A slow boat to China?Challenges and Opportunities

for China-related cultural fundraising

“Uncharted Waters” National Cultural Sector Conference

National Gallery, London10 March 2020

Andrew Evans and Martin Kaufman

Who we are and why are we here

• Martin Kaufman• Campaign Director, Terracotta Warriors Exhibition,

National Museums Liverpool 2017-18• Principal, Martin Kaufman Philanthropy

• Andrew Evans• Director of Development, National Museums Liverpool

2017-19• Director, Think Philanthropy

Before we start….

“When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.”

What is your experience of China-related fundraising?

• Do you come from or are working in Mainland China or Hong Kong?

• Partnering with UK organisations in China or Hong Kong?

• Supporting Chinese/Hong Kong cultural projects in UK or elsewhere?

• Working with Chinese communities and organisations in UK?

• Coronavirus, CoViD19, “corona-flu” (if you are the US President)

• We have been in difficult times before in recent years – 9/11, SARS, Global Financial Meltdown of 2008-9

• Is this qualitatively different, or just another challenge around which we have to adapt?

“No boat to China?”

What do you feel are the biggest issues in China-related fundraising?

Philanthropy and sponsorship are growing in China

• 2019-2016, donations from top 100 philanthropists in Mainland China totalled $4.6 billion

• Annual donations from all sources to charities in China grew from 10 billion Renminbi to 100 billion Renminbi 2009-2018

• 80% of donations in China come from corporations

• Centre Pompidou set up West Bund Museum Project in Shanghai 2019 – China set to be leading global centre for art

Large UK organisations are involved in China

Universities of Nottingham and Liverpool have campuses there

- 12,000 students from China based in Liverpool itself

Victoria and Albert Museum has had major engagement for years in many areas, including:

• 2005 – 2013: five major exhibitions with China-related themes, and in China more than 13 exhibitions shown there

• Strong commercial and diplomatic relationships, including the UK-China Cultural Exchange alongside British Library, British Museum and Tate in 2016

• Travel with the V&A programme organised 2010 trip to China for Museum supporters led by V&A curators

605,000visitors

97,000group bookings

4,151new members

20,440Education visits

39,163Catalogues sold

31,119 Replica

warriors sold

1.36mvideo views

6.54mpeople reached on social media

1.74mwebpage visits

7.2mpeople reached

- press advertising

5.3mpeople reached

- outdoor advertising

13.4mpeople reached- digital adverts

PLANNING THE EXHIBITION AND ITS FUNDRAISING

• Informal agreement for exhibition early 2015, plus recruitment of Chinese consultant to manage relationships in Xi’an

• Planning in 2016 but choice of artefacts finalised summer 2017. Chinese prohibited ANY publicity about specific objects till export licence agreed

• Very short timescales – formal agreement Nov 2016, recruitment of Campaign Director Dec 2016, started work Feb 2017 for 11 days per month, exhibition opening Feb 2018

Very short timescales. Most exhibitions of this scale would have two years’ lead time.

NO ADVANCED FUNDRAISING PREPARATION

NML decision not to undertake fundraising preparation until exhibition was signed off with China.

Result was:

– No fundraising case for support ready to be used

– No preparatory prospect research

– No market testing of donor base to agree achievable target

– No volunteer fundraising leadership group set up

– Lack of effective coordination across with other major Liverpool cultural events

TH

IMMEDIATE LESSON TO BE LEARNT –Major exhibition fundraising must be planned well in advance, even with a risk the exhibition will not take place

WHOM DID WE INVOLVE TO SUPPORT US?

• Chinese companies doing business in the UK and their Chinese or UK senior staff

• Chinese embassy to give a lead to China-oriented businesses to support the exhibition

• Chinese Consulate in Manchester with influence over Chinese communities in the North West

• Chinese communities in Merseyside, not just in Liverpool

• UK-based organisations working with China to promote China/UK trade, and investment

• UK Government especially DCMS and supporters of the “Great” Campaign

WHOM DID WE INVOLVE TO SUPPORT US? (2)

• UK Embassy in Beijing and British Council

• Individuals and businesses with opportunity to get involved with China

• UK donors with links to China – charitable Trusts, companies and individuals

• Existing NML supporters

• Liverpool-based companies who wanted connection to a major PR and educational success story

In total a prospect list of approximately 200 companies, trusts and individuals

What was successful?• Raised £450,000+, including Tianjin Airlines, largest NML sponsor ever• Deepened relations with Unilever and Swire (founded in Liverpool)• Effective use of high level contacts of Director, Executive Director and key

trustees• New relationships inside and outside Merseyside for subsequent follow up• Transformed NML family’s perception of fundraising• Put donor and sponsor relations centre stage around providing benefits and

recognition • Created a group of trustees actively involved in fundraising• Engaged external Campaign Ambassadors to work at senior level• Raised ambitions of Development team side by side with growth of longer

term strategy

A step change in NML fundraising side by side with highest profile exhibition ever

But several challenges hampered us from being more successful

1. Process of getting exhibition’s final agreement severely hampered fundraising opportunities

2. Political sensitivities around the Museum’s collections posed an existential threat to exhibition

3. Opaque and time-consuming decision-making process of lead Chinese partner

4. Two parallel NML fundraising strategies operating hampered both of them

5. Abandoning agreed plan for prospecting and cultivating before asking

1: Fundraising needs a different approach when dealing with a highly centralised and hierarchical economic and political system

2. Attitude of China to UK Chinese community organisations - and vice versa - really matters:

Arranged Chinese cultural awareness training for NML staff from local Merseyside Chinese community leader:• Engaged 18 community organisations in special exhibition preview• Involved Liverpool Chinese schoolchildren and cultural

organisations in Private View• Special viewing for Merseyside Chinese community leaders on

opening morning in advance of general public

DON’T assume that the Chinese community in your city is monolithic – especially in its political views. They won’t be!

3: Major China-related projects require a high level of belief, trust, consistency and engagement amongst the senior team

4: An extremely robust and yet pragmatic ethical stance is required

Working closely with DCMS and British Embassy in China, we were very wary of sharing our Tibet concerns with them

They would have been obliged to bring that issue into government to government relations

if a repressive regime uses loaned artefacts as propaganda, we should use our cultural engagement to share cultural treasures, not to comment about all the things we don’t like about them!!

The Future?Increasing opportunities for cultural fundraising because of growth of China - in particular the travelling and culture-consuming classes in China

China’s policy of investment in “Belt and Road” programme is making China ever more influential globally – they are using ‘soft power’ really effectively

UK collections have wonderful Chinese collections, and we want to share them - and our cultural performances - with China and vice versa

DO WE AVOID LINKS WITH CHINA, OR ENGAGE WITH THEM?

We are no longer in post-Tienanmen Square era. Under Chairman Xi Jing Ping, Chinese Communist Party has tightened its control of all areas of public life and presentation of policy.

Four major areas of concern that could affect UK Chinese fundraising are:

• Democracy in Hong Kong and any coercion of Chinese students in UK

• Situation of Uighur Muslim minority people

• Huawei and questions of national security and US opposition

• Coronavirus if severe in global impact, and also encouraging Sinophobia

SO …. WHAT SHOULD OUR ATTITUDE BE?

Let’s get real!

• The Chinese Government and cultural authorities want external approbation, such as the Terracotta Warriors Exhibitions produce

• BUT THEY DO NOT NEED IT!

• Institutions in the UK wanting a China-link have many things to learn, teach and share, but …..

• …the relationship is not now and is unlikely to be in the future one of equal partners.

• If we want to work with them, they are in the driving seat

Happy to follow through with any further questions

Andrew Evansandrew@thinkphilanthropy.com

07943 262225

32 Green LaneChesterCH3 5LA

Martin Kaufmanmartin.kaufman@onewiththeuniverse.co.uk

07770 944068

46 Heath RoadThornton Heath

SurreyCR7 8NE