Learning from the American Fundraising Model: A European Perspective March 2014 | Page 25

However, Bijleveld knows it will be important
to continue to build up the museum’s capabilities. “Since the crisis, cultural institutes in the
Netherlands have become much more active
in fundraising,” he says. “So to stay ahead, you
need to increase your staff.”

voted one of its fundraisers to identifying and
cultivating these individuals.
The shift towards larger gifts means developing closer relationships with donors than in the
past. “In the old days, we wrote letters once in a
while but now we have events for private individuals,” says Bijleveld.
The museum has also built up its fundraising
resources. From a staff of one – Bijleveld himself – the organization now has four fundraisers and two supporting staff members. “It’s still
a small department, but it’s one of the largest in
the Netherlands for a museum,” he says.
Expanding the department will not be easy. “It’s
not a matter of money – it’s a matter of finding
good fundraisers,” he says. “That’s a problem in
the Netherlands, because there’s no history of
fundraising.”

Meanwhile, in fostering relations with wealthy
donors, Bijleveld is looking back to a time before government took over support for cultural
institutions. “In the nineteenth century, cultural
support was driven by private individuals,” he
says. “So the old world is becoming the new
world.”

national maritime museum
Het Scheepvaartmuseum, or National Maritime
Museum, has one of the world’s most important
maritime historical collections. Following an extensive renovation, the museum reopened in 2011.
Today, interactive exhibitions take visitors through
centuries of maritime history and a library contains
about 60,000 books. The museum receives 50 percent of its funding from government, with another
30 percent coming from sponsorship and 20 percent from income generated from ticket sales and
other sources.