You’ve been allocated a budget to set up your company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. How do you create one that effectively supports both your brand image and your selected charity/charities?

We spoke to Tiffany Pinkstone, Director of the Sovereign Art Foundation, about her experience. Whilst many companies only pay lip service to their CSR agendas, the Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF), a charity founded by The Sovereign Group in 2003, has become one of the most recognised benefactors of Asian art and artists today. It has since helped raise 1.5 million US dollars in support of causes that use art as a means of rehabilitating trauma and abuse victims in Asia.

Q: What is the SAF’s formula for success?

“I think that we must first give credit to the foundation’s advisors, artist nominators and patrons, without whom we could not have come so far. They rallied behind the vision of the foundation and provided advice and introductions. The Sovereign Group’s clients too, helped identify patrons, suggest sponsors and volunteered at our events.

When the foundation was launched six years ago, there was a void of contemporary art in public spaces in Hong Kong. There were fewer art galleries then and the auction houses, Sotheby’s and Christies, had just arrived in Asia. Asian art was just about to take off in the international art circuit. SAF helped fill a gap and the timing could not have been better.

Also, we had a clear mandate. We recognised from the start that it was important to create SAF as a separate entity from our more commercial interests. We have never marketed The Sovereign Group’s services to our patrons.

The SAF has evolved as it grows. From our earliest objective of building awareness for Asian art, we now also recognise the best artists in the region and help launch some of their international careers.”

Q: What tips you would give anyone who’s interested in setting up a CSR programme?

“First, you have to be prepared to be committed to anything you start. You need a long-term vision and an idea of how it will continue.

Conduct due diligence into the causes you support. We take a close look at how the funds we raise through our patrons and auctions are used; we do our best to ensure that every penny is used well and that the money is not being diluted.

Communicate with all your supporters on a regular basis. The help and support they give you (and the friends you make) can be invaluable.

Get a good group of advisors and listen to them. Welcome constructive criticism.

Build a credible core group of people who will help you promote your cause.

Build awareness through lots of public relations. Work with key media who will give you free advertising. We focus on the general media and not just art media, as we want to reach a wider audience and make art more accessible. That’s why our exhibitions are in public spaces.”

Q: What are some good principles in sponsorship management?

“We have had some amazing sponsors. Starting with Bvlgari in our second year, we’ve had Louis Vuitton, Sotheby’s, Cathay Pacific and Barclays fund our exhibitions and auctions. The Sovereign Group in turn sponsors the prize money and administrative costs.

Our sponsors serve the same client base as we do, and our events are tailored to who our sponsors are. A fashion brand such as Louis Vuitton would present the art pieces in a more flamboyant style than say, a bank.”

Q: How has SAF benefited The Sovereign Group?

“It is hard to measure how the foundation has benefited the commercial side of our business, but it has definitely helped build awareness of the Sovereign brand. More people recognise our logo because of the foundation’s logo.”

Q: Has the SAF concept been replicated elsewhere?

“We started the Sovereign European Art Prize in London three years ago. The market there is a lot more saturated and we soon found that despite all the success we have had in Asia, it was probably harder to gain the same momentum in Europe as we had in Asia.

Each market has its own culture and in order to get things to work, you must first understand the local culture. We originally hired consultants in the UK, but have now decided to manage the European Art Prize ourselves.

Now that we have established the European Art Prize, our next stop is Dubai!”

About The Sovereign Art Foundation

The Sovereign Art Foundation is a charity registered in Hong Kong and the UK that raises money to help disadvantaged children using the arts as rehabilitation, education and therapy.  It was established in 2003 and runs the annual Sovereign Art Prizes in Asia and Europe. The Sovereign Art Prizes are visual arts prizes established to give recognition to some of the most important artists of our time.

Held annually, the Sovereign Art Prizes invite entries from established artists nominated by our board of experts. Entries are judged by a panel of art experts and professionals from the region who select the best 30 from a digital image. These 30 are then exhibited in a prominent public space.

The announcement of the first and public prizewinner is made during the exhibition or auction dinner. The public prize is awarded to the piece which receives the most votes from those who attend the exhibition or cast their votes through the Foundation website. The first prize is US$25,000 in Asia and Euros 25,000 in Europe.

With the exception of the winning entry, which becomes the property of the Foundation, all art works are sold by auction during a special charity dinner. The proceeds are split between the artist and the Foundation. So the artist receives the same split as they would through a gallery except higher prices are normally achieved by generous bidding from our charity patrons.  The auctions have acted as a spring board, enabling many mid-career artists to achieve record prices, great publicity and a wider audience for their work. Notable successes have included: Rashid Rana, Qi Zhi Long and Haris Purnomo among others.

We aim to cover the costs of the exhibition and auction events from sponsorship from The Sovereign Group and others leaving funds raised at the auction to be distributed without dilution to charitable artistic causes.

For more information, please contact Manifesto