We asked Teresa Davidson, Partner, Ward Hadaway about her experience of being on our Culture Match:Board Bank programme and of joining the development board of a museum. Here is what she shared with us…

Why did you want to join the board of a not for profit organisation?

I was looking for an activity or area of my life where I could use my professional expertise and contacts but in a new way and a completely different environment. I was keen to meet new people outside of my usual legal environment and was, therefore, particularly interested in getting involved in an arts organisation.

How did you decide which opportunity was right for you to progress?

I found the Sponsors Club assessment process very helpful. I met with Ellie who took the time to learn about me and my interests with a view to identifying the right match for me and the organisation. The fact that I lived close to the Beamish Museum and was a big fan of this came out of our discussions. Ellie put me in contact with the Museum Director who was very inspiring and I immediately felt I would very much enjoy joining the Board there. I was particularly enthusiastic to have found an organisation where I felt I could bring something from my legal background to the Board but also one which fulfilled some of my own interests in arts and crafts and preservation of the minutiae of the past.

What was your experience of meeting an organisation for the first time?

My first introduction was a meeting with the Museum Director who took the time to explain the role of the Board and the Trustees. He also gave me an inspiring insight into the history of the organisation and the future plans. I was then invited to come to my first Board Meeting.

What made you decide to become a member/trustee of your chosen board?  

Having been introduced “behind the scenes” to the organisation I was truly inspired to get more involved and to do what I could to assist. I was particularly keen to be involved in something so beloved of the area where I have chosen to live and work. I felt this would give me a real local connection outside of my usual professional circle.

What has been your experience of being inducted onto that board/committee and of your first board/committee meeting? 

The first Board Meeting itself was initially intimidating as the other Trustees had, in the main, a longstanding commitment to the Board and the Museum and clearly knew each other well.  Many are well known figures in the North East with many years of experience in a world where I had none. From the start, however, they were very welcoming and inclusive.  Having attended around three Board meetings now, as well as other events in the interim, I am now developing relationships within the organisation and can start to contribute more fully.

If you are interested in joining a not for profit board through the Culture Match:Board Bank programme call Ellie on 0191 222 0945 or email sponsors@communityfoundation.org.uk 

10th May 7pm to Midnight

Great North Museum: Hancock

Founded by the business community and launched in 1991 we are celebrating 21 years helping our arts and business communities work together.

Join us to celebrate our achievements, enjoy an evening of good food and entertainment and raise money to support our role in developing a new fund for culture in the North East.

Tables of 10 cost £1000. Each table will be co-hosted by a personality from the cultural, media or arts world.

We hope to raise as much money as we can on the night by holding various fundraising activities, including a raffle & auction.

We also invite you to nominate your cultural champions from business who have shaped business engagement with the arts in the North East. We want your nominations for individuals, board members, companies, teams and outstanding partnerships.

Email nominations to: sponsors@communityfoundation.org.uk

We asked Steven Gibson, Senior Marketing and Communications Manager at NewcastleGateshead Initiative to share his experiences of being on our Culture Match: Board Bank programme and of joining an arts board. Here is what he told us. 

“As part of my ongoing personal development, Culture Match: Board Bank scheme was an opportunity I felt I couldn’t let pass.

To be truthful I hadn’t heard of the scheme before a colleague mentioned it, but as I work in an organisation that uses cultural events to attract visitors to the city, I thought it offered me the perfect chance to not only further my own skills, but also learn more about our cultural sector.

I’m part of my company’s senior management team, working with our board on a regular basis, but in terms of taking the step to where I was supposed to suddenly feel my own education and experience would be valuable to another company, I wasn’t really sure how, or when, you went about doing that. The Board Bank helped with this immeasurably.

The scheme and the staff hand-held me from beginning to end. They met with me in the first instance to chat about what I do and what I’m interested in, helping me understand the skills I have that would add value to a cultural organisation and, importantly, the kind of organisation I might like to work with.

They provided me with board training, helped prepare me for interviews and generally provided support for me in what turned out to be a very easy and pain free way to become involved with a brand new organisation.

Since I’ve joined the board of Wunderbar, a biennial festival held across Newcastle and Gateshead, I’ve worked with a host of new colleagues, met a lot of new people and have really enjoyed my involvement in something that was certainly a little out of my comfort zone to begin with. I’ve also continued to use the networking opportunities the scheme offers and on the whole would have to say that I definitely made the right decision to become involved.” Steven Gibson, NewcastleGateshead Initiative

If you are interested in joining a not for profit board through the Culture Match: Board Bank programme call Ellie on 0191 222 0945 or email et@communityfoundation.org.uk 

Im off to meet the team from St Oswalds this afternoon to talk Corporate Sponsorship and thought I would revisit the learning from last month’s Greater North Arts Gathering and publish it for our blog.

Figures from a handful of businesses from across the north on sponsorship/partnership budget planning showed the market place is still very open and warm to partnerships with arts & culture:

• 66% said budgets for this year have stayed the same as last year. 25% said budgets increased this year. Less than 10% said budgets decreased.
• 75% said their investment was a Sponsorship. 50% said their investment covered CSR, Community Engagement and Staff Engagement.
• Obviously most commented that the more boxes that were ticked, the more value for money attained.

The panel Andrew Harvey, Dickinson Dees and Gerald Jennings, Land Securities shared their top tips on successfully getting and managing corporate support: 

• First meeting should be about fact finding and building relationships.  “We want to co-create a partnership.”
• It is critical to do in-depth research. Help us to help you think about what we would want from a partnership.
• Understand where the budget is held and when it is set. Today marketing budgets are not separated into Press/TV/adverts etc. They are media neutral which means the potential budget is much bigger. The big sums of money are now available for compelling cases. Don’t assume you are competing for a slice of the arts sponsorship cake.
• Panellists say they would rather talk money sooner than later and are looking to see if the proposed price reflects good value.
• We can engage with the community and be a good citizen through arts and culture.
• Match funding schemes are attractive because they can leverage other funding to organisations. WARNING: The private sector can lose patience if projects get tied up in bureaucracy. 
• Your most powerful sell is creativity. How can we use that creativity for our staff, business etc

If you need support and training on approaching business partnerships get in touch with us about our consultancy services.

Our arts members and business members cite ‘events to meet new contacts’ as a top priority for their Sponsors Club membership. We linked up with professional network ‘Exceptional Networking’ to host three events bringing people together to practice networking skills and make new contacts.

Firstly, the Mad Chatters Tea party where arts members had the opportunity to meet individuals from across the professional services sector at Seven Stories. Then we hosted an ‘art valuing’ quiz at NewcastleGateshead Art Fair for our business members. The third event is open to all and takes place on 30^th November, details below.

We received supportive feedback to continue these events. Senior representatives and employers who attended the Mad Chatters valued the opportunity for their staff to meet arts professionals. A number of attendees to the NewcastleGateshead Art Fair event returned to the fair over the weekend and purchased art.

The events are designed to help make those initial connections. It can take between 1 and 2 years to successfully manage a contact into a donor or to develop a creative partnership with a business. We know putting you in a room with people is only the first step so watch this blog for our top tips in managing a new contact.  

The next event in this series brings all the professional networks together to a ‘Sing for your Supper’ Networking Event on the 30th November 6pm at RMT offices in Gosforth. The event will include networking, a singing workshop and Fish & Chips. Tickets cost £25 to confirm your place email alison@exceptional-networking.co.uk