Being welcoming and inclusive attracts donors

The National Gallery brings great joy to millions of visitors a year. Our £95m bicentenary campaign (NG200) has attracted huge support. One donor, Nigel Grey-Turner, said: “This is a way of expressing my thanks to the National Gallery and its staff for all the enjoyment and stimulation provided over my lifetime. Don’t blow it all on balloons and cupcakes.” 

This quote is an example of one person’s relationship with us. Some visit our London home daily, others might pop in during their lunchbreak to see their favourite painting, and some might visit only once. But each one is impacted by their time in the gallery.

At the heart of our campaign is a celebration of the collection and a rededication of the gallery to the people who own it – the citizens of the UK. NG200 is the largest campaign the National Gallery has undertaken, both in terms of the ambitions of what we wanted to achieve and what we need to raise to make this a reality.

The fundraising strategy was developed in 2020 and 2021, at the time of the Covid pandemic and global economic uncertainty. While it was hard to predict the outcome at the time, the necessity and integrity of the campaign were never called into question. 

The quiet phase of fundraising commenced in January 2022, and until we completed the campaign this July, reaching our £95m target, it has been an absolute whirlwind. As the director of development leading on the campaign, it was daunting at times. There were sleepless nights and moments of doubt, but there were also times of utter joy and jubilation; days in the office where we screamed with excitement and colleagues crowded around my desk to hear the good news. 

There were several elements that I feel really contributed to its success. First and foremost, our chairman and trustees led by example and gave leadership gifts. This was a powerful message to our funders and galvanised other major support, giving the campaign momentum from its inception. 

As the campaign progressed, there were some challenging moments, but the faith, support and friendship of our donors who gave during the silent phase spurred us on for the rest of the fundraising. The National Gallery is the people’s gallery, so creating a more welcoming, inclusive and accessible space and programme formed the cornerstone of donors’ support. This always remained at the back of my mind.

NG200 has been a cross-gallery project: I have worked with colleagues from all departments, and this teamwork has been vital to our success. For example, the knowledge and passion of our colleagues in the curatorial or learning and exhibitions teams often tips the scales in our favour when it comes to bringing a donor on board. Our projects team might be donning hard hats every day and walking around the site, but for a prospective donor, it is a thrilling way to spend an hour, and an exciting way to see what is happening with their money. Everyone I work with loves the gallery and its collection, making it far easier to inspire excitement when talking to supporters.  

I have learned so much on a personal and professional level from the campaign, and I know that the development team has also thrived and grown. The team’s focus, drive and energy has had a significant impact on our success. When you embark on such a big campaign, it is important to maintain momentum; as a team, we wanted to reach our target as quickly as we could, knowing that the longer the campaign lasted, the harder it would be to bring it to a close.

It has been a career highlight for many of us – a great source of pride and joy. I would feel confident going into any other fundraising campaign with this team behind me. 

We feel lucky to have been a part of this campaign and are thrilled its success means we can redevelop our building and reach new audiences. The achievement belongs to everyone at the National Gallery and would not have been possible without the support of our wonderful donors and friends. 

Anh Nguyen is the director of development at the National Gallery, London