If you can raise money for the arts in hard times, you can do it any time…

Five ways CAA-funded community foundations grew arts funds in the worst year since the Depression
Most nonprofit fundraisers are glad to see the calendar turn to 2010—personal donations in 2009 declined while social needs skyrocketed. During this tumultuous time, the arts giving landscape might have been bleak, but it was far from barren.

Powerful message + Memorable event = New momentum

An Evening of Song & Poetry
Community Foundation Sonoma County
What can a community do when economic recession threatens local arts organizations and makes donors cautious about their giving? In Sonoma County, these scary circumstances led to a strategy for showcasing local arts—while helping donors reconnect to their passion for creativity in community.

The art of strategic events for donors

Planning guide
Art brings people together. So it’s natural for community foundations to place art—and artists—at the center of events intended to deepen donor engagement. The opportunities for creativity are endless. Receptions in private sculpture gardens, intimate readings by award-winning authors, road trips to major galleries, dinners celebrating up-and-coming artists, and behind-the-scenes tours are just a [...]

Looking into the future of art

Sonoma County
Emerging Artist Awards 2008
It’s one program with two benefits. The Sonoma County Artist Awards boost the reputations of working artists early in their careers, and raise public awareness of local arts. The awards are a collaboration of the arts community, with leadership from the county’s Arts Council and Community Foundation.

Answering the million-dollar question…

Why Support the Arts?
It’s a communications conundrum. Community arts leaders have plenty to say about why donors should invest in this arena, but it can be challenging to find the best ways to express these messages.
There’s the question of what to state first. Some professionals say lead with instrumental benefits—the role arts play in boosting [...]

Mixing, matching artists and donors has rewards

Sonoma County Emerging Artists Fund
Raising permanent funds for arts and helping local artists launch careers are two challenges faced by many communities. Both led to one solution in Sonoma County: an Emerging Artists Fund. It connects the power of endowment giving to the value of providing early support to artists. And it has real [...]

Arts, the democratic ideal, and community leadership

Community Foundation Sonoma County
“The arts are common ground for community, a meeting ground,” says Melissa Kester, Arts Development Officer for Community Foundation Sonoma County. “It’s about expressing different points of view, understanding things in new ways, and coming together around shared experiences.” This insight opens a window for viewing the foundation’s partnership with its local [...]