Learning from the American Fundraising Model: A European Perspective March 2014 | Page 22

08. a struggle
to change
mindsets
Elvire de Rochefort,
Director, Adviser to the President
for Patronage and Philanthropy,
Musée du Quai Branly (France),
Class of 2012
In promoting new fundraising strategies, Elvire de Rochefort is facing an uphill battle. First,
the organizational structure within the Musée
du Quai Branly is not set up to seek funding
from individual donors, who are only solicited by the Friends association, an independent
entity to the museum. Equally challenging is a
deep-rooted French tradition of holding government responsible for supporting culture.
“It’s the famous French ‘Cultural Exception,’”
she explains. ‘It’s expected that the state, rather
than individuals, will provide for culture.” Yet,
given falling state contributions, this is a mindset she believes needs to shift.
Currently, the lion’s share of the Musée du Quai
Branly’s funding comes from two ministries – the
culture ministry and (because the museum engages in research and teaching) the ministry in
charge of research and higher education. Howev-

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er, these contributions have been falling by about
2.5 percent a year, according to de Rochefort.
Meanwhile, corporate sponsorship – covering
much of the rest of the budget – is diminishing as French companies rein in philanthropic
spending and focus gifts on issues such as the
environment, social justice or healthcare. “Culture is seen as a luxury they can no longer afford,” de Rochefort says.
Nor are ticket sales a reliable source of income.
“With ticketing, 47 percent of our visitors don’t
pay entry fees because of all the French gratuities available through the law,” she explains.
De Rochefort is not short on ideas. She believes
institutions such as Musée du Quai Branly need
to transform their approach to fundraising, focusing more closely on private individuals. “I’d
target circles of people who are close to the
museum, work with them as ambassadors and
try to build up these friends of the museum,”
she says.
Every ticket purchase, she says, should be an
opportunity to offer visitors the chance to make
small donations to special projects or to encour-