Creative Partnerships Australia’s State Managers offer tailored advice on a range of organisational and individual needs through our coaching and mentoring service. Providing bespoke support to organisations and their boards, they work directly with artists and arts organisations to strengthen their capacity to raise private sector funds and to promote sustainability in the arts fundraising profession.

Coaching and mentoring from State Managers improves fundraising readiness across a range of key areas including fundraising strategy, identifying innovative revenue sources and securing effective and mutually beneficial business partnerships. Our State Managers provide arts organisations with the skills to fundraise in a way that works best for them and yields long-term results.

This year, a total of 617 coaching and mentoring sessions with 457 artists and arts organisations occurred across Australia. There was a continued focus on small to medium companies as they sought advice and knowledge on challenges unique to this segment of the arts sector, such as practical fundraising planning, identifying key fundraising messages and discovering their base of support. As many of these organisations operate without dedicated fundraising staff, coaching from our State Managers allows them to develop an effective and resourceful fundraising strategy.

Some of the companies that participated in state-based coaching and mentoring this year include:

ACT Writers Centre (ACT)   Belconnen Arts Centre (ACT)   Canberra Youth Theatre (ACT)  
  Carriageworks (NSW)   Cementa (NSW)   Urban Theatre Projects (NSW)   Biennale of Sydney (NSW)   Darwin Visual Arts Association (NT)   Darwin Festival (NT)   Durrmu Arts
Aboriginal Corporation (NT)   Watch This Space (NT)   NT Writers’ Centre (NT)   Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (QLD)   Dancenorth (QLD)   Flipside Circus (QLD)   Heart of Cold International Short Film Festival (QLD)   4ZZZ Creative Broadcasters (QLD)   Adelaide Festival of Arts (SA)   Adelaide Fringe (SA)   Carclew (SA)   State Opera of South Australia (SA)   Green Music Australia (TAS)   Stompin (TAS)   Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TAS)   Terrapin Puppet Theatre (TAS)   Australian International Documentary Conference (VIC)   Centre for Contemporary Photography (VIC)   Duldig Studio (VIC)   Next Wave (VIC)   Stephanie Lake Company (VIC)   Wangaratta Jazz Festival (VIC)   Barking Gecko Theatre Company (WA)   Burbury Regional Art Galleries (WA)   CinefestOZ (WA)   Freeze Frame Opera Inc (WA)

Coaching and Mentoring Case Study: Watch This Space

Based in Alice Springs/Mparntwe, Central Australia, Watch This Space is an Artist Run Initiative (ARI) focused on contemporary experimental arts. They provide a constructive environment for artists to develop, collaborate and experiment through exhibitions, residencies, festivals and performances within a supportive onsite studio community, all of which requires consistent donations and philanthropic support to ensure successful operation.

Through the support and guidance of our bespoke coaching and mentoring service, Watch This Space worked with Creative Partnerships Australia’s State Manager for the Northern Territory to set strong and achievable organisational goals to lead their organisation into the future. This lead to launching 25 More, a campaign to celebrate 25 years of the organisation’s operation. The aim of this campaign was to build donor support and ensure Watch This Space was well placed to support their local community for another 25 years. Advice focussed on developing a structured approach to philanthropy, culminating in a revitalised vision to convert strong community support for the ARI. Their campaign raised $25,000 from individual donations and increased their donor base from four to 140, enabling the development of new media and business partnerships.

With ongoing coaching and mentoring, Watch This Space remains committed to developing sustainable fundraising strategies, utilising the skills learnt from their successful campaign to increase philanthropic donations and partnerships.

“With the funds raised we will continue creating and presenting new artistic work in our unique context; keep expenses down for exhibiting and resident artists; support the development, production and promotion of new work; and provide travel funds for Central Australian artists to ‘go there’ and interstate artists to ‘come here’,” says Godoroja-Prieckaerts, Director of Watch This Space.

Case Study: Duldig Studio – museum + sculpture garden

Duldig Studio – museum + sculpture garden is an active teaching space for Victorian students of all ages to engage in the creation of sculpture, painting and drawing. On receiving Plus1 in 2018-19, Duldig Studio engaged with Creative Partnerships Australia’s State Manager for Victoria and Tasmania to help guide their Plus1 fundraising strategy.

Through a series of consultations, Duldig Studio devised a project plan that included an art auction, enhancing their individual giving programs and aligning a leveraged fundraising program over and above the Plus1 campaign. All of the strategies outlined in their fundraising campaign were a success, reaching their $20,000 target which was matched by Creative Partnerships Australia.

“The Creative Partnerships Australia Plus1 pledge gave the studio the confidence to invite multiple participants, donors and sponsors to become part of its fundraising project and contribute to the care and presentation of its significant art and history collections. Fundraising with the encouragement of Creative Partnerships Australia proved capacity building for Duldig Studio and was excellent for the museum’s profile and networks,” says Lyndel Wischer, Museum Director Duldig Studio – museum + sculpture garden.

Duldig Studio – museum + sculpture garden will use these funds to produce several short
videos to document and define the Duldig collection to new audiences. These videos will
inspire a new generation of artists and will be played to over 20 school and tertiary classes
who visit the studio every year.