Creative Australia’s State Manager Development and Partnerships provide a free coaching and advice service aimed at building the fundraising capacity of individuals and organisations within the cultural and creative industries.

We support artists and creatives as well as arts and cultural organisations at any stage of their fundraising and development journey, across all art forms, throughout remote, regional, and metropolitan Australia.

We work in a facilitative style to equip you with the tools, knowledge and opportunities to improve your fundraising.

One-on-one sessions provide tailored advice and support short and long-term growth. Group workshops and advice sessions can help provide boards and not-for-profit teams to foster a whole of organisation approach to fundraising.

Guided by your needs, we can explore fundraising theory and methodology, discuss options to address specific challenges, and share tools and resources to help build your understanding of fundraising best practice.

The areas of fundraising and methodology we can explore include:

• Philanthropy
• Business partnerships
• How to make your organisation fundraising ready
• Building a case for support
• Fundraising strategies
• How to develop a fundraising plan
• Stewardship
• Board engagement
• Building a whole of organisation approach to fundraising

Whether you choose to engage individually or as a group, our service is client responsive with appointments available on a one-off or regular basis.

Appointments can take place in-person, over the phone or via digital communication channels.

Coaching is a process of working usually one on one in a facilitative style to equip you with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities to improve your capability. We can’t do the work for you, but we can help you develop the tools to grow your capacity.

Coaching differs from both teaching (more concrete, instructive and directive) and mentoring (usually more relational).

No. We don’t offer introductions or broker relationships with potential funders. However, we can offer some guidance as to what trusts or foundations may be interested in your work.

We work in a facilitative style to equip you with the tools to seek out partnerships, build and maintain relationships and secure supporters yourself.

No. We can’t do the work for you. We also can’t provide coaching or advice around seeking funding from government sources. We can provide coaching and advice around how to develop your Case for Support to secure private investment.

If you need technical or accessibility support to submit a Creative Australia application or advice on preparing applications in line with Creative Australia published guidelines contact the Creative Australia Artists Services team.

No. For more information on Creative Australia grants and opportunities:

• Look at the Investment and Development page on our website
• Sign up to our newsletter to receive updates
• Contact our Artists Services team

The service is client responsive and flexible based on your needs. Some clients choose to have a regular monthly coaching and advice session, others may engage with us several times throughout the year as they need to, and others may seek one off coaching and advice.

Get in touch for an initial conversation.

Our services are available at no cost to you.

Coaching and advice sessions are available to independent artists and creative workers as well as arts and cultural organisations. Within arts organisations we regularly work with fundraising, marketing, philanthropy and development staff as well as CEOs, Chairs and board members.

We support those working across all genres and art forms and across remote, regional, and metropolitan Australia. State Manager Development and Partnerships service each state and territory, working from offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth with regular visits to all capital cities and rotating visits to the regions.

No. Our service is available to all arts organisations irrespective of their current sources of funding.

No. Our work supports arts and creativity. We aren’t able to offer coaching and advice to those working outside the cultural and creative industries.

Yes. We regularly work with organisations with no dedicated fundraiser or development staff. We are able to work with CEOs, Chair, other board members, volunteers or anyone else within the organisation who has a role to play in securing private investment and support for the organisation.

We work as a team, so please reach out to any of the State Manager Development and Partnerships, that has relevance to the project or campaign you are working on, and we can refer you to other team members, as needed.

Yes. We regularly provide coaching and advice to independent artists and producers.

We are also able to provide coaching and advice around fundraising through The Australian Cultural Fund (ACF), an online fundraising platform for Australian artists. Through the ACF, artists upload their project, start their fundraising campaign and invite art lovers and supporters to donate with 100% of donations going directly towards artists’ creative projects.

We can provide coaching and advice to those starting out on their fundraising journey (as well as seasoned professionals). We also regularly deliver a full-day Fundamentals of Arts Fundraising workshop in each state and territory each year.

The Fundamentals of Arts Fundraising workshop is ideal for arts organisations and artists looking for the know-how, confidence and inspiration to kickstart or grow income from philanthropy, donors, and business partners.

The workshop includes insights into national trends; fundraising theory; what it means to be fundraising ready; and strategic insights into crowdfunding, annual giving, donor circles, applying to trusts & foundations and bequests.

Make contact with your State Manager Development and Partnerships for details of the next workshop near you.

Yes (this is highly recommended!). We can work with boards or sub-committees of the board, or any other volunteers associated with the organisation who has a role to play in securing private investment and support for the organisation. We regularly present to boards on the state of play regarding private sector support and the role they can play in raising it.

Get in touch through the enquiry form here for an initial conversation.

Appointments can place in-person, over the phone or via digital communication channels. State Manager Development and Partnerships service each state and territory, working from offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, with regular visits to all capital cities and rotating visits to the regions.

Please get in touch with the State Manager Development and Partnerships relevant to you to discuss any access requirements.