2017 ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate graduate course testimonials and survey feedback
“This course should be mandatory for all arts fundraisers and marketeers. Clear and practical learning modules, excellent quality seminar content, high calibre contributing speakers, extremely supportive tutors and detailed online resources together made for an intense but enjoyable and thought provoking learning experience — the outcomes of which I’m excited to apply at my organisation”. Sarah Davies, Head of Development, Punch Drunk, (Top Set Brief Student)
“An excellent learning experience-the materials were extremely informative, well prepared and very accessible online. The assignments, whilst rather time-consuming, provided a focus and a purpose for learning. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and feel I have benefited tremendously and I am already putting the learning into practice with great results.” Sue Beckett, Portsmouth Music Hub, (Top Student)
Marc Rothman (Distinction Graduate) reviewed the course for us:
“I decided to study for the ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate as it is the only professional qualification specifically for arts sponsorship (as opposed to fundraising).
It is my view that, with increasing pressure on the public purse and the increasing fragmentation and diversification of arts audiences, arts sponsorship will become increasingly important for arts organisations and increasingly valuable for brands looking to target niche audiences with bespoke messages.
The Certificate provides a thorough basic grounding in the principles and practice of arts sponsorship, which is still a little understood concept in the UK. It teaches you to look at arts organisations from a sponsor’s point of view and to consider how arts organisations could benefit from a relationship with a sponsor without compromising their integrity or vision.
It looks at issues such as sponsorship readiness, sponsorship assets, sponsorship measurement and sponsorship activation and provides valuable insight into how to put together a sponsorship proposal and work with potential sponsors.
The course materials are thorough and detailed and the guest lecturers bring valuable real-world insight.
For anyone looking for a thorough introduction to this little understood field, I would recommend the Certificate without hesitation.”
2017 survey feedback
“In summary I really enjoyed the course, found it enlightening, thought provoking and inspiring, and have recommended it to others… the whole the course, learning materials, tutors and quality of seminars are all fantastic. Thank you!” 2017 graduate
“I really enjoyed participating in the Certificate and believe it has significantly enhanced my knowledge and understanding.” 2017 graduate
“I really did not want this course to end and found the seminars, study materials and seminars extremely useful and have already been using the content with my Team. As a distance learner, I did not have the opportunity to meet other students however at no point did I feel excluded. I am sad that it has come to an end as I thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience and applying practices to my current job. Thank you so much!” 2017 graduate
2016 graduate testimonials
I followed the course remotely and the flexibility this offered was a real bonus, as it allowed me to timetable watching the seminars at my own convenience. This course has given me both real professional development and much practical assistance in the logistics and challenges of my role in arts sponsorship.
Michelle Hardie, Theatre Royal, (Top Student)
“The certificate enabled me to clearly identify which areas and projects within our business would be interesting to a sponsor, and gave me the knowledge and confidence to look at our assets and benefits to establish a convincing objective sponsorship argument that fed into a commercial partnership proposal.“
Jane Atherton, Cheshire Dance
“I would highly recommend that all the major Arts institutions invest in their staff and add this course to their professional development, enabling them to hit very challenging targets in arts sponsorship within the corporate sector.”
Khadeen O’Donnell, Southbank Centre
Our 2015 graduates share some insight…
We spoke to a few of the 2015 graduates asking them to outline what the course meant to them and how the knowledge learned has helped them in their day-to-day roles.
The ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate was a great way for me to fit the kind of in-depth learning in sponsorship that I wanted into my hectic work schedule. The course materials are fantastic, carefully outlining all the relevant terms and considerations and providing complete background information, making a great foundation for professional development. The course tutors are friendly and supportive. I began to use the skills and knowledge from the course almost immediately and they have already been a significant help in developing my organisation’s approach to fundraising and sponsorship.
Sarah Fairbairn, Production Manager, Jewish Book Week
This course was long overdue
and now fills a gap in the arts marketing education portfolio that has been there for a very long time. Well done ESA for bringing this to market and producing a course packed with useful, practical information to take back and apply in the workplace. I can see real potential now for generating significant sponsorship income for our small Arts Charity.
Terry Luddington, Chief Executive Officer
The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech
I really liked the distance learning aspect of the course which allowed me to pick it up and put it down according to my busy schedule. It was also useful to be learning elements of the course and being able to apply them to my job as I was progressing through each unit. More and more these days, we are expected to engage with businesses to augment our arts activity – which can be easier said than done. The ESA Arts Sponsorship Certificate has reinforced my belief that what we offer does have a value to the business community; we just need to be offering it in a way that commercial operators understand.
Paul Burns, Director, Tees Music Alliance
The Arts Sponsorship Certificate was extremely useful in expanding my understanding of how sponsorship works in the arts. Learning from such a range of industry experts gave me the knowledge and confidence to push forward with new plans at work. It was also a great chance to network, and meet people from all sorts of other arts and sponsor organisations along the way. Being able to share common problems, and their solutions, with peers was incredibly valuable. The highlight for me was definitely an evening behind the scenes at the Science Museum!
Peter Lanceley, Project Manager, ResonanceFM
