Fundraising Readiness Training

Are you new to fundraising? Want to get your board and staff excited about fundraising? Not sure where to start?

Facilitated by Ginny Giles and Heather Moreland of Community Equip’d, the Fundraising Readiness Trainings are for organizations that are new to fundraising or looking to ramp up their fundraising efforts. This series of workshops will help participants identify specific steps they can take to get their organizations, board, and staff ready for a comprehensive fundraising strategy. Designed for the Executive Director or Development staff from small and midsize nonprofit organizations with budgets of approximately $100,000 – $5,000,000, each cohort will equip participants with action items they can implement immediately.

 

Audience

Designed for organizations with the following:

• Budget of approximately $100,000 – $5,000,000
• At least one employee
• Does not have an effective fundraising plan in place, is generally new to fundraising, or wants to overhaul their fundraising strategy

Each cohort can accommodate up to 30 organizations (one representative each). Organizations are encouraged to bring a board member to Session 2.

 

Sessions

Each Readiness Cohort will include three (3) in-person trainings that are each three (3) hours long. 

Session 1 – Telling Your Story: Participants will learn the basic mechanics for effectively crafting the story of their organization and impact on the community. This training will identify the critical elements of impactful communication (digital, print, in-person). The session includes an exercise to develop your “elevator speech” that participants can take with them to use with board members and staff.

Actionable Takeaway: Participants will be able to concisely state the impact of their organization and lead their staff and board through the development of their “elevator speech.”

 

Session 2 – Building a Culture of Fundraising: (Organizations are encouraged to bring a board member to this session) Participants will learn what a culture of fundraising is and how it elevates all the work of the organization while increasing donations. We will review standard fundraising expectations of board members and several strategies for engaging all board members in revenue generating activities. Methods for appropriately engaging all staff in fundraising culture will be explored.

Actionable Takeaway: Participants will receive a sample board engagement plan that they can modify and use with their board.

 

Session 3 – Building Your Strategy: This session will explore the basic elements of a fundraising plan (individual donors, grants, special events, and special campaigns) and how to determine which ones are the right fit for your organization. Participants will learn about the role of data in fundraising and how to begin collecting relevant data.

Actionable Takeaway: Participants will create 3 realistic and achievable fundraising goals to serve as the foundation of their fundraising plan.

 

Participant Commitment / Expectations

1. Complete survey on current fundraising capacity to help tailor the content (15-20 minutes)
2. Attend all three sessions
3. Bring a Board member to Session 2
4. Participate in an end of program evaluation