Money for Our Movements Recap!
It was a busy summer for Clean Air! Between the many meetings and campaign victories, we also took some time out to learn and build relationships, and make sure we’re building a sustainable movement for public health and environmental justice here in Buffalo. One of the ways we did so is by traveling to the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training’s 6th Biennial Money for Our Movements Conference in Denver, CO. Sydney Brown, Clean Air member; Emily Terrana, Clean Air member and board member; and two of our staff, Natasha Soto and Rachel Todd attended. We were also proud that Rachel, our development coordinator, was invited to present our signature “Making the Ask 101” workshop at the conference!
Some of the fundraising data from Rachel’s session!
Rachel’s session was focused on providing an introduction to asking individuals for money for folks who are new to fundraising or wanted to demystify the process. The packed room discussed why making the ask is critical to social justice fundraising, learned about common and best practices in 1-on-1 fundraising, and practiced together telling personal stories to make connections with individuals and making the ask to give money for our movements.
Of the conference, our member Sydney said, “I truly enjoyed attending the 6th Biennial GIFT conference in Denver, CO. It was a wonderful experience and there were numerous things that stood out that I anticipate implementing. For starters, fundraising is not a task assigned to a select few or a committee within an organization. It is important for everyone in a nonprofit – all board members and the membership as a whole – to have a fundraising mindset in order to fulfill our mission and to be sustainable and effective in our endeavors. Another key takeaway was to ask for contributions from everyone. It is a disservice to assume that a person cannot afford to give or that a particular group you are advocating for is not in a position to aid in the cause financially. One other thing that stood out was that good “old-fashioned” relationship building through traditional means of a phone call, card or letter in the mail on a consistent basis can sometimes far outweigh modern social media vehicles (which still have a role in the overall fundraising goals of an organization). A personal touch has lasting benefits for the life of a non-profit.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the conference. It gave me a fresh lens on how to approach fundraising to advance the growth of Clean Air and generated new ideas to aid our community. It was also a good networking platform to expand collaboration with individuals from across the United States. I hope to attend the GIFT conference in 2018 with reports of success from the next two years.”
Rachel guides social justice fundraisers & organizers from across the country through Making the Ask 101
Emily, who joined Clean Air’s board of directors in January, said, “When I was asked to join the board, my immediate response was ‘Well, you know I don’t have much money or many rich friends, right?’ My understanding was always that boards exist mainly as a fundraising body for the organization and that they were stacked with wealthy folks. How in the world was I, a single mother of two young children working for a non-profit myself, going to raise money and be taken seriously on such an impressive organization’s board of directors?
“To say that asking for money for CAC has been nerve wracking is a major understatement. The idea of selling tickets for events seems like a breeze compared to asking people in my personal and professional networks to donate directly to the organization. As much as I love this organization and believe in its mission, I just couldn’t get over my negative, taboo feelings about money.
“The more time that I have spent with Clean Air, its staff, and other members, the more I have learned that fundraising is not a necessary evil; it’s a tool that can (and should) be used as an organizing opportunity. Clean Air truly puts its money where its mouth is when it comes to fundraising, staying true to its mission to put people over profit and never compromising values for funds.
Our board member, Emily learns how to screenprint at the GIFT Conference!
“When the opportunity to learn more about this unique approach to fundraising at the GIFT Conference came up, I pounced. It was incredible to be in a space with grassroots development folks, organizers, and members of powerful social justice organizations throughout the country who were all dedicated to raising money for our movement in a way that centers our work and centers our desire for justice. I learned that fundraising is more than just writing grants or building relationships with major donors; it’s chicken dinners, house parties, smaller asks to directly affected folks, and even art projects. The GIFT presenters, including Clean Air’s own development coordinator, Rachel Todd, all believed that by raising money from and with the people that we work with that we are respecting their own autonomy and building power with people, not power over them and that to involve members in fundraising drives in an intentional way strengthens not only our organizations, but our movement as a whole. What a powerful thing!
“I am so grateful to have been able to attend the GIFT conference. I am, for once, very excited to host my own screen-printing house parties and start raising more money for our movement!”
In the coming months, staff, board, and members of Clean Air will be working collaboratively to integrate the new fundraising tools gained from the GIFT conference into planning for our future development activities. Stay tuned for news on these cutting-edge fundraising techniques!
A sincere and large thank you is due to all of our folks who contributed financially to making this critical, movement-building trip happen:
- Anonymous
- Anne Gareis
- Barbara Bono
- Bridget Williams
- Carmen Kelly
- Catherine Gresham
- Charlene Homes
- Charles and Janice Ferguson
- Charlotte MacVittie
- Christine Lewis
- Colleen Stiffler
- Darnyl Parker
- Jennifer Yuhnke
- KaeLyn Rich
- Kristi White
- Lisa Moran
- Maria Hadden
- Meghan McCormick
- Nita Soma
- Nora Masters
- Rebecca Newberry
- Rich Cummings
- Richard Cummings
- Sally Heron
- Sherrie Peterson
- Sherry & Harry Moran
- Thomasina R. Stenhouse
- Tracy Todd
To support the pivotal work of Rachel, Natasha, Emily, Sydney, and the rest of our board, staff, and members, please consider making a monthly pledge today to help Clean Air continue to organize for health and justice in Western New York by clicking on the “Donate” tab at the top of the page!
The GIFT crew enjoys some downtime in Denver!