Understanding what business wants from the arts

Businesses value partnerships with the arts that can enhance brand, engage employees and demonstrate community contribution. The arts benefit from business resources that support growth, promote sustainability and build resilience.

This theme underpins the work of AbaF in bringing together the arts and business. AbaF has relationships with a range of businesses and we use our connections to maintain an ongoing dialogue about what they seek from partnerships with the arts.

They tell us that some arts organisations have difficulty in effectively communicating with them and understanding their business drivers. This is particularly apparent at the approach phase, with business wanting arts organisations to demonstrate a clear understanding of their business objectives and to show how a partnership could help to achieve these outcomes.

AbaF works to build the capacity of arts organisations to understand how business operates and what business seeks from relationships with the arts. We help them to identify ‘good fit’ business partners and to tailor their proposals to the objectives, interests and decision-making processes of those businesses. 

Another oft repeated challenge for arts organisations is the need to be clear about the return on the investment of the business partner. There is increasing pressure on business to justify the value and benefit of every expenditure. As many of the benefits of the arts are indefinable it can be difficult to quantify a monetary return.

Arts organisations are rich in intangible assets such as intellectual capital and relational capital, including the goodwill of supporters, brand value and reputation. AbaF offers simple processes to amplify the value of these attributes and assists arts organisations to articulate and to ‘price’ them more rigorously.

Arts organisations need to demonstrate the value of their offering and to consider the cultural and social value of their work when they seek business support. AbaF works with experts from the corporate sector to develop tools to measure social or cultural impact and return on business investment.

Businesses commend the ways in which the arts can be integrated across many functions, forming a genuine partnership rather than a simple sponsorship agreement. The ability of arts partners to engage with different levels of a company is one of the key drivers for success, with effective communication a characteristic of these relationships.

The arts offer a creative energy that business partners relish.  The arts provide ‘a way to look at the world differently, a way to promote excellence, a way to encourage tolerance and to be uplifted.’ [i] Simply by being themselves, the arts offer benefits that no other sector can match. 

Many decision-makers in business recognise the unique qualities of the arts. They appreciate the value of connecting their brand to an arts organisation. They understand that by partnering with the arts they can achieve outcomes aligned with their ‘social responsibility’ objectives. And they know that arts partnerships can motivate their staff and help make their company an employer of choice.

Companies view partnerships with arts organisations as a great way to deliver on their broad corporate objectives and priorities. Brand positioning and alignment, employee engagement and community contribution are consistently cited as areas where arts partnerships fit with the corporate priorities of companies.

In AbaF’s survey of business motivations and decision making processes for corporate relationships, 60% of the companies noted a difference between sponsorship and partnership, with partnership the desired relationship.[ii]

The creative energy that the arts can provide was one of the most sought after elements amongst corporate partners and in most cases the differentiating factor between the arts and other partners (eg sport, entertainment, other community). 

We know that partnerships with business are an exciting medium through which to leverage the unique skills and initiatives of the arts. Business supporters acknowledge the ability of the arts to offer access to audiences that cannot be reached through other community sectors. They believe corporate entertainment through the arts creates a far more emotional connection.

The ability of the arts to engage the wider community, staff, clients and other key audiences of business should be a focal point when arts organisations are approaching companies. Arts partnerships bring creative energy, vibrancy and a different way of thinking to the workplace.

At AbaF we believe that there is real potential for growth and development in business support for the arts through well researched and developed collaborations. Well-designed relationships can unlock considerable value for both.

AbaF knows that arts organisations that partner effectively with business can benefit not just by enlarging their capacity through funds and skills but profit also when they can concentrate on doing what they do well and focus on the creation and development of high quality arts in Australia.