by Annie Jarvis
The Coronavirus Pandemic has had a substantial impact on the charity sector over the last eight months, with the creative sector alone expected to lose £77 billion in revenue in 2020[1]. We are now seeing what has been coined a ‘cultural catastrophe’, with arts, culture and heritage organisations closing doors, making redundancies and competing for funds in an exceptionally competitive environment.
During this uncertain and unsettling time, community engagement has become more important than ever before. organisations that are desperately finding ways to survive are reaching out to their communities to ask for help, while individuals are rallying together to support those most in need. if nothing else, covid-19 has taught us the importance of community spirit and the value of engaging with others during a time of need.
So why is community engagement more important than ever and how can we maximise this spirit to ensure not only survival, but also success?
Community engagement can serve as a lifeline for survival
As shown through the numerous crowdfunding campaigns publicised across the charity sector, engaging with communities has been crucial to enabling many cultural organisations to survive. for those that have lost considerable amounts of funding during the pandemic, asking their community for financial help has allowed them to remain open, keep staff employed and find new ways to deliver creative projects.
Those organisations that have embraced a combination of transparency, creativity and perseverance have seen success. for example, the Brunel Museum in South East London, has been completely honest with their communities about the impact of covid-19 on funding and delivery. through a clear covid-19 crisis appeal, plus an honest look at the future plans and fundraising needs of the organisation, the charity has laid out a clear path for potential supporters to provide help.
Equally, those organisations that have used creative ways to engage supporters such as videos, backing from patrons and celebrities, creative photography and graphics, and virtual events, have stood out and given themselves a platform from which to fundraise. collaborative practice such as the thunderbolt appeal run by venues as part of the Music venue trust, have seen success, enabling communities to imagine the venues reopening when we start to rebuild from covid-19.
The main points to learn from these examples are that if you want to engage your community to help fundraise for your organisation, you need to make sure you are being transparent with your audience, creative in your approach and consistent in your messaging.
Community engagement can help with brand recognition
long after the impact of covid-19, people will remember how organisations behaved. those organisations that have engaged with their communities beyond their normal remit and found a way to adapt their delivery have presented themselves as agile, resourceful and supportive. This image will not only be positive in the short-term, but will also likely have a lasting effect, with individuals recognising the ability to go above and beyond when it is needed the most.
One fantastic example is the charity peek and its new truck ‘peek-a-chew.’ With a crowdfunder launched to raise £20,000, the charity has been able to provide support to the local community by delivering food parcels, supplying arts and crafts and wellbeing packs to residents of Glasgow.
In addition, the USA has seen numerous cultural organisations transform their operations to provide community support. for example, the Mark Morris dance center 17 in Brooklyn became a distribution centre for local food provision, and organisations such as Apolla performance Wear began producing masks and other personal protective equipment like gowns and surgical caps. if you are looking to enhance your reputation and show your audience you care, consider the ways in which you can adapt to deliver more for your community. creative ways of helping such as hosting foodbanks, providing activities for young people, or working with partners to deliver new projects can really make a difference[2].
Community engagement can support decision-making
With a heightened level of uncertainty, engaging with the community can help cultural organisations reassess priorities and ensure they are aligning with the needs of their beneficiaries. at the heart of good community engagement is good communication, and those organisations that are likely to thrive are those that involve others in the decision-making process – looking out rather than in. the stretch charity, for example, is carrying out extensive consultation exercises with the community as it begins work on converting the Newgate Gap sea shelter in Margate into an outdoor art gallery and museum.
For those organisations that are keen to demonstrate strong community engagement, there are a range of methods, from public surveys, social media conversations, consultation exercises and focus groups, that enable you to communicate effectively with your beneficiaries and allow them to have a say in your work. those organisations that are likely to thrive are those that involve others in the decision-making process.
Community engagement has always been important for our sector, but now more than ever, we need to be transparent, collaborate with others, and support local needs – community spirit will be an essential part of arts organisations’ engagement well beyond 2020.
Community spirit will be an essential part of arts organisations’ engagement well beyond 2020