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People who make individual donations to arts organisations are likely to be core audience members and committed arts attenders, according to new research carried out by City University for Arts & Business (A&B). ‘Local Pride: Individual Giving to the Arts in England’ sought to establish the size of low- and mid-level gifts, how arts organisations can increase individual donations and what motivates donors to give. Barriers to giving included a lack of expertise within organisations to encourage donations, the impact of the current economic climate and the lack of awareness among consumers of the charitable status of arts companies. Motivating factors include a wish to sustain a specific artform, a wish to support a particular institution and “a feeling of social or civic responsibility”. Enhancing donor contributions is best achieved by asking them directly and by requesting contributions to something specific. A&B’s Chief Executive, Colin Tweedy, said that “it is not only the rich that can financially support and protect the arts, it is also the local audience”.