Posted by: John Arvizu / on May 12, 2012
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As NDLON’s Director of Finance and Development, I always look to make smart investments that help our network and member organizations engage in fundraising more effectively. In learning to identify what matters most in a strong fundraising plan, no other institution has provided more support and guidance to NDLON than the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training (GIFT).
GIFT provides many benefits to nonprofits. Here are a few I take advantage of:
Published 6 times a year by GIFT, I usually read the Grassroots Fundraising Journal cover-to-cover, and consider it an important source of new ideas and tested strategies that I can adapt. When there’s a fundraising task that I’m completely lost on, I’ll look up the topic in the Journal’s online archive (free w/subscription). In the archive, it’s not hard to find 4-5 great articles on any topic that get me focused on the important tasks and provide me with tools and charts that help us avoid costly mistakes and improve our chances for success. In 2010, NDLON’s development team participated in the Fundraising Academy for Communities of Color (facilitated by GIFT and CompassPoint). The Fundraising Academy is a skills building program for fundraisers that offers an 8-session training paired with superb mentorships that give you the tools, practice, and confidence to execute fundraising strategies. This experience was central to building out NDLON’s development and sustainability plan.
And for the past 3 years, I’ve been going and inviting fellow development staff to go to GIFT’s annual “Money for our Movements” conference. The conference is chock-full of workshops, materials, lively debates and knowledgeable trainers. From August 10-11, if you’re fundraising for your organization, this is the place to be. If you can’t be there yourself, send someone from the organization that can. Each year, more and more workshops and fundraising materials are being offered in Spanish. So also look to provide an opportunity for community leaders that can take a more active role in the organization’s fundraising efforts.
It’s a smart investment. Hope to see you there.
Working with GIFT is a partnership that pays off in many ways. When you work with GIFT you know that you’re working with people who know what they’re doing and love what they do.
Add to your To Do List:
Here are three things that you can do now to take advantage of the talents and services offered by GIFT. All of these ideas are excellent ways for your development team to maximize the potential of your group’s fundraising strategy.
- Subscribe to the Grassroots Fundraising Journal. Not only do you get 6 excellent journals on Fundraising throughout the year, but you get full access to GIFT archives with hundreds of articles on every fundraising topic imaginable.
- Order a copy of “Cómo Recaudar Fondos en su Comunidad” – translated articles on fundraising – We have a dozen in our office so let us know if you need one mailed to you.
- Make an investment in your development staff and register for the Conference. If you’d like to learn more about how to take advantage of group rates through NDLON, please email or call me.
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