Arts & cultural fundraisers invited to apply for RAISE mentoring scheme

Young Arts Fundraisers and the Institute of Fundraising Cultural Network are inviting arts and cultural fundraisers to apply for the 2019-20 RAISE mentoring scheme. The scheme is funded by Arts Council England as part of the Institute of Fundraising’s RAISE: Arts, Culture & Heritage programme. Both mentors and mentees are sought. The yearlong mentoring scheme matches early career fundraisers with senior or director level development professionals from a wide range of organisations in the arts and cultural sector across England. The programme was founded to support long term financial resilience and sustainability in arts and cultural sector by equipping early-career and more seasoned arts and cultural fundraisers with appropriate skills and much-needed support networks in all regions of England. The mentoring scheme has just completed a two-year pilot run with funding for the next four years by Arts Council England as part of the RAISE: Arts, Culture & Heritage programme. Applications are open until 1 March 2019 for mentors, with mentee applications open from 12 March until 3 April. Martin Kaufman, Chair of the Institute of Fundraising Cultural Sector Network, said: “Encouraging professional development and the sharing of fundraising is hugely important to the future of our workforce and our organisations. Our mentoring scheme has had a really positive impact on the cultural sector, and I’m delighted that Arts Council England’s support has made it possible to return this programme for a third year. I strongly encourage those in the cultural sector, across all arts and heritage organisations, to apply for a role in the mentoring scheme.” Mentors and mentees will be shortlisted and matched by a panel including representatives from the Institute of Fundraising Cultural Sector Network, Young Arts Fundraisers and the RAISE programme. Selected mentors and mentees commit to meeting at least six times over the course of twelve months and receive ongoing support from Institute of Fundraising Cultural Sector Network, Young Arts Fundraisers and RAISE. Mentee applications are welcomed from fundraisers in the first five years of their careers and/or up to manager level and mentor applications from senior development professionals with management experience working in arts and heritage or the wider fundraising sector. Applications from senior fundraisers with management experience working across England are also welcomed, and applications from individuals that self-identify as black, Asian or other minority ethnicity, and individuals working in small organisations will be prioritised. Leah Swain, Director, Mentoring and Professional Development, at Young Arts Fundraisers said: “Young Arts Fundraisers was founded to create an inclusive community providing training opportunities which early career fundraisers or their organisations couldn’t afford. The arts funding landscape in England means the next generation of fundraisers will need increased resilience, agility and commitment to deliver financial sustainability for arts, culture and heritage organisations. Arts Council England’s support for our mentoring scheme takes us one step forward.”

from UK Fundraising http://bit.ly/2UNCHue