Learning from the American Fundraising Model: A European Perspective March 2014 | Page 8

01. A broader
fundraising
reach
Sabine Haag, Director General,
Kunsthistorisches Museum (Austria),
Class of 2012
In September 2011, cyclists in Vienna could be
seen wearing helmets emblazoned with the
letters KHM. The “golden helmets”, as they were
known, were part of an innovative campaign to
raise money to complete the refurbishing of
the Kunstkammer, part of Austria’s Kunsthistorisches Museum. But the campaign is just one
of the strategies the museum’s director general Sabine Haag has deployed as the institution
works to reduce its dependence on government
funding and secure more private donations.

Compared to some other European institutions,
the museum has a relatively secure source of
state funding. By law, Austria’s state museums
receive a set amount from the government every year. In the case of the Kunsthistorisches
Museum, this makes up two-thirds of its budget.
However, with expenditure increasing, the institution is under pressure to seek alternative
sources. “We are constantly asked to do more
fundraising for the museum and for more projects than we used to,” says Haag.
With corporate funding less easy to secure than
in the past, the museum is focusing on developing a network of individual donors. To do so,
it has established “Contemporary Patrons” and
“Classic Patrons” programs.
And while part of this has involved encouraging
individuals to donate small amounts – as with
the golden helmets campaign – the museum is
also targeting individual donors for larger gifts
of between €100,000 and €700,000. For these
amounts, donors can sponsor galleries, with
their name joining other donors on plaques on
gallery walls.
As well as offering name recognition, cultivating larger donors requires personal attention. “It

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C ON V ERS A T I ONS