By Chris Chapman, Arts Portfolio Manager, Business to Arts
The challenge for arts organisations is clear—while pitching for the arts requires passion and artistic excellence, it's equally crucial to showcase impact and transformation.
At our recent ArtWorks event, 'Mastering the Ask', hosted at Salesforce HQ in Dublin, Business to Arts members gathered to explore how to craft pitches that go beyond simply seeking support to highlight the meaningful change their work enables.
Jonny Boyle, Director of Brand Experience at FUEL, set the tone with Moving In The Same Circles – Crafting Narratives That Unite Artistic Vision and Business Objectives. He emphasised that businesses look for alignment with their values and goals when supporting the arts. With focused and compelling storytelling, arts organisations can bridge the gap between creativity and commerce, turning their vision into a persuasive case for investment. In Jonny’s words, ‘find common ground and use common language.’
Our new Spotlight segment brought these ideas to life. Conall Ó Riain from Cork Midsummer Festival shared how his organisation has refined its narrative to attract funders, demonstrating the role of cultural experiences in strengthening communities. Áine O’Mahony from Children’s Books Ireland discussed how their well-defined strategic vision helps secure key partnerships. Áine shared their pitch for the ‘Free to Me’ School Book Gifting programme. Exciting us with the role of ‘Book Doctors’ bringing reading to life in the schools of Ireland.
Maser was one of four arts organisations that took part in a Spotlight section to highlight their background, programmes, and partnerships
Aisling McCaffrey, formerly Director - Sustainability Advisory at Grant Thornton, and having recently begun her new role at the Impact Investing Institute, expanded on going beyond seeking support. In her talk Sustainability & the Arts – Unlocking Corporate Partnerships in Ireland, she highlighted that traditional sponsorships are evolving. Today, funders seek collaboration and shared purpose, and specifically, ways to help them meet their UN Sustainable Development Goals. Arts organisations that cultivate partnerships built on mutual benefit will be better positioned for long-term sustainability. Bringing this to life, Aisling showed real-life examples of how the SDGs can be a common purpose for both arts and business.
This perspective was further explored in the final Spotlight session. Aoife Daly, Director of Development at Irish National Opera, demonstrated how innovative partnership experiences help maintain artistic integrity while aligning with business objectives. Bringing us into the world of INO’s award-winning work. Then Maser, the internationally renowned Dublin artist, gave a personal account of his work, highlighting the importance of adaptability whilst illustrating how evolving artistic narratives can engage funders while staying true to creative vision.
The event concluded with an engaging discussion between BtoA Chief Exec. Louise O’Reilly and THINKHOUSE Founder & Head of Creative Innovation, Jane McDaid. Jane underscored the necessity of demonstrating transformation in every pitch. Funders need to see the tangible impact of their investment, whether in community engagement, economic growth, or social change. A unified and well-structured message, she explained, is key to unlocking meaningful partnerships. Jane couldn’t have been clearer; without data, without proof, you can’t make your case.
By the end of the morning, one key takeaway was evident: Mastering the Ask is about more than just funding. It’s about clearly communicating the value of the arts—how they enrich lives, strengthen businesses, and contribute to society. Arts organisations that refine their message and confidently showcase their impact will be best placed to build strong, lasting partnerships.
“ A good route in is through employee resource groups, they're trying to put initiatives together for the betterment of the organisation and they can be a great first touchpoint to learn more about what are key priorities for the organisation and how it works internally.”
