Vox pop

“Charitable giving overall might be down but there are strong pockets of success. The Art Fund has raised and given away more than £6m to museums in the last year.

The response to our appeal to buy Yinka Shonibare’s Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle for the National Maritime Museum has also been strong so far through our first SMS text giving campaign.

Of course it’s tough out there – exactly why the government’s focus on philanthropy is so welcome.

The individual measures announced so far – such as the tax incentive for lifetime gifts to museums – won’t change the world overnight. But as a package, they signal a commitment to building a ‘culture of giving’, and provide a hook to start conversations with prospective supporters.”


“Yes it is wrong. Philanthropy has an important role in the sector and culture in general but, in my view, to place such heavy emphasis on it runs the risk of devaluing our contribution to society.

Chasing philanthropic support could shift our focus to those activities prioritised by givers, with a consequent failure to recognise and value the other outcomes of our work such as civic pride, social cohesion, improved life chances, increased self esteem and other ‘soft’ outcomes that are challenging to quantify but mean so much.

The value of such cultural outcomes is as significant to the fabric of society as decent housing, the emergency services and welfare state. To place excessive importance on philanthropy is to fail to recognise this.”


“No, provided the government works with us to increase the number of philanthropists supporting museums. Philanthropy is more than another source of income.

It is a mutually beneficial way of engaging people – we keep our donors involved and well-informed and the success and sustainability of our organisation is important to them.

It creates a different dynamic and makes us think carefully about why donors support us. Usually, it is the quality of our programme that attracts their interest and then we talk about what they want to support: exhibitions, publications, new developments.

If giving doesn’t increase, there will be more competition for the same resources, so we must persuade new donors of the value of supporting museums.”


“The reality is in a time when public sector funding is in steep decline, we all have to look at diversifying our funding sources. It is therefore right that philanthropy in all its forms is developed, from members’ schemes and crowd sourcing, through to cultivation of benefactors.

Most of our museums started that way in the 19th century and we have a great opportunity to reconnect local supporters back to our institutions through new models of support.

However, there is no quick fix for the sector. Recognition that this is evolution not revolution is crucial to this change, as is a need to develop new skills and learn from others in order to stand a chance of succeeding.”