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ABA Research Team
Strategies to Strengthen Major Giving

In response to the decline in public funding for arts and culture worldwide and the accompanying increase in private fundraising efforts, ABA conducted a Major Research study to understand new approaches and best practices towards strengthening major giving efforts and deepening major donor relationships. 

Our study reveals insights and strategies around team optimization, board engagement, data-driven prospecting, impact-led conversations, and donor cultivation events to help development leaders attract new donors and enhance relationships with existing ones.  

Whether it’s planned giving, international tours or impact reporting, this research will help your organization build out a major giving strategy that brings in committed donors for the long-term.


Strategies to Strengthen Major Giving
Executive Benchmark
ABA Research Team
Email Communication Practices

Our latest ABA Executive Benchmark explored strategies to optimize email communications to subscriber lists.

Executive Benchmark
ABA Research Team
Customer Experience Optimization

Our latest ABA Executive Benchmark explored strategies to optimize the customer experience.

Executive Benchmark
ABA Research Team
Multi-Year Fundraising & Endowments

Our latest ABA Executive Benchmark explored multi-year pledges and endowments and capital campaigns.

Executive Benchmark
ABA Research Team
Marketing Spend and Return on Investments

Our latest ABA Executive Benchmark explored marketing spend and return on investments across different marketing campaigns and strategies.

Donor and Government Engagement

Strategies to Strengthen Major Giving

Strategies to Strengthen Major Giving

In response to the decline in public funding for arts and culture worldwide and the accompanying increase in private fundraising efforts, ABA conducted a Major Research study to understand new approaches and best practices towards strengthening major giving efforts and deepening major donor relationships. 

Our study reveals insights and strategies around team optimization, board engagement, data-driven prospecting, impact-led conversations, and donor cultivation events to help development leaders attract new donors and enhance relationships with existing ones.  

Whether it’s planned giving, international tours or impact reporting, this research will help your organization build out a major giving strategy that brings in committed donors for the long-term.


The Future of Galas & Benefit Events

In recent conversations with members, ABA has heard from many arts and cultural organizations who are rethinking their galas and other benefit events. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on how they are strategizing their galas and donor events for the future, including the budget and return of these events as well as changes in gala structure. We also want to understand the value of galas/benefit events considering the time and fiscal investments surrounding them.

Fundraising Tactics and Corporate Giving

As we near the end of the calendar year, we want to take a moment to look back on past ABA executive leader polls to assess the realities of fundraising projections notably around corporate giving, and learn about new tactics and investments in development overall. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on their current progress made in achieving annual fundraising projections, communication platforms most helpful to fundraising efforts, and the overall state of and changes made to corporate partnership strategy.

Fundraising Trends & Major Gifts

After two years of disruptions with the global health crisis and the current impending recession, it is of critical importance to understand the landscape of fundraising efforts. Our latest Arts Leader Survey asked arts leaders to benchmark themselves on expectations for future fundraising trends, giving challenges organizations are preparing for, and patterns in how individual donors are moving up to larger gifts.