June - November 2012
Registration Closed on June 15, 2012

The Fundraising Lab is designed to help leadership teams from New York City’s small to mid-sized nonprofit arts education providers increase their organizations’ development capacity, broaden their base of support, diversify revenue streams, and raise more money.

The Lab will provide both training and consulting services, enabling teams not only to learn about but implement effective development practices that can take their organizations to the next level.

Participating teams will deepen their understanding of human motivations for helping and giving, and of how to build lasting relationships with supportive networks.

Guided by expert coaches, each team will craft or refine an organizational development plan, addressing its specific fundraising challenges and opportunities. From there, coaches can guide the development of prospect lists, fundraising appeals, cultivation plans, giving strategies, and more.

Running from June through November 2012, the program consists of three interrelated parts:

Intake Interview
(90 minutes, scheduled at the mutual convenience of your team and your consultant)

Conducted prior to the first workshop on June 26, this initial meeting between your team and your coach will familiarize him or her with your organization’s mission, history, programs, finances, organizational strategies and tactics, personnel (staff and board), and the communities you serve.

Your coach will ask you to describe how your organization has developed in recent years, what organizational activities/strategies underlie its success, what obstacles stand in the way of continued development, how your team imagines addressing those obstacles, and what resources are needed to address them successfully. This information will enable your coach to fine-tune workshop content to meet your needs and develop a better sense of what specific organizational development strategies may be most helpful to you.

Workshops
(10:00 am – 4:30 pm on Tuesday, June 26 and October 2012, date TBD)

Two in-depth workshops, presented in New York City, will focus on the theory and practice of fundraising and organizational development with an emphasis on practical tips. The first workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, June 26; the second one will be held in October, on a date to be scheduled once all teams have registered.

During the workshops, your team will have the time to reflect and collaborate on your development plan, prospect research, and cultivation and giving opportunities. You’ll also have the opportunity to share your questions and experiences with coaches and teams from other participating organizations.

Coaching
(five or more 90 minute sessions held at the mutual convenience of you and your coach)

Each participating team will receive five or more 90-minute, customized consulting sessions with expert coaches. Coaches will address needs identified during intake interviews and provide guidance on an array of development and fundraising activities such as designing an annual appeal, fundraising events, or capacity building campaign; strategizing approaches to individual and institutional funders; reviewing and editing appeal letters, proposals, case statements, etc.; assisting in the development and use of case/vision statements; participating in the formulation of a long-term development/fundraising strategy; and more.

2012 Schedule

May 7 – June 15:  Registration
June 1 – 15:  Intake Interviews
June 26:  First Workshop
July – November:  Consulting Sessions*
October (Date TBD):  Second Workshop
December 15:  Evaluation Completed

Eligibility

Nonprofit arts education organizations in existence for at least three years, based in New York City, and with budgets between $100,000 and $1.2 million are eligible to participate. Up to 10 organizations will be selected.

Team Composition

Each participating organization is encouraged to field a three person leadership team comprised of the executive director or equivalent, the president of the board of directors or another key board member such as the development chair, and one other staff or board member, preferably a development staffer, if such a position exists within the organization. Team members must agree to participate collectively in the intake interview, workshops and consulting sessions.

Cost

Thanks to generous underwriting from the New York Community Trust, participating organizations will pay only a small fraction of the actual expenses. Though the per organization cost for the training and coaching exceeds $3,000, participation fees range from just $275 to $695 per organization, based on budget size and membership status.