This learning kit offers a basic understanding of fundraising as the process of gathering voluntary contributions of money or other resources by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Fundraising is treated in a twofold manner – as activities, methods, and strategies that help organisations acquire critical funding, while at the same time raising awareness of certain heritage-related issues or causes.
The publication brings inspiring cases from civil society organisations across Europe that go beyond the ‘best practices’ of big actors. It presents the diversity of scope, topics, heritage areas, methods, and modalities of fundraising that civil society organisations (CSOs) in diverse parts of Europe use to sustain their work and increase interest in heritage within and beyond their environment.
The Learning Kit on Fundraising for Heritage Civil Society Organisations gathers four different ways to approach the topic of fundraising, depending on interests and needs. The first chapter is more conceptual, looking at the political trends and changes in the contemporary fundraising landscape and discussing their influence on CSOs working in heritage.
The latter two parts of this learning kit are more practical. The second chapter offers suggestions on diverse stages of the fundraising process, as well as questions that can help in preparing, implementing, and evaluating fundraising efforts. The third chapter provides an overview of nine inspiring fundraising approaches, each illustrated with thoughtful examples from across Europe.
The Learning Kit on Fundraising for Heritage Civil Society Organisations was issued by Europa Nostra with the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
