Why you should always be learning

I’ve been in the nonprofit world for more than three decades.

(I’d like to say I started at 10, but that wouldn’t be quite honest.)

But whatever the organization, or even my role, one thing was absolutely true. There was always something to be learned. Always a way to do something better, faster, smarter. And the act of learning itself could propel me through those tough days. Nothing was lost if I came away having gained something new.

And that’s been the point of this blog. Sharing what I’ve learned, and in the process learning more myself. I hope you’ve gotten something from it!

For most of my career as a staff person, I worked in small organizations. Sometimes tiny. You wear a lot of hats. You make tough choices. You fight over the copier.

And my start in fundraising happened right before the development director at the theater left. Suddenly, the new kid – new to fundraising if not theater – was the fundraising team. Disaster, right?

But it was the best thing.

With the marketing director, I learned. We didn’t know what we couldn’t do. We hired a couple of consultants. They showed me how to track our results… (important, right!?)

And we called our peers across the country. They were generous with what they’d learned.

In the days before computers were part of the office, I got the boss to spring for a $75 a year subscription to Jerry Huntsinger’s newsletter. (Paper. In the mail. Awesome.)

That $75 was so well-spent! Jerry taught me how to create the appeals that would raise the money we needed. I kept every one. But maybe my sense of fairness got in the way because I left them behind a decade or so later when I left. Unfortunately, my successor tossed them. When I heard that, I wanted to cry!

But that small investment, along with a curious and eager learner, laid the groundwork for so much. More learning. More growth. More money.

And I’m sharing all this with you today because I’m taking part in a day of learning on January 27th. And I want you to come.

The event is the brainchild of my friend, Ephraim Gopin, at 1832 Communications. And Qgiv has generously sponsored it.

So the cost to you is only $65.

That’s ten dollars less than what I persuaded my boss to spend 30 years ago.

Here are the details for you:

Where: Zoom
Cost: $65, thanks to event sponsor Qgiv

Event link: Register Now

Who it’s for: Everyone involved in fundraising but ESPECIALLY those working in solo and small shops.

Goal: You’ll participate, learn, walk away with the fundraising tools you need to succeed.

These four sessions will cover 4 cornerstones of fundraising

• Copywriting best practices
• Preparing and making the ask
• Gratitude and retention
• Crafting a fundraising strategy

And just look at the group! My collaborators are stars!

Session times: Listed on the registration page (starts at 11 am EST with yours truly)

This one-day event is being put on by 1832 Communications. And thanks to our sponsor, Qgiv, the whole day is only $65.

Come join me. Even your boss will go for it! 🙂

Photo thanks to Jess Bailey