Events and Training

This is a peer led, networking and information session for our anyone working in arts or charity fundraising to collaborate by sharing ideas, resources, fundraising tips, successes, losses, potential funders and more. We will also be able to share upcoming funding/grant opportunities, fundraising events, training and other resources on different aspects of fundraising. 

Art Bites are online sessions for approx. 45 mins, covering topics that are consistently popping up in our mailbox or keep coming up in discussion.This can cover elements and topics on business structures, governance, fundraising and other elements that are coming up and wanting to be explored

We’ll take a thorough look at the compliance requirements of being on a Board, covering roles and responsibilities plus managerial, legal and financial duties. But that’s only half of the picture! It will also discuss organisational performance, business models, income streams and what makes a Board/Board Member effective.

Want to make an impact online? Come along to our next Creative Training Bitesized session with Saul Duffin, founder of Belfast’s music and culture magazine YEO, and a seasoned designer and content creator. With experience of creating engaging campaigns for platforms like Late Night Art Belfast, Saul knows how to turn content into community. Saul will share his creative influences, examples of his work and how you too can stand out from the crowd. Whether you're managing a brand’s social media presence or building your personal profile, this session will be packed with tips to help you elevate your content, make an impact and connect authentically with your audience.

Join us to reimagine what cultural governance looks like - how we can, not just reflect our communities, but be truly led by them. At this year’s A&B NI Cultural Governance Conference, supported by award-winning accountancy and business advisory firm HM Chartered Accountants, we’ll explore fresh ways of thinking about governance—and how leadership in the boardroom and beyond, can become more inclusive, dynamic, and community-led. Together, we’ll explore governance models that redistribute power, broaden access, and enrich programming.

Join fundraising consultant Oonagh O’Donovan from OKC for a one-day workshop, "Funding Resilience: The Fundamentals of Arts Fundraising,". Led by Oonagh O’Donovan, Director of Strategy & Operations at OKC, this practical course explores the core principles of successful fundraising in the arts sector today.

This training is a chance to learn skills that will help you present with impact away from the safety of email, text and chatGBT.  You will be introduced to the working tips and the exercises that will help you make a powerful and positive impact when presenting to colleagues or clients.  You can expect practical information about breath, voice, and body language, but also a better understanding of how to structure what you are saying and prepare confidently for presentation whenever they occur.

Join us for our next Creative Training Bitesized session which focuses on people management, Paula McFetridge, Artistic Director of Kabosh Theatre Company, will be demonstrating how she supports collaboration, openness and gets the most from diverse teams. Each year Paula works with at least 100 freelancers in small teams, from different demographics. They share a common challenge, working within processes that are highly pressurised and time limited. The success of their product requires everyone to bring the best version of themselves and collaborate effectively. Paula’s role is to support innovation, promote possibility and assist with time management by applying leadership skills tailored to bring out the best in individuals. In this session, she will share how she does this, offering practical, first-hand examples from her work, and transferable techniques that you can bring back to your workplace.

A valuable opportunity to think about what networking really is and how it could work for you, in your own style.  In this training you will learn practical tips about setting networking goals, how to approach groups of strangers, what to say, how to be the best human in the group, and how to get away gracefully! You’ll understand why networking is valuable, how to be authentic, and what to do before and after you attend a networking event.