Principles of Fundraising is composed of five (5) modules that have been designed by experienced fundraising professionals to meet the needs and challenges nonprofit organizations face every day. This series will offer a complete overview of the development function, featuring the most current information and techniques with focus on raising funds during and post COVID-19 pandemic.

AFP Connecticut Chapter is offering The Principles of Fundraising Certificate Program to fundraising professionals with 0 to 5 years of experience, but may also be beneficial for executive directors, board members, and volunteers who may be transiting into the nonprofit sector and those new to the Development field.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021- Organizing and Running a Successful Development Program
Trainer: Gina Marcantonio, G. Marc & Associates, LLC, Development Consulting for NonProfits, CT

Nonprofits play a critical role in our community. Unfortunately, when a crisis happens, donations may suffer. What can organizations do to make sure they survive? In the first session of this series, you will learn the essentials to create an integrated fund development plan. This workshop will provide methods for implementing a fundraising strategy from identifying potential funding streams to incorporating different types of activities to raise money to support your organization’s overall mission and strategic plan while meeting the needs of stakeholders. Those in attendance will learn to prioritize and establish basic policies and procedures needed to manage a solid development program.

Gina is the Immediate-Past President of the AFP Connecticut Chapter and an AFP Master Trainer. She is a seasoned fund development professional with almost 30 years of experience developing strategies to generate revenue and grow philanthropic programs for health care, education, community programs, the arts, and special projects for children, adults and for the elderly and disabled population.

Wednesday, April 21, 2021 - Building a Sustainable Annual Giving Program
Trainer: Sharon J. Danosky, President, Danosky & Associates, Sherman, CT

A successful annual giving program provides a steady flow of unrestricted financial support year after year to fund your nonprofit organization’s operations. This workshop will teach you how to build an annual giving program from generating a donor pipeline to keeping those donors coming back for a lifetime or longer. With a strong annual giving program, your organization will be able to thrive through whatever crisis may come our way and have the foundation to build a strong, sustainable development program.

Sharon is a strategist, thought leader, and BoardSource Certified Governance Consultant who partners with nonprofit organizations to lead them to better pastures. Having raised hundreds of millions from donors over the course of her 35-year career, she takes a hands-on approach to working with her clients by providing tools that work and instilling them with the confidence to succeed.

Wednesday, April 28, 2021 - Engaging Your Board & Volunteers to Raise Money
Trainer: John Brooks, Chief Development Officer, Columbus House, New Haven, CT

During these challenging times, can your organization use help raising money from new funding sources? Have you had to suspend volunteer activities during the pandemic? Are you having trouble keeping volunteers engaged virtually? One of the best ways to help your organization raise more money, even during this unprecedented global crisis, is to enlist the help of your extensive volunteer network. In this session, you will learn where to look for the best volunteer fundraisers and how to work with and energize your volunteers to help during the pandemic and beyond. This workshop will also provide tools to evaluate volunteer effectiveness to increase your organization’s capacity to raise more money.

John has over 25 years of experience with all levels of fund development, raising over $1.0 million annually for Columbus House for the past 17 years. He has extensive experience in developing, training, and leading numerous volunteer and board committees to assist with prospect identification, solicitation, major and grassroots fundraising events, and overall fundraising activities.

Wednesday, May 5, 2021 – Grants from Foundations and Corporations
Trainer: Diane Gedeon-Martin, President, The Write Source, Glastonbury, CT

Nonprofit organizations often seek grant support but fall short in receiving an award. Competition from foundations and corporations, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to grow as government funding dwindles. Learn how to identify grant opportunities for your organization as well as prepare proposals that get the attention of grantmakers. This workshop provides not only tools and resources but also a proposal outline to prepare comprehensive, concise, and competitive grant applications.

Diane is a national grants consultant and an AFP Master Trainer with 30 years of experience in the area of grants and grant seeking for nonprofit organizations. Since launching her company in 1993, she has worked with nearly 290 nonprofit clients in 26 states and Washington, DC to help them achieve their goals through grants ranging from $5,000 to $5.0 million.   

Wednesday, May 12, 2021 - The Art of Soliciting Major Gifts
Trainer: Abbie von Schlegell, Principal, A. von Schlegell & Co., Pittsfield, MA

In this last session of the series, you will take everything you have learned to engage donors at a deeper level so that their annual giving reaches maximum financial capacity. Cultivating donors to provide major gifts to support specific programs or initiatives takes time but the payoff is worth it. This workshop will provide a framework for developing a successful individual major gifts program that includes laying the groundwork of necessary attitudes, skills, insight, and knowledge to create meaningful donor relationships both in person and virtually that can potentially lead to larger support for your organization.

Abbie has been in the development field for over 40 years, as a consultant specializing in fund development and nonprofit governance for half of her career, and a senior development officer with four major institutions. She is a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer, an expert on women’s philanthropy, and author of Women as Donors, Women as Philanthropists.