Two organizations are teaming up to help nonprofits overcome fundraising obstacles

Any director of development or team tasked with fundraising understands the difficulty and frustration that can accompany asking for money.

In a world where nonprofits are forced to compete as they rely on fundraising or grant writing to achieve the monetary capacity needed to fulfill their missions, there is hope.

The Leadership Council for Nonprofits and the Association of Fundraising Professionals are teaming up to tackle fundraising difficulties head-on by hosting “Partnering for Breakthrough Philanthropy” on May 17.

“The conference is designed to maximize the partnership of people to achieve fundraising success — particularly through the powerful combination of staff and volunteers,” says Lori Asmus, AFP volunteer. “It will be interactive and informative — each team will walk away with an action plan to increase donations this year at their nonprofit.”

Ben Golding, Advancement ResourcesBen Golding, chief operating officer at Advancement Resources — a consulting firm that works with some of the nation’s leading nonprofits, healthcare organizations and educational institutions — will deliver the keynote address.

“We are excited to bring Ben because he is a well-known national consultant that helps organizations move to the next levels with their fundraising programs,” Asmus says. “Access to his caliber of expertise would not be possible without the partnership between AFP and LC.”

Golding’s expertise also includes his work as a managing partner at Mindseye Project Partners, which provides donor engagement services intended to inspire philanthropy by capturing and producing impact stories that reveal how critical nonprofits’ work is and what can be accomplished when they receive the funding to initiate change for the better.

It’s through methods like storytelling, in addition to lessons describing the importance of making donors feel valued that will enable participants to brainstorm, work together and begin re-thinking the process of fundraising.

“LC and AFP are joined in the mission of strengthening organizational capacity at nonprofits,” Asmus says. “Funding is the biggest struggle for most of these organizations, but our goal is to demonstrate ways that the volunteer leadership and organizational leadership can work more effectively together to tackle funding challenges.”

The event will take place from 8 to 11:30 a.m. on May 17 at the Red Cross, 2111 Dana Ave. Tickets are $55 for AFP and LC members; $75 for non-members; and $25 for students. You can register here.

You can connect with the Leadership Council for Nonprofits on Twitter @LeadershipCoun and the AFP on Facebook and @afpihq on Twitter.