Building your Donor Community
Dates
25 Nov 2026 -25 Nov 2026
Course Type
OnlineLength
1 x half dayPrice
£45 + VATLevel
Suitable for all levels
Building your Donor Community
Strong individual giving programmes are built on relationships, not transactions. This practical course from Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy is designed for arts, culture and heritage professionals looking to develop a new individual giving scheme that creates long-term support for their organisation.
Whether you are considering a donor circle, supporter programme, patron scheme, or another form of giving initiative, this course will give you the skills and confidence to build meaningful relationships with supporters and develop a compelling offer aligned with your organisation’s mission, values and ambitions.
Through a focus on relationship fundraising, you will explore how to attract, engage and steward supporters over time, creating a community of advocates who are invested in your organisation’s success.
Who is it for?
This course is ideal for arts, culture and heritage fundraisers who are new to individual giving and want to establish or grow a donor community around their organisation. It is particularly relevant for those exploring donor circles, supporter programmes, patron schemes or other relationship-based approaches to fundraising and philanthropy. Please note that this course will not focus on memberships or low-level giving.
The course will help you:
- Think strategically about whether an individual giving scheme is right for your organisation
- Design and position a donor circle, supporter programme or giving offer
- Understand the role of staff, trustees and ambassadors in successful individual giving
- Develop a realistic business case and cost-benefit analysis
- Identify, research and prioritise prospective supporters
- Create effective stewardship and engagement journeys
- Communicate impact in ways that inspire long-term support
- Build stronger relationships that lead to repeat and increased giving
This course will be delivered virtually via zoom on Wednesday 25th November 2026 – 10am to 1pm
Alongside access to this live course, you will receive follow-up resources and guidance from Arts Fundraising & Philanthropy, as well as access to our alumni network, offering first-hand insights of new opportunities and discounts on future courses.
Price
The cost of this 3-hour online course is £45 + VAT.
A concession rate of £30+ VAT is available for freelancers and organisations with a turnover of £500,000 or under. To access the concession rate, please email artsfundraising@cause4.co.uk
Package Deal! Book four courses for the price of three. Whether you are booking four places on one course or four separate courses, pay for three and get the fourth completely free! Just get in touch with us at artsfundraising@cause4.co.uk once you have booked and paid for your first three spaces to receive your free code!
Refund Policy
Please see https://artsfundraising.org.uk/courses/ for our refund policy
We believe everyone in the cultural sector deserves access to fundraising skills. That’s why we offer a low-cost entry point to our arts fundraising training programme via our £10 bursary tickets. If you’d like to receive a bursary ticket, please complete this form and we’ll be in touch with more details.
Trainer: Jack Charlesworth
This course will be delivered by Jack Charlesworth, whose career has spanned arts fundraising, commercial strategy and philanthropic development across the cultural sector. Jack is a Trustee of Forma arts and Board member of the Development Committee at the South London Gallery.
He has extensive experience in designing and developing patron schemes, donor communities, strategic partnerships and philanthropic initiatives, with a particular focus on building meaningful relationships between supporters, artists and cultural organisations.
Programme staff
