring the different motivations of donors.
  • Making the most of digital fundraising possibilities.
  • Approaches to fundraising at times of crisis.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Investigate different sources of income and their potential for your organisation
  • Explore tools and tips for writing effective fundraising applications that reflect your organisation’s values and activities
  • Identify how to select appropriate corporate prospects, develop compelling proposals, and apply the language skills necessary to attract and sell arts programmes to businesses
  • Identify individual giving prospects by comparing and contrasting what motivates people to give, the internal and external factors that can influence donor relationships, and different fundraising opportunities that can target individual donors
  • Evaluate strategies for online fundraising and assess the usefulness of different tools to make the most out of digital fundraising
  • Evaluate fundraising strategies to manage risks and build resilience in times of crisis and for fundraising in the future

Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone working in the arts and culture industry who wants to take their first steps in fundraising.
It will be useful to businesses, artists, leaders, managers, trustees, volunteers and learners who are new to fundraising or require a refresher.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory and Practice (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Leiden University

Terrorism and Counterterrorism: Comparing Theory and Practice (FutureLearn)

Delve into the research behind terrorism as you unpack the assumptions and impacts of both terrorism and counterterrorism. Explore terrorism and counterterrorism studies. Terrorism has arguably been one of the defining factors of our age. It frequently makes headlines, threatening or attacking governments, private businesses, and ordinary citizens. In many parts of the world, it has been one of the most important threats to peace, security, and stability – but what does this mean exactly? On this six-week course from Leiden University, you’ll explore the essence of terrorism and discover why it is so difficult to define.

Apr 25th 2022
5-12 Weeks
Major and Principal Gifts (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Davis

Major and Principal Gifts (Coursera)

This course will provide a comprehensive view of major and principal gift development work for students who seek to build upon their experiences gained in the introductory session. Participants will gain an understanding of the philosophy and strategies implemented in major gift development including prospect identification, how to initially engage a potential major gift donor, the process of cultivation and moves management, effective proposal writing, making a successful ask and on-going donor stewardship.

Oct 19th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Interfaith Dialogue for Combating Extremism among Young People (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
European University Institute - EUI

Interfaith Dialogue for Combating Extremism among Young People (FutureLearn)

Explore the role of interfaith education in preventing forms of violent extremism and building resilient communities. Learn how interfaith dialogue builds resilience to the influences of extremism. On this course, you’ll be introduced to interfaith and learn how to implement interfaith initiatives to encourage understanding between faiths and communities.

Nov 28th 2022
3 Weeks
The Roles and Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards of Directors within the Governance Process (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

The Roles and Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards of Directors within the Governance Process (Coursera)

This course provides a more in-depth look at the roles and responsibilities of boards of directors in the governance of nonprofit organizations. While the course has been developed with North American culture in mind, we do appreciate that in other parts of the world, the nature of the roles and responsibilities of boards of directors may not be the same. Nevertheless,it is our hope that much of the course content will still be of value to those in other parts of the world.

Oct 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher (Coursera) Coursera
University of Cape Town

Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher (Coursera)

Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases there is no allowance made for education of Deaf children at all. This 4 week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically, emotionally, and socially.

Oct 12th 2026
4 Weeks
How to Build Your Creative Resilience (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
D&AD

How to Build Your Creative Resilience (FutureLearn)

Discover how to improve your creative process and build your resilience within the creative industry. Become better equipped to handle the pressures of creative work. In today’s world, change is part of everyday life. How you cope with it, overcome it, and roll with the punches is your resilience. This course is aimed at those in creative industries, where there are unique challenges. From client pitches and burn-out to the constant pressure to have brilliant ideas.

May 23rd 2022
3 Weeks
Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Social Work Practice: Advocating Social Justice and Change (Coursera)

In this course, you will learn how social workers in the United States engage in creating change and supporting the resilience of individuals, families and communities in this new era. Learners will have an opportunity to explore the social work profession, the different roles of social workers in a range of settings, the cross cutting themes that guide social work practice, the history of social work, and current challenges.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Staying Safe: How to be Prepared in the Modern World (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Emergency Planning College - EPC

Staying Safe: How to be Prepared in the Modern World (FutureLearn)

Have you ever considered what you would do in an emergency situation? How would you keep yourself and others safe? Understand keeping yourself and others safe in the event of an emergency. In today’s uncertain world, it’s important to understand the likelihood of an emergency situation occurring, and how to be more prepared. Daily emergencies happen worldwide, however hearing about them depends on your location and the circumstances of the emergency.

No sessions available
3 Weeks
Leadership in Arts Fundraising (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Leeds,Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy

Leadership in Arts Fundraising (FutureLearn)

Learn effective leadership for successful fundraising and sustainable business development in the arts and cultural sector. Explore techniques to lead effective arts fundraising. This three-week course will help you understand your role as a leader in developing and embedding fundraising within your organisation.

Self Paced
3 Weeks
Climate Resilience and Adaptation for Rural Roads (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Birmingham

Climate Resilience and Adaptation for Rural Roads (FutureLearn)

Find out how planners and road designers can manage the effect of climate change and extreme weather on rural roads. Discover how rural roads can become more resilient to changing weather patterns. We already know that climate change is having a significant impact on temperature, rainfall and wind speed.

No sessions available
3 Weeks
Professional Resilience: Building Skills to Thrive (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Deakin University

Professional Resilience: Building Skills to Thrive (FutureLearn)

Learn how to become more resilient in your personal and professional life. In a fast-paced world facing complex global challenges resilience is no longer just a desirable skill - it’s a crucial one. Having a high level of professional and emotional resilience enables you to thrive in the face of stressful situations at work, and in life in general. On this course, you’ll learn what resilience is. You’ll explore the capabilities, skills, and self-care practices that contribute to building resilience.

No sessions available
2 Weeks