Telling Your Best Fundraising Story: Get Ready for Asks and Appeals Season

Everyone who works in any fundraising capacity has a story they tell about their nonprofit. And almost always, we can find a more compelling way to tell that story. 

In this session, we will filter our stories – the basis of both in-person asks, written communications and grant narratives – through a specific and donor-centric lens. We will get more clarity about what our donors value and want to feel, and we will re-tell our stories to be more compelling to our donors.

This is a great session to do as “pre-work” before beginning to construct a year-end appeal, as it can be the basis for end-of-year asks.

 

About Your Speaker:  Margaret Katz Cann

Margaret specializes in executive fundraising coaching, board training and consulting, working with nonprofit and startup executives to stop tripping over their ask, to connect to passion and leadership – and step into the world of compelling fundraising. Margaret is an experienced and joyful fundraiser, having spent 22 years at the Community Foundation Boulder County — and helped raise over $160 million for the community. She is passionate about the intersection of coaching with fundraising, and the way leaders who are willing and wanting to up their game can step away from anxiety and dread can step into their leadership as fundraisers for their organizations. Her nonprofit clients include executive directors, board members, and development staff, where she works with organizations to plan and then adds coaching to make the plans become reality. Her for-profit clients include startup founders and teams needing to raise capital for their visions. She holds a special love for storytelling and relationship building in development.

Prior to falling in love with fundraising, Margaret worked as a journalist.  Her resume includes working at the Associated Press, as well as the Aspen Times and K-USA News. She loves to write and to work with clients on storytelling, in both their written materials and verbal presentations. She is an active blogger and also co-authored a consumer guide for women with her mother.

Margaret holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Cornell University. Margaret is a certified professional coach, PCC and CPCC. She was trained through the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). She also is a graduate of CTI’s Leadership Program.

Pricing: 

Free for Members

$50 for Non-Members