This is a live, online event where you’ll participate actively with other attendees! 

Registration for this training is offered on a sliding scale depending on your individual and organizational access to financial resources. Our sliding scale is an intentional effort to distribute resources equitably between organizations and individuals we work with. If your personal or organizational budget allows, please pay the Sustain or Redistribution cost so we can keep registration accessible for leaders and organizations who may not be in the same position. Greater access strengthens us all!

For more information about our public program pricing, click here.

When it comes to fundraising, it’s easy to feel stuck. Why do we feel like we can’t disrupt old habits even when we know they leave us (and our communities) feeling isolated, depleted, and as if we’re only engaging in extractive and transactional ways?

The practice of fundraising is going through a reckoning, and the way we envision the role of fundraisers is changing. Many fundraising models and “best practices” center on the idea that wealthy donors are the heroes of the story. What would resourcing our missions look like if we were more like resource mobilizers deepening the civic and political journeys of all of our supporters instead? Resource Mobilizers are people who facilitate the flow of both financial and non-financial resources. Resource Mobilizers are not limited to executive directors, development directors, or other nonprofit staff; they also include unpaid organizers, neighborhood leaders, and volunteers.*

In this three-session training, we invite fundraisers, leaders, organizers, and volunteers (new and seasoned alike) to imagine their roles more expansively and embrace approaches to mobilizing resources that build and amplify community power.

*Resource Mobilizer definition created by the Resource Mobilizer Collaborative.

Who is this training for?

This training is for leaders of organizations who want to explore moving from fundraiser to resource mobilizer. Some foundational knowledge in fundraising may be helpful before joining, but we invite anyone playing a role in resourcing social change efforts to learn with us! This training might not be a good fit for fundraisers solely focused on tips and tactics for raising the largest dollar amount possible. Instead, we'll spend our time exploring how we can liberate the work we do to generate resources in ways that are more sustainable and build community power.

In this three-part series, you will:

1. Reimagine the role of “fundraiser”— from being reactive to and transactional with donors to being expansive, creative, and rooted in community.
2. Understand key fundraising terms and principles through the lens of resource mobilization.
3. Practice donor cultivation in ways that tap into community values, connect supporters to larger movements, and build community power.
4. Reflect on your role as fundraiser, identify practices you want to leave behind and what new approaches you’ll grow as a resource mobilizer.

Get ready to participate!

Our trainings come alive with your participation and willingness to engage. Please be ready to participate in group discussions and share your experience, creativity, questions, and challenges with us. We’ll share visual and verbal information, make time for paired practice, play games, watch short videos, draw, and make time to reflect.

This is a multi-day offering. Please make sure you can attend all dates before registering and that you are familiar with our cancellation policy.

Accessibility is very important to us! Closed captioning will be provided. If you require specific accommodations (for example, receiving screen reader-friendly versions of learning materials ahead of time), please notify us at workshops@compasspoint.org two weeks in advance of the scheduled offering so that we can do our best to meet your needs. ASL interpretation is not provided unless requested.

In order to build community and protect confidentiality in the space, we do not record our workshops. If you miss a training date, we cannot provide you with a recording of the training.

Planning on purchasing five or more registrations at once? You’re eligible for a 20% discount off your order total.  For more information on bulk discount eligibility, please visit our FAQ or contact us at workshops@compasspoint.org.