Sessions & Seminars
Registration for Fall 2026 workshops is open!
Register by August 21 and get a 10% Early Bird discount.
The general registration closes on September 14.
End-of-Year Campaign Planning Seminar
October 5|$350
Running out of steam to plan an end-of-year campaign? Let us help you set up a chaos-free campaign. You will develop a strategy for managing your donor lists and prospecting, complete a campaign publications calendar, and draft the launch language. We make sure you walk out with immediately useful assets.
Individual fundraising does not happen only during the end-of-year campaign. But the campaign can serve as both the culmination of your year-round efforts and the foundation for next year’s activities.
This three-hour intensive helps you cover both bases. You will develop a system to track your donor communications and the campaign progress in a consistent and organized way.
What does the Seminar content cover?
Introductory block:
- Individual fundraising basics: campaign types, cultivation cycle, relationship building
- Individual fundraising trends today
- Campaign Planning: balancing goals and capacity
Campaign Calendar Building:
- Defining your target audience and communication channels
- Assessing internal capacity and building the timeline
- Donor segmentation
Developing Campaign Language & Relationships:
- Campaign language development
- Donor retention and acknowledgement
What is included in the Seminar package?
- Registration for 2 team members from your organization
- All necessary templates
- Email Q&A with our consultant
- Access to the Seminar recordings and slides for 12 months
Boilerplate Writing Sessions
September 29, October 6 and 20|$500
Piecing together scattered copy fragments for every new grant application? Let’s fix it.
Within three group sessions and two individual consultations, you will build a system to keep your language organized, updated, and readily useful.
Having a boilerplate is essential for streamlining not only the grant writing and reporting process, but also marketing and donor communications.
Working on a boilerplate, especially for the first time, takes time and creative energy. Our session format provides the time and creative space to develop a high-quality boilerplate through several feedback loops with our consultants, your team, and peer participants.
What does the Sessions content cover?
Session 1:
- What is boilerplate and what are its elements
- Developing your grant language
- Storyboarding for grant writing
- Preparing supplementals that strengthen your story
Session 2:
- Grant panel exercise, group reflection, and boilerplate refinement
Session 3:
- Peer review of final boilerplates
- Using and maintaining the boilerplate
What is included in the Sessions package?
- Registration for 2 team members from your organization
- Three working sessions, 1.5 hours each
- Two 30-minute one-on-one meetings with our consultant (one meeting between the 2nd and the 3rd session, and one meeting a month after the last session)
- All necessary templates
- Access to the Sessions recordings and slides for 12 months
Please note: if fewer than three organizations register for the Sessions, we will switch to one three-hour group meeting and two individual consultations with a BA consultant. This format provides sufficient time to cover both theory and exercises with a smaller number of participants. We are committed to providing you with a thorough, high-quality learning experience. If any changes need to be made, we will let all registered organizations know by September 17 and find a solution together.
FAQ
Who are Sessions & Seminars for?
It is for you if…
- You’re running an arts-based or arts-adjacent organization with a budget of under $750,000, OR you’re an independent artist who doesn’t have the time to upgrade or create from scratch a boilerplate or an end-of-year campaign.
- You feel overwhelmed with the necessity to plan your fundraising and operational activities well in advance, while meeting daily commitments, and would love some professional and community support to figure that out.
- You want to improve your organization’s existing fundraising planning and grant writing.
- The sessions’ or a seminar’s description just sounds like what you need for any other reason 🙂
How many organizations can participate in a program at the same time?
We cap the number of participants in both seminars and sessions at 10 organizations (20 people – 2 team members from each organization).
How do you tailor the workshops to each organization?
Our workshops imply customization in several ways.
First, after you register and before the program starts, we ask you to provide key information about your existing practice so our consultants know each organization’s starting point and context to advise you along the way.
Second, each seminar and session includes guided exercises led by the consultant, who provides feedback and brainstorms with you in real time, helping you to adapt systems and templates to your specific needs.
Third, the session series includes two one-on-one half-hour meetings with a consultant to work on what you most need help with.
Can I register for more than one Seminar or Session series?
Yes! We encourage you to consider registering for more than one program if that is sustainable for you and your workload. While each seminar and session series is a separate, self-sufficient program, they are complementary.
Can I bring more than one person from my organization to the workshops?
Yes! Each program includes registration for 2 team members. We strongly recommend participating together with your teammate, a staff member or a board member. It will help you to maximize the outcomes.
What payment methods are available?
We accept payments through debit or credit card and PayPal.
What if I can't attend some meeting from the Session series?
If you miss a meeting, we will share a recording the following day so you can catch up as soon as possible. The advantage of the Sessions format in this case is that you can revisit the content from the missed meeting at one of your one-on-one meetings with a consultant.
For the Seminar, you will have a recording available, but we recommend attending live because the consultant’s guidance is only available during the Seminar, as well as the opportunity for peer learning.
Do I need to use any particular platform to access the program materials?
No! We use Google Suite tools, which are accessible for anyone with any email account. It is user-friendly, and many people are familiar with it. If you’re not – now worries! We’ll provide necessary instructions and support. But again: all you need to participate is a functioning email address and internet access. That’s all.
Will I have access to the workshop materials after the end of the program?
Absolutely! You are encouraged to download and keep the templates we provide. You will also have access to the meeting recordings and slides for 12 months after the program ends. For sessions, we also provide a meeting recording and transcript within 2 days of each meeting, so you can refresh what you’ve learned before the next meeting and stay on top of your progress.
Have some questions about the programs? Email sofia@benvenutiarts.com
For payment-related questions, email suda@benvenutiarts.com
Testimonials
This fundraising workshop was incredibly valuable. It offered insightful one-on-one and group sessions that helped clarify my goals and equipped me with effective tools to plan out the year for my organization. With boundless gratitude!
Kelly Johnson
Executive Director at Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene
With your help, we’ve seen a steady increase in foundation support, growing from $447K in FY22 to $552K in FY24. Our overall revenue has followed suit, rising from $2.5 million in FY19 to over $3 million by FY24. This expanded capacity has enabled us to increase scholarships, invest in faculty development, and improve our facilities to meet the needs of our growing community. Looking ahead, we’re preparing to build more internal capacity around grant writing in the next 1-2 years, with the goal of dedicating 20-30 hours a week to this work. Thanks to the solid foundation you’ve laid, we’re in a great position to make this transition smoothly.
I’ve truly appreciated how adaptable and proactive you’ve been throughout our partnership.
– Erika Atkins, Executive Director, Bloomingdale School of Music
Rachel Berger
Executive Director at The Artist Co-op
The Benvenuti Arts Fundraising Workshop was incredibly helpful. My producing partner and I run a fledgling arts organization. Sarah walked us through the basics of multiple fundraising approaches, with context from her experience in the field. This helped us understand not just how to fundraise, but the trends and contexts to help us refine our approach. Sarah’s personalized support, including a personal consultation, helped us refocus our strategy towards fundraising and gave us clear first steps, as well as long-term goals and plans. I cannot recommend her workshop enough.
Conrad Kluck
Co-Founder, Co-Producer & Curator at FEAST: A Performance Series
MEET SOME OF OUR CLIENTS
Omnium Circus
Omnium Circus believes that a circus experience with a full spectrum of people representative of our global culture as artists, staff and audiences leads the way to a truly diverse, equitable inclusive and accessible society. We create a safe space where people from diverse backgrounds can experience wonder, laughter and joy together.
Bloomingdale School of Music
Bloomingdale School of Music’s mission is to provide open access to high-quality music education to anyone who seeks it, regardless of economic status, ability level, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. BSM offers a diverse set of learning options for students of all ages and skill levels including in-person and virtual private music lessons, group classes, music ensembles, and early childhood classes.
BTFA COLLECTIVE (Black Trans Femmes in the Arts)
To create spaces for the production and preservation of Black trans art and culture by building community with Black trans femme artists and providing them with the resources and support necessary to thrive. We envision a world where Black trans femmes can create without limitations.
