Digital fundraising kit helps Scotland's heritage workers preserve history

Arts & Business Scotland head of programmes Carl Watt (left) with Rosslyn Chapel Trust director Ian Gardner. Picture: Nick Mailer

An interactive digital toolkit has been launched to help people working in Scotland's heritage sector build up knowledge and skills in fundraising.

Inspiring Fundraising is an online resource using key elements of the Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage four-year training programme.

Funded by The National Lottery, the programme successfully delivered fundraising training and advice to 804 individuals from more than 519 heritage organisations throughout Scotland between its launch in 2014 and its conclusion in March.

The new online toolkit will use a combination of films, animations and case studies to offer a step-by-step guide to effective fundraising, from understanding the principles of fundraising to developing and implementing a successful fundraising strategy.

Arts & Business Scotland head of programmes Carl Watt said: “Running over the past four years, Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage was a hugely successful training programme for the Scottish heritage sector.

“Following its conclusion, the partners wanted to create a long-term legacy in the form of an online resource that heritage organisations can continue to access in the future as a means of further building up organisational knowledge and skills around fundraising.

“It’s great to be hosting the launch of the new toolkit here at Rosslyn Chapel, representing as it does so many different aspects of Scotland’s hugely varied heritage sector, from archaeology and the historic built environment to green space, museum curation and arts heritage.”

Rosslyn Chapel Trust director Ian Gardner added: “The funding landscape for heritage organisations such as Rosslyn Chapel is changing quickly as traditional sources of funding diminish and we look for ways to access alternatives such as corporate support, partnerships with business and legacy giving.

“This new digital toolkit will be invaluable in giving our team a wealth of practical advice on all aspects of fundraising in a format that is accessible and easy to digest.”