5 Creative Fundraising Event Ideas for Arts Organizations

Whether you run a dance studio, local theater program, art gallery, or another type of arts organization, your mission likely revolves around inspiring creativity and bringing the arts to life. However, this work often requires supplementing the income you generate through dedicated fundraising campaigns and events.

Although fundraising can seem mundane compared to your other operations, don’t let your creativity fall by the wayside. In this guide, we’ll provide engaging fundraising event ideas specifically geared toward art organizations so you can plan an event that reflects your work and values all while maximizing attendance and hitting your fundraising goals.

1. Themed Auction

Auctions are tried and true fundraising events. Participants love the opportunity to take home a prize in exchange for their donations.

Tailor your auction to your organization and audience by selecting an appropriate theme, such as:

• Ultimate artists’ auction. Auction off artwork donated by local artists, such as paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and mixed media pieces, and organize them by style or artist. You may also compile art supply kits that include easels, canvases, palettes, paints, and paint brushes to cater to attendees who are artists themselves.
• Meet Me on Broadway auction. Bring a taste of Broadway to your auction by offering tickets to local theater or Broadway shows, backstage tours, cast meet and greets, and signed playbills. Since theater tickets can be expensive, work with your event sponsors to cover the costs.
• Music lovers’ auction. Compile auction items of music lovers’ dreams, such as popular albums signed by their respective artists, concert tickets, music festival passes, private music or voice lessons, and band posters.
• Dance enthusiasts’ auction. Dance studios or organizations may feature items like dancewear, vouchers for free tuition to dance conventions or workshops, private dance lessons, custom costumes, and certificates for waived competition fees.

Give attendees another chance to take home a prize at your auction by offering raffle baskets, which include multiple small items, usually all related to a central theme. Sell raffle tickets at check-in, and announce raffle winners at the end of the auction to keep attendees engaged throughout the event.

2. Performance Showcase

Show off your group’s artistic talents and raise money for your organization with a performance showcase. If you run a performance-based organization, you likely already host regular shows or annual recitals, so why not open them up to a wider audience?

Let’s say you run a dance studio. You could use your dance studio app to inform your dance students and parents about the performance well in advance and to encourage them to invite friends and family.

Then, promote the event to the greater public. You may use a combination of the following marketing strategies to promote your showcase:

• Social media
• Email newsletters
• Flyers or posters
• Local media outlets
• SMS marketing

DanceStudio-Pro’s dance studio marketing guide recommends using organic social media posts for event promotion since they “help establish your brand identity and allow you to share regular updates on studio activities and events.” No matter which channels you use, post photos and videos from past performances to entice your audience to attend and give them a sneak peek of what they can expect.

3. Cultural Festival

Partner with other arts organizations to host a cultural festival that celebrates diversity through art, music, theater, and dance. Invite food vendors so attendees can taste foods from different cultures as they enjoy performances by local artists and organizations.

To host a successful festival, make sure to:

• Choose a date carefully. One of the first steps in planning your event’s logistics is choosing an event date. Since cultural festivals are large undertakings that involve many participants and attendees, pick and share your event date well in advance. Avoid any holidays when many people may be out of town, and consider hosting your festival in the spring or fall when temperatures are milder.
• Select the right venue. Your venue should be able to accommodate your expected number of attendees and vendors as well as a performance space. You may select a park, community center, or your organization’s facility if you have space. Alternatively, work with community leaders of your local town or neighborhood to block off streets where people can safely participate in your event. Be sure to secure any necessary permits or licenses if you choose this option.
• Register attendees ahead of time. Avoid the hassle of in-person sign-ups by registering attendees ahead of time. Using event registration software, you can efficiently collect participant data and communicate important event details.

Help attendees remember your festival and earn more for your organization by selling branded or event-themed merchandise. When attendees wear this merchandise out and about, they can also build brand awareness for your organization and encourage people to attend future events.

4. Film Screening

Whether you run a film-related organization or a different type of arts group, showing a movie or short film is a great way to bring your community together and raise funds to fuel your mission. Film-specific organizations may feature recent critically acclaimed movies, indie films, or short films produced by their members.

For those who run other arts groups, consider showing a documentary related to your industry, a musical, or a performance-based movie. For example, dance studios may screen Step Up whereas a theater group may show the movie version of the stage musical In the Heights.

Work with a local movie theater to see if they’ll permit you to host your screening there. Alternatively, you can create a DIY movie setup at your organization’s facility using a TV or projector. No matter which venue you choose, you can raise extra funds by selling popular movie snacks like popcorn, pretzels, and candy.

5. Artist Workshop Series

Inspire members of your community to tap into their inner artists by hosting an artist workshop series. Invite local artists to teach participants new techniques or lead them in creating original, self-directed pieces.

Equip participants with all the materials they may need, such as:

• Smocks
• Canvases
• Easels
• Paints
• Palettes
• Paint brushes
• Clay
• Sketchbooks
• Colored pencils

Since this is a hands-on event that requires an interest in art, you should put some extra thought into your marketing strategy to effectively reach your target audience. NXUnite by Nexus Marketing’s nonprofit event planning guide recommends creating an event attendee persona to keep your promotional efforts focused and tailor your event to your audience’s interests and needs.

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No matter which type of fundraising event your arts organization hosts, remember to thank attendees promptly after your event. In your thank-you messages, express your appreciation for their support, and consider adding a link to a post-event survey so you can gain insights into the attendee experience that will help you improve future events.