AFP Tampa Bay: Half Day with Jason Lewis

Session One 10:00 a.m.
Discerning Between Two Fundraising Cultures
It is human nature for all of us to blame someone or something other than ourselves when something isn’t working as well as we’d like. When it comes to fundraising woes in the nonprofit sector, it’s especially easy to point fingers at donor attrition, professional turnover, a disengaged board, or a weak economy as the culprits. However, the most entrenched challenges cannot be effectively addressed by casting blame but, instead, require an understanding of the system that perpetuates our problems. The sector’s fundraising challenges are systemic and can only be remedied by restructuring the system. In this session, everyone will discover how the “shifting the burden” system archetype mirrors many of the behavioral patterns that we observe in fundraising and how symptomatic behaviors undermine our opportunity to increase our capacity and improve our outcomes.

Session Two 11:30 a.m.
Messy Middle
Organizations of all shapes and sizes would like to have the advantages that come with consistent, unrestricted support from a dedicated group of donors. Unfortunately, most fundraising strategies lack the only thing that enables them to achieve this goal: a thriving middle lane.

Without a thriving middle lane, these organizations either become overly reliant on new donor acquisition or attempt major fundraising initiatives for which they and their donors are unprepared.

Although it is messy, unpredictable and difficult to measure, the middle lane is where fundraising grows up. It’s where talent becomes critically important, where operational support becomes sustainable, and where meaningful relationships become the driving force behind successful fundraising.