In several conversations with Apra friends, I’ve been asked how I find new prospects without relying on alumni or patients. Given that my entire fundraising career has been in the arts, I often wonder the opposite! I put together some of my top tips for researching in the arts that may be useful to you — even if you work in another field.

1. ArtNews Top 200: The ArtNews Top 200 list is fantastic — considering most art sales are private, there isn’t a way to find a buyer or a final sale price. This list gives the top 200 art collectors in the world, with bios and information about their collections. Even if you don’t work in the arts, it’s worth checking if any of your prospects are on the list.
2. Program books and donor walls: Once a year, I put out a call to the entire department asking for program books, pictures of donor walls, alumni lists, etc. People working in the arts often go to art events in their off hours! These lists sometimes capture information about donors and their giving not available in screenings. Since donors to one arts organization often support other arts causes, keeping this information up to date is incredibly informative.
3. Interest coding: Like many arts organizations, my museum caters to a wide variety of artistic interests. We have some donors who love our arms and armor collection, while others are more interested in the Asian art galleries. We code these art interests in our database (Raiser’s Edge), and we even mine contact reports from frontline fundraisers. When I need to get a list of prospects for an exhibition in a specific area, we already know who in our database may be interested.
4. Learning the field: You don’t have to be an expert in the arts to work for an arts organization. I have never taken a single art history class and wound up at a large art museum. I’ve found that spending a bit of time learning about the art world has made my job easier. For example, when I am working on a prospect list for an exhibition, I have a better chance of understanding the art that may interest donors if I’ve done a little bit of research first. I also sometimes see my prospects listed as major donors or collectors in my favorite art-specific resources, which include ArtNews, Hyperallergic and The Art Newspaper. I often joke that this job has given me an unofficial art history minor.
5. Local news: If you aren’t already checking out your local news sources, you definitely should! They often report on arts and culture events, donors and news. Typically, the arts world in any city isn’t very large, so this is a great way to stay in the know.
6. Friendships with non-development staff: Some of the most valuable work relationships that I have are with people outside of fundraising. When I have a question on paper conservation, pre-K education or budget lines, I know the person in the museum I can ask without feeling silly. One of my work friends in museum education and I have even started a museum-wide book club — it’s a great place to meet new people and learn about each other’s work in a casual atmosphere. You never know when these friendships may come in handy!
7. Creative prospecting: Like every nonprofit, arts organizations are always trying to find new donors. The difference is that we don’t have an alumni or patient pool to start with. If you are like me, your organization has members. This is a great place to start, but thinking creatively about where to find new prospects is one of the weirdly fun parts of this field. Consider where your audience is spending money or time in your organization; retail spending, event attendance, class registration fees, etc. are all signs of engagement outside of traditional donations.
8. Resources outside of work: Arts organizations tend to have smaller development departments with limited budgets, so you may need to be creative in finding new resources. Check if other areas of your organization have resources you can use — for example, your marketing department may subscribe to local periodicals. Local library systems often have free resources as well! Here in Philadelphia, we are lucky enough to have the Regional Foundation Center at the Free Library of Philadelphia which has classes, electronic resources (including screening services) and dedicated nonprofit librarians.
9. Apra friends: While it may seem like the Apra world is full of people working for large universities or hospitals, there are lots of us in the arts! One of my favorite parts of Apra’s Prospect Development 2023 conference was lunch with about 30 other arts prospect development professionals. It is so great to know others in the field, especially in your particular area. That way if you ever have a random question, chances are someone else can answer it.
10. Taking advantage of the perks: One of the best parts about working in the arts is the perks that can come with it. When I worked in performing arts, I got tickets to all kinds of things — from The Nutcracker to an opera about jazz artist Charlie Parker. Even for events I wasn’t directly involved in, I made an effort to attend because it strengthened my connection to my job. Now, I get tickets not only to my museum, but my job’s AAM Membership gives me access to most museums in the country for free. So not only am I learning and feeling connected to my job, but I am also getting some great entertainment.

I’ve loved having jobs that allowed me to work in the arts in a fundraising capacity. Like all areas, it comes with its challenges when it comes to finding new donors. Hopefully, some of these tips will be useful to your work!

Lauren Woodring
Director of Prospect Research and Management, Philadelphia Museum of Art

Lauren Woodring is the director of prospect research and management at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She started at the museum as a research analyst and her first prospect development job was at Ensemble Arts Philly (formerly the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts). She is the president of Apra Pennsylvania and the co-chair of the AASP Best Practice in Prospect Development Committee. Woodring is about to hit her 10-year anniversary in prospect development! She lives in Philadelphia and enjoys reading, knitting and cheering on the Philadelphia Phillies.