Giving Groups and Syndicates for Arts and Culture Organisations

A syndicate (or giving group) is a group of individuals who come together to support a project that appeals to a specific passion. The project could be a production, commission, exhibition, acquisition, concert etc, but should have a clear theme, not be generic. I.e. if you’re a festival, the syndicate should be around one particular concert or event, not the entire festival, for which you’ll have Members/Major Donor opportunities.

Bring together a small number of donors who each make a major gift to the project, and make that group feel part of the project’s journey, part of the family. I suggest six to 12 members. Too few members and you wont build a community/group feel and you risk the syndicate feeling unpopular, rather than exclusive. Remember, small groups mean just as much stewarding as large groups – but less income! Too many members and the group can become unmanageable, and events don’t feel intimate and exclusive.

Plan to host a number of special events through the project’s life cycle for your syndicate (how many depends of the scope of the project and the gift you’re asking for membership). These should be behind the scenes, money can’t buy access, e.g. rehearsal or artists’ studio visits or conversations with departments that donors wouldn’t usually meet. E.g. casting. A major motivation to membership for donors is to learn more about a subject they love, so make sure you include some insight events, talks and panel discussions with experts and creatives behind the project.

Make sure that you’re not over promising and under delivering benefits and be careful to avoid exceeding the statutory maximum benefit value (check HMRC guidelines).

Donor’s love getting special access to repertoire (or artists etc) that they’re passionate about and learning more about that repertoire (or artist etc). The opportunity to share their passion with likeminded company at events, talks and performances is also a great motivator – make your syndicate a community. You can also foster a genuine feeling of donors personally enabling an artist (or repertoire etc) to continue being programmed by being part of a major funding stream for it.

For fundraisers syndicates are a great source of major funding. You can use it to awaken major gifts from your membership base and to cultivating gifts from audiences who are not interested in membership programmes / annual giving and so may not have been on your radar. Syndicate membership gives a great taster of year-round major donor experience – and might allow you to convert them. Syndicates are also a great opportunity for planned giving.

Your prospects for syndicates are individuals whose behaviours identify them as lovers of the project’s subject. E.g. if you’re creating a syndicate for a Benjamin Britten opera, who has identified themselves as a Britten fan…donors to previous Britten operas; regular, repeated, early, and large bookings to Britten operas and similar composers; members of Britten societies or organisations associated with his work; fans of artists involved in the production.

Cultivating can be done directly (see the previous blog on first contact and cultivation meetings with major donors) and through cultivation events. A cultivation event can bring together lots of prospects, to a talk, short performance, or panel discussion featuring artists involved in the project or external experts in the subject matter. Make sure the event is attractive (nice venue, profile speakers, a performance, drinks reception etc), and that you make a clear, direct ask to join the syndicate and aim to confirm membership at the event. These events give prospects a taste of syndicate life and are a cost and time effective method of cultivating.

The very best way of doing this is to give syndicate members a fantastic and truly memorable experience through the syndicate lifecycle. If you have future programming in good time, I encourage you to begin the syndicate cultivation process from a position of planned giving (i.e. talk about a multi-year syndicate membership for a particular strand of your programming). If that’s not possible, then begin talking to your syndicate members about future projects as soon as you can during the experience. Make sure that you’re thanking members regularly and in creative ways (e.g. a small prop from a production, or framed production photo). Produce and circulate a detailed report of the project, showing clear impacts of the syndicate’s support on your organisation, artists, audiences etc. Don’t let your relationships go cold, make the ask for next season’s project while members are still on the high of success of this project and maintain regular, personal, contact.

Dominic has previously been Head of Development & Communications at English Touring Opera and Development Director at Spitalfields Music. As Executive Producer, Dominic oversaw the development of OperaUpClose from start-up, to a national and international touring company. He is a Trustee of Talawa, the foremost Black British theatre company and of StreetGames, a charity which harnesses the power of sport to create positive change in the lives of disadvantaged young people across the UK. He is a Governor of Rushmore Primary School in Hackney.