Inspire giving

Katya Andresen gives a timely reminder as summer creeps up on us with many arts organizations' seasons coming to a close and last minute appeals going out to finish the season at or above goal for individual giving.

Please, REMEMBER THIS. Whatever your cause, whoever your audience, you must start every conversation with the emotional heart of your cause, not the facts of its scope or scale in the world. If you don’t create emotional space in the mind for your cause, there will be no place for your information to find a home. And if you do not create a social landscape for a relationship, there is no place for human connection.

Of course, what that emotion is is just as important as the fact that you're using it. Are you leaving your patrons with a feel of desperation through pleas of help? Or are you inspiring them with the value you've created through the body of work you've shown, the kids you've exposed to your art, that brilliant moment that left audiences in awe?

Your choices will set the tone for next season and your entire relationship with your donors moving forward. Choose wisely.

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