Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
This course explores different approaches to fundraising for arts organizations, including techniques for identifying and cultivating a variety of potential funders. To help you learn about important tools and strategies for raising funds, you will create your own fundraising plan for a real or imagined arts organization. As the course progresses, you will complete multiple smaller projects, which provide a framework for addressing each line item that typically appears in a contributed revenue budget for the arts.
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Delivery
This course is Asynchronous Online: Learning takes place online and asynchronously; however, there will be weekly Live Sessions on Zoom that are recommended to attend synchronously.
Course Prerequisites
You will be required to use basic functions of Microsoft Excel in this course. If you need guidance on this topic, I recommend starting with the Excel Essentials training from LinkedIn Learning. (Note: To access the training, you will need to log in with your OU 4×4 and password.)
It is assumed that you will have attended live arts programming before. If you haven't, I encourage you to identify an event to attend before or during the term to help you to contextualize your learning.
Course Materials
- Fundraising for the Arts by Francesca Pecoraro, Alex Turrini, and Mark Volpe
- Use the link above to access this eBook for free through the OU Libraries website (you will need to log in using your OU 4x4 and password)
- The A$K: How to Ask for Support for your Nonprofit Cause by Laura Frederick
- Use the link above to access this eBook for free through the OU Libraries website (you will need to log in using your OU 4×4 and password)
- Microsoft Excel
- Use the link above to download Microsoft Office for free through the OU IT website (you will need to log in using your OU 4×4 and password)
- Additional resources will be provided in the weekly modules in Canvas
Program Learning Outcomes (PLO)
- Knowledge: Apply the latest theory, knowledge and research in arts and business to professional practice in a variety of contexts including developing and advancing plans of strategy, fund development, financial management, entrepreneurial action and evaluation.
- Communication: Communicate effectively in verbal, written, and visual form to a variety of audiences and stakeholders.
- Team Leadership: Lead, manage and facilitate teams effectively in a variety of settings.
- Change Management: Foster innovation and manage change within the culture of the organization.
- Networking: Build and maintain cross-sector professional networks with peers, industry professionals, faculty and alumni, both at the individual and organizational level.
- Access and Belonging: Engage in ethical decision-making that is sensitive to issues of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion to inform leadership practices in arts management.
- Critical Thinking: Apply critical thinking, evidence-based decision-making and creative problem-solving skills to complex, real-world scenarios.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) Alignment
| CLO | Description | PLO |
|---|---|---|
| A | Develop a tailored plan to raise funds for a specific nonprofit arts organization, taking into account fundraising ethics, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. | 1, 6 |
| B | Assess the viability of a prospective donor and recommend steps for donor cultivation. | 2, 7 |
| C | Create a case for support and apply it to a variety of written and verbal solicitations, including email and letter appeals and grant proposals. | 2, 3, 5 |
| D | Explain the fundraising opportunities, best practices, and challenges that are unique to the arts. | 1, 4, 5, 7 |
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points/Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Discussions | Each week, you will post one original response to the prompt and reply to at least one peer. | 30% |
| Term & Concept Checks | Weekly quizzes cover content from that week's resources. Quiz question formats include multiple choice, multi-select, matching, and ordering. | 20% |
| Fundraising Plan | This will consist of weekly assignments, which lead up to a final project. This will also be added to your program ePortfolio. | 40% |
| Attendance/Participation | You can gain credit for this either through attending the Live Sessions or through watching the recordings and participating in the Live Session discussions. This will also involve presenting about your project once in the Live Session Workshop. | 10% |
| Total | 100% |
*Please note that this course has a late work policy (outlined below under "Course Policies". Turning in work late will result in a negative impact on your grade.
Scale
| Percentage | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 90–100% | A |
| 80–89% | B |
| 70–79% | C |
| 60–69% | D |
| Below 60% | F |
Course Components
Module Overviews
Module Overviews provide context for the topic at hand, preparing you for what you are about to learn. A typical Overview page includes introductory text, learning objectives that outline what you will gain throughout the module, and a checklist of what you will need to do during the week.
Live Sessions
In our Live Sessions, we will:
- Review the progress of your fundraising plans, addressing student questions and challenges
- Analyze case studies regarding the topics of the week
- Workshop the fundraising strategies for each student in the class.
- Identify important points and considerations for the module's assessments (especially the project)
Although attendance is not required, participating in Live Sessions or watching the recordings will be essential to your success with the major project and other course elements. You can gain points for these either by attending live or by watching the recording and participating in the associated Live Session discussion board. You will have to present in the Live Session workshop at least once, but you can prerecord your presentation if you cannot attend in real time.
Resources
Each week, you will have access to a variety of resources from blogs, textbooks, and videos. These resources will provide the foundational knowledge you need to successfully complete that week's activities and participate in the Live Session.
Term & Concept Checks
Term and Concept Checks are designed to ensure you've gained the foundational knowledge you need to successfully participate in discussion boards and complete your project work. This auto-graded quiz 1) holds you accountable for reviewing course resources and 2) helps you to gauge your progress in mastering key concepts and terms.
Project Work
You will complete 6 assignments that will be combined into a fundraising plan for a real or imagined arts organization. This gives you the chance to apply what you've learned to real-world scenarios and create your own work. It will also provide opportunities for receiving feedback from your instructor and peers. Your final project submission allows your instructor to assess your mastery of the course content, and it can be used as a part of your program ePortfolio.
Discussion Boards
The Discussion Boards allow you to demonstrate your ability to explain and discuss course content and applications in depth. I hope that you will add substantively to the discussion by sharing your own experiences and resources.
Takeaways
Each module will contain a takeaway graphic or text, summarizing key points you need to remember when applying this knowledge later in your work environment.
Course Policies
Communication
You may contact me for any reason at any time via email at Emily.R.Comisar-1@ou.edu. I will reply within 24 hours Monday through Friday, or within 48 hours over the weekend.
In addition to being your instructor in this course, I am also your peer in the arts management field. Likewise, in addition to being classmates, you are all also one another’s colleagues. Please address me by my first name (Emily), and let me know if you are at all uncomfortable with me doing the same. I hope that this course will be both professional and fun. All Live Sessions will be conversational and informal, creative and thought-provoking, and everyone will be encouraged to participate.
Feedback
Discussion board posts are due on Sundays, and you can expect to receive feedback and grades on your discussion board posts by the following Wednesday. For project work, you can expect feedback and grades on your project work within seven calendar days after the deadline.
Late Policy
Late work will be accepted up to 7 days after the deadline, and only with prior instructor approval. To obtain instructor approval, send the instructor a message via Canvas with a subject line that includes the words "Extension Request" and the Module Number for which you are requesting an extension. Your extension will only be applied to the Module for which you have requested it. If you need an extension for a subsequent Module, you must send another request to avoid a late penalty. Late work must be turned in within 7 days following the original deadline (i.e. by 11:59pm on the following Sunday).
Work completed late without prior notification or approval will receive a grade reduction of .5 points for every 24 hours of lateness. Work turned in more than 7 days late without an extension request will be given a grade of 0 and will not receive instructor feedback.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch the OU Libraries Plagiarism Tutorial video and take the short Avoiding Plagiarism Tutorial Canvas course offered by University Libraries.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|