Audiences are increasingly committed to supporting arts and culture during the pandemic
The March 2021 results of the Audience Outlook Monitor suggest that audiences have maintained or even increased their commitment to supporting arts and culture as the pandemic continues.
Download the Fundraising & Support Fact Sheet or read on for more of the findings.
Watch the Fundraising & Support Webinar, with the Australia Council and Creative Partnerships Australia, discussing trends in audience support.
Donorship appears to be increasing over time, with 29% of audiences saying they donated in 2020–21, relative to 28% in 2019–20 and 19% in 2018–19.
Among those who haven’t donated, around half (52%) say they are somewhat likely (43%) or very likely (9%) to make a donation to a specific artist or organisation that is important to them in future.
There are opportunities to consolidate and further leverage audience support during this time, through both financial and non-financial means. Three segments emerge from the data:
Past donors are generally frequent attenders who firmly believe in the value of the organisations they engage with. Representing 41% of the audience, they’re very moved by the plight of artists during the pandemic and are prompted to donate to help artists experiencing hardship. There may be opportunities to target this segment with new campaigns, increase their level of support or set up regular donations.
Potential donors are those who haven’t donated in the past three years but say they are moderately or very likely to donate in future. Representing 30% of the audience, they are also frequent attenders, but while many in this group feel strongly committed to supporting the arts, some feel they aren’t in a position to help financially at this time. These audiences can be invited to show their support through non-financial means, e.g. by raising awareness through social media sharing or volunteering.
Unlikely donors are audiences who haven’t donated in the past and aren’t likely to in future. Representing 29% of the audience, this group are more likely to be less frequent attenders and on average exhibit more moderate levels of commitment. They are more likely to engage with initiatives such as buying ticket vouchers or gift certificates to use in future, or purchasing a subscription or membership that could save them money.
As people are spending more time online since the pandemic began, it’s important to continue investing in optimisation of email campaigns and donation requests on ticketing platforms.
Audiences are compelled by personal, specific campaigns related to supporting artists or how the arts can help with community recovery at this time.
About the Audience Outlook Monitor
The Audience Outlook Monitor provides the results of a study that has tracked audience sentiment over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, including how audiences respond to changing restrictions on cultural events.
Data was collected in three phases throughout 2020 and is again being tracked in 2021.
Government agencies across Australia are collaborating with research agencies Patternmakers (Sydney) and WolfBrown (USA) to produce this resource. The dashboard is freely accessible and designed to help artists and cultural organisations of all kinds to make the best possible decisions about re-opening.
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If you have a question, or an idea for using this data, please contact Patternmakers at info@thepatternmakers.com.au
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About the Author
Tandi Palmer Williams
Managing Director
Tandi is Founder and Managing Director of Patternmakers. She’s an arts research specialist and leader of the agency’s research projects.
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