Graffiti's CEO Niall Cleary reflects on the first year of the Fundraising Fellowship Ireland programme
I’m going to borrow the words of a pure Cork man, John Spillane:
"You know we've travelled all around the Sun
You know it's taken us one whole year
Well done everyone, well done"
Like any journey that you embark on, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, but the sign of a strong partnership is most evident when waters are rough. The Business to Arts team remained a constant source of calm support and encouragement as we navigated challenges on the journey.
Appointing Al Dalton to the role of Marketing and Development Officer (and Fundraising Fellow) has transformed the Company. Put simply, the culture of the organisation around fundraising and marketing has changed. Fundraising is now an agenda item at every weekly team meeting and every relevant member of our team feeds confidently into each grant application. We’ve had the strategic conversations and we know where we need to put our energy and focus. We have also learnt how to communicate our value and our offering more effectively.
Growing confidence through the Fellowship was evident in the Company's first open call out for new board members, specifically seeking fundraising skills and expertise in EDI. We have found those skills in two passionate people that will become trustees on our board at our upcoming AGM.
Graffiti is now consistently approached by organisations, locally and nationally seeking partnerships and collaborations. Al has captured the voice of Graffiti in the marketing campaigns that he has developed for our institutional marketing. We are investing in documentation to give our projects visibility, recognising the contribution of our funders, supporters and audiences. The voice of the child is always central as it is to our work. We are building our case for support as well as celebrating our work. The Fundraising Fellowship seminars focus and equip us to measure our steps.
Areas of development progress to date:
- Al has been involved in 8 grant applications, helping Graffiti to diversify the type of grants that we are applying for.
- Graffiti has also been developing new and strengthening relationships with certain funders i.e. Ireland Funds & Community Foundation for Ireland.
- Bi-weekly CEO/GM/Development Officer meetings, monthly programme/department check-ins, grant calendar for team. Active prospecting & networking.
- Creation of new 3-year strategy - prioritising fundraising pathways.
As the first year of the Fellowship comes to an end, we look ahead to the coming year which brings with it Graffiti’s 40th anniversary and a strong ambition, driven by a new strategic plan, to deepen the impact of the arts with children and young people and to continue to bring their creativity and their voice to the fore.
Al, as Fundraising Fellow, has built solid foundations in his first year and we share his drive, determination and Fellowship-related tools, thanks to the support from Business to Arts and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. We look forward to expanding our donors and supporters, as well as authentic and integrated corporate partnerships, and to building alliances with those who share our values and want to see children and young people realise their creative potential, as the curtain rises on Graffiti’s next decade.
So, on behalf of me (and the cherry tree), well done!
Niall Cleary, CEO & Artistic Director, Graffiti
