Thinking big

 Five arts organisations reached their fundraising targets for the week within hours of the opening of The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2010 (see AP219 and AP214). Birmingham Royal Ballet received donations of almost £21,000 towards a new production of ‘Cinderella’ within the first three hours of the challenge opening, and Camden Arts Centre, Midlands Arts Centre, Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory and St George’s Bristol all hit their targets on the first day, raising a further total of £35,000. The Big Give, an online fundraising initiative spearheaded by philanthropist Alec Reed and supported by the Reed Foundation, has this year, for the first time, enabled public donations to arts organisations to be matched by funds pledged by their own supporters and from a new Arts & Business Challenge Fund worth £500,000. These funding sources will, between them, mean that the Big Give online donations are doubled in value. Ninety-four organisations have signed up to be part of the Big Arts Give, competing for a share of the Challenge Fund, during the week beginning 6 December. Although the scheme has been criticised for being over-complicated and difficult to understand, Geoff Sweeney, Development Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, praised its impact, saying: “The Big Give has provided a very strong focus for our fundraising efforts for ‘Cinderella’, and the matching funding has been an excellent incentive for donors.”