This section contains research about philanthropy, sponsorship and private giving (from individuals and corporations). Most of the studies offer insight into the motivations of philanthropists and corporate donors.

The summaries in this category are:

The factors that influence local government spending on culture

This research was conducted by Michael Getzner at Vienna University of Technology, Austria

Summary

Public authorities in Austria spend more on culture than the European average. At the time of this paper’s publication, Austrian municipalities spent ‘about €93 per capita a year for cultural affairs (approximately four per cent of the …

Increased spending on marketing leads to increased revenue

This research was conducted by Hyunjung Lee, Kyoungnam Catherine Ha and Youngseon Kim at the University of Hartford, Pacific Lutheran University, and Central Connecticut State University, USA.

Summary

This paper looked at the relationship between the amount spent by arts organisations in the United States and their levels …

The best way to attract donations is by making it easy to do and easy to justify

This research was conducted by Caroline Moraes, Athanasia Daskalopoulou and Isabelle Szmigin at the University of Birmingham and the University of Liverpool

Summary

This paper used in-depth interviews to reveal the reasons, emotions, and habits that underpin why people make voluntary donations to arts organisations. Perhaps more important were the …

The role of geography in determining crowdfunding success

This research was conducted by Shiri M Breznitz and Douglas S Noonan at the University of Toronto, Canada and Indiana University-Purdue University, USA

Summary

This paper studied crowdfunding in the US and Canada. The researchers wanted to understand the effects of geography on the likelihood of getting funded. They chose to …

Using a referendum to measure support for arts funding

This research was conducted by Katharina E Hofer at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland

Summary

This paper delved into the results of a referendum to increase financial support for a local theatre in Switzerland. The research discovered that the income of citizens, the local proportion of older residents, and proximity …

Crowdfunding a regular income for cultural projects

This research was conducted by Tobias Regner at the University of Jena, Germany

Summary

This paper explores the behaviour of creators and patrons on the crowdfunding site Patreon. The researchers took data from the first 18 months of the site (2013-15) and found a number of patterns which reveal the best …

How street performers attract income online

This research was conducted by Meg Elkins and Tim R. L. Fry at RMIT University, Australia

Summary

This paper looks at how buskers and street performers can use a digital platform to attract donations for their work. This is increasingly important as digital transactions are replacing the exchange of paper money …

Understanding whether debt deters donors

This research was conducted by Cleopatra Charles at Rutgers University, USA

Summary

This paper uses data from a sample of arts organisations in the United States to examine whether taking on debt (to finance capital projects, for example) reduced the likelihood of attracting private donations. It found that organisations paying a …

By | 20 April 2021 |

The potential dangers of corporate sponsorship

This research was conducted by Yuliya Shymko and Thomas Roulet at the University of Gent, Belgium and King’s College London, UK

Summary

There has been a great deal of discussion in the cultural sector about the types of relationships that exist (and should exist) between cultural institutions and corporate donors. Such …

By | 20 February 2017 |

Crowdfunding follows traditional investment model

This research was conducted by Wesley Mendes-Da-Silva and four others at Fundaçao Getulio Vargas Business School and two other universities, Brazil

Summary

This paper examined crowdfunded music projects in Brazil, using data from the main crowdfunding site in the country: Catarse. By using an online platform, crowdfunding has the potential to …

By | 9 January 2017 |