The artnership: philanthropy’s latest stroke in fundraising

Non-profits have a long history of partnerships with musicians and creative types.

For the past 25 years, the annual Bridge School Benefit concert in Mountain View, Calif. has brought in talent like Paul McCartney, Death Cab for Cutie, Eddie Vetter, and Dave Matthews. Event proceeds benefit the school for children with severe speech and physical impairments.

In recent years, non-profits have increasingly partnered with visual artists to promote and raise money for their cause.

As part of the 50/50 initiative to raise over a million dollars for famine relief in East Africa, “Posters for Good” artists are selling their art online to feed the hungry.

Posterity is a limited-edition series of posters designed by artists at The Mill, a creative visual effects company. The posters go for $50 each, and all net-proceeds go to benefit UNICEF’s famine relief efforts in East Africa. My personal favorite is “The Desert” by Emmet Dzieza and “Sun” by Michelle Higa. These posters are beautiful, inspiring and would make an excellent addition to any office or living room. They would also make great Christmas gifts!

Erica Harris, a Brooklyn-based artist, is also a part of the posters-for-good trend. She sells her art to benefit students at the Buddhas Smile School in Varanasi, India. My friend has one of her whimsical $20 prints hanging in her classroom.

These wonderful partnerships are creative and bringing money, education, and food to those in need.
A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. One of the most creative ways to attract supporters (and bring in donations) is to embrace the power and magnetism of a beautiful visual.

We can’t all secure a partnership with Paul McCartney-level superstars, but most of us have talented friends, many of whom might be looking for a meaningful platform to get their art out into the world.

How can your non-profit make an artnership a reality?