Foundation Offering Fundraising Workshops to Nonprofits

January 26, 2021 (New Britain, Conn.) – The Capacity Building Initiative of the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain (CFGNB) was started in 2018 to provide local nonprofit organizations with resources aimed at strengthening organizational functioning. In 2021, the CFGNB will host an all-new series of workshops to nonprofits to continue the work of the initiative and aid organizations in current fundraising techniques.

Since the Initiative began, local nonprofit organizations have benefitted from multiple trainings, workshops, and webinars designed to help them address the increasingly difficult challenge of sustaining programs and services during lean fiscal times. The Initiative also provides organizations with access to an on-site Library and Resource Center with free access to printed and online resources focused on securing and writing grants, governance, and a variety of professional areas. During the pandemic, some of these resources are available online.

In 2020, workshops and webinars focused primarily on helping organizations to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic successfully. Moving into 2021, some of the impacts of the health crisis shutdown will continue. Therefore, it is essential that the nonprofit sector is bolstered with the tools necessary to address whatever comes. The Foundation will offer a fundraising series to teach local organizations how to secure and maintain resources during these unprecedented times and beyond.

This spring, CFGNB will collaborate with Danosky & Associates to present a free, two-session virtual workshop series to nonprofits. “Fundraising that Meets This Moment and the Next,” will take place March 25 and April 7 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. via Zoom. Each virtual session will include opportunities for discussion, case studies to explore, and ways to keep the participants fully engaged during the training process. Presenters will be available via phone and e-mail to answer questions or to discuss concerns specific to the subject matter of the workshop for one month following each session.

The first session in March, “Donor-Centered Fundraising: What is it and How do you Pivot,” will teach participants how to shift to a donor-centered fundraising model. Sharon Danosky will teach the basics of how to qualify and cultivate donors, how to ask for the gift, and how to put sound stewardship practices into place. The session will also explore how to maximize the 80/20 rule (80% of your money comes from 20% of your donors) to raise more funds. Participants will do some advance work prior to this training session, which will include looking at their major donors, mid-level donors, and retention rates. Explanations of how to prepare the advance work will be provided.

The second session in April, “Mission Based Sponsorships,” will demonstrate how to pivot from event-based sponsorships to inviting businesses and corporations to sponsor programs synonymous with your mission. This program will provide examples of how successfully this is working, donor responses to a new approach, and hands-on training on how you can apply it to your own organization. The principles learned in the first session will be applied in this session.
To register for the fundraising workshops, please visit www.cfgnb.org/capacity-building-for-nonprofits. For any questions, contact Joeline Wruck at jwruck@cfgnb.org or 860.229.6018, ex. 307.

Danosky & Associates is an action-oriented, result driven consulting firm that builds nonprofit capacity in the areas of strategy, governance, funding and finance. For more than 25 years, presenter Sharon Danosky has worked with organizations and their boards to build organizational capacity, leading organizations to achieve unprecedented growth and re-infusing boards with a new sense of purpose. She is a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer and expert at conducting hands-on seminars and workshops that gives participants tools that they can use with the confidence needed to succeed.

Established in 1941, the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is “Where Good Begins” in Berlin, New Britain, Plainville and Southington. Located at The Foundation Center at 74A Vine Street, New Britain, the Foundation works to inspire philanthropy, responsibly manage permanent charitable assets effectively, and partner to address key community issues through strategic leadership. For more information, visit www.cfgnb.org.