Upcoming Fundraising 

Trainings and Events

• A conversation with the Open Your Heart to Hunger and Homelessness Foundation, November 19, Mankato
  
  
• Sustainable Fundraising Strategies and Minnesota Foundations 2010, December 10, St. Paul
  
  

• Fundraising Network Lunches, monthly, St. Paul

A conversation with the Open Your Heart to Hunger and Homelessness Foundation

Please join us for lunch with Arna Yetter, the foundation director for Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless (OYH). Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless is the only charitable federation in Minnesota dedicated solely to alleviating hunger and homelessness through granting funds to food and housing agencies.

OYH funds across Minnesota, including in all counties in Southern Minnesota.

You are welcome to bring your own lunch, but no lunch will be provided. And, in the spirit of the season, participants are welcome (but not required) to bring a donation for the ECHO Food Shelf.

Details:

Date: Thursday, November 19, 2009
Time: Noon-1:00 p.m.
Location: Blue Earth County Library
100 East Main Street, Mankato
Map and Parking
Free and open to all, but please RSVP.

Sustainable Fundraising Strategies

Is your organization seeing an increase in dollars contributed from individuals this year? Is your board fully engaged in helping raise funds from individuals? If you answered “no” to these questions, you’ll want to attend this interactive, fast-paced session where you will learn tips and strategies for increasing fundraising dollars from individual donors, as wells as strategies to engage your board in the process. During the workshop you’ll take a closer look at the strategies and actions you currently use to raise funds from individuals and you’ll leave re-energized with implementable action steps to raise more funds for your organization in this challenging economy. There will be something for all levels of development professionals in this workshop.

In this workshop, you will:
• Become more aware about how your organization talks about and deals with money;
• Learn strategies for raising funds in challenging times;
• Learn to share the story of your organization powerfully;
• Learn ways to engage your board more deeply in individual donor fundraising; and
• Identify donor cultivation opportunities you may be missing.

About the presenter:

Communication and fundraising strategist and trainer Lori L. Jacobwith has spent more than 20 years helping people and organizations increase visibility and communicate boldly to generate more individual fundraising dollars. Over the last nine years Lori has coached, trained and consulted with hundreds of individuals and organizations across North America. Her fundraising and communication strategies have helped organizations to collectively raise nearly $90 million.

From 2001 to 2006 Lori delivered numerous workshops in the US and Canada as a senior instructor with Benevon (formerly Raising More Money). A high-energy speaker who has presented to thousands worldwide, Lori has a mission of creating an environment for people to find ease and joy in fundraising. In 2006 Lori established her training and consulting company, Apporté, to bring people together to dramatically shift communication and fundraising habits.

Lori has a B.A. in political science and speech-communication from the University of Minnesota and additional training through the Fund Raising School at Indiana University. Lori is an active volunteer with organizations supporting women and children.

Minnesota Foundations 2010

Minnesota Foundations 2010 will provide you with specific information about the trends, staffing, program shifts and financial outlooks of more than 75 of the most important Minnesota foundations. This workshop will also examine the three types of foundations in detail: private foundations, community foundations and corporate-giving programs. Minnesota Foundations 2010 assumes a working knowledge of proposal writing, budgeting and the basics of foundation and corporate grantmaking.

Minnesota Foundations 2010 is a forward-looking workshop and a great opportunity for you and your colleagues to focus your energy on developing your fundraising plan for 2010. You can also gather information and connect to trends in the sector by networking with your peers, all while finding and uncovering the resources necessary to develop and strategically implement your fundraising plan.

Workshop participants will receive a copy of Minnesota Grants Directory 2010, to be released at the workshop.

About the presenters:

Charisse Gendron is a grants officer at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. She is the author of two chapbooks, Mopes and Louvres, with a third, Nonsets, in production. Her poems have been published by the online journals What Light and Poets against War, and she has presented in the series What Light, Looseleaf, and The Works. Gendron received her Ph. D. from the University of Connecticut. As a professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University from 1984 through 1996, she taught literature, film, and feminist theory.

Jon Pratt is executive director of the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits (MCN). He is also a contributing editor of the Nonprofit Quarterly, and has been recognized several times by The Nonprofit Times as one of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in the United States.

Leslie Nitabach, development manager for MCN, has worked in nonprofit fundraising, program development and community organizing with several Twin Cities nonprofits. She annually presents at the Minnesota Foundations workshop.

Details:

Thursday, December 10
Continuing Education and Conference Center
1890 Buford Avenue, St. Paul

Sustainable Fundraising Strategies
9 a.m. – noon (registration opens at 8:30 a.m.)
Fees: $85 for MCN members/$135 for nonmembers

Minnesota Foundations 2010
1 – 4:30 p.m. (registration opens at 12:30 p.m.)
Fees: $100 for MCN members/$150 for nonmembers
Includes a copy of Minnesota Grants Directory 2010

Both workshops with lunch
Fees: $195 for MCN members/$295 for nonmembers

Register for Sustainable Fundraising Strategies
Register for Minnesota Foundations 2010
Register for both workshops and lunch

Register:

1. Register online (online registration ends at noon the day before the event)
2. By fax - download and complete the registration form (including credit card information) and fax the form to 651-642-1517
3. By mail - download and complete the registration form, include payment and mail to: Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; 2314 University Ave. West, Suite 20; St. Paul; MN; 55114-1802

Top of Page

Fundraising Network Lunches
presented with the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Minnesota ChapterIf you are currently working as a development staff person in a nonprofit, you are invited to join these informal discussions and information sharing groups.

Each month a topic is identified around which the majority of the discussion will revolve. Participants are encouraged to bring questions, samples, and insights related to the topic of the day. In addition to the featured topic, each session will include time to network and discuss off-topic items. Such as to share recent projects or accomplishments, or ask your “burning questions” (whether they are related to the topic or not). This network is free and no RSVP is necessary. You are invited to bring your lunch, business cards, questions and ideas. If you have any questions about the series, please contact Leslie Nitabach at 651-757-3073 or leslie@mncn.org.

Time and Location:
Times for all are noon - 1 p.m. Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Conference Room
2314 University Avenue, Suite 20, St. Paul 55114Directions and Parking

2009 Dates and Topics (2nd Wednesday of each month):

January 14 – Strategies for fundraising during the economic downturn
February 11 – Social media and fundraising:

How do we enhance our organization’s network? Does my organization need a facebook page? Should we have blog?

March 11– Capacity building resources
April 8 – Special events – why do them and timelines for success with Kittie Fahey,
donor consultant, major gifts, Greater Twin Cities United Way
May 13 – Donor databases with Alexcia Nicole Adams, CFRE, director of development and operations, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota
June 10 – Communicating with donors from different generations with Susan Fink
July 8 – Involving everyone in the organization in fundraising with Lisa Stordahl, director of community giving at Treehouse
August 12 – Corporate sponsorships – how to start
September 9 – Donor appeal letters – bring samples
October 14 – Donor retention strategies
November 11 – Planned giving – how to start
December 9 – Development planning

Top of Page

Other Fundraising Resources

Minnesota Grants Directory
More about the Grants Directory

Info Central: Charitable Fundraising
This section of this Web site gives basic information about fundraising in Minnesota, FAQs, tips and samples, and more.
Info Central: Charitable Fundraising