What is Donations

This chapter investigates the possible relationships between cultural institutions (museums, theatres, libraries etc.) and companies, which have been increasingly occurring in the last years. While cultural institutions have been progressively needing to acquire financial resources and managerial skills to survive and valorise their activities, at the same time companies are trying new ways to differentiate their image, by means of associating it with the cultural sector. The adoption of a descriptive-normative approach enables the identification of many kinds of collaboration (patronage and corporate philanthropy, volunteer program and payroll giving, cause related marketing, cultural sponsorship, co-branding, licensing and merchandising, electronic relationships, and finally, partnership), distinguished according to the intensity and duration over time. For each relationship, mutual benefits and disadvantages are described in detail, even with the support of real case studies. This joint consideration of the various possible relationships aims to provide an overall view of the issue considered, which differentiates this contribution from the literature so far produced.