On June 4 & 5, 40 attendees basked in the light of the stained glass windows of Concordia Lutheran High School’s Worship Conference Center (see picture) as The Lutheran Schools Partnership hosted its annual Learn & Lead conference. As usual, we invited our schools and associated churches, but then also opened spots for schools that are part of The Lutheran SGO in the state, churches in the District, and then other Lutheran-based RSOsand nonprofits.
This year we brought in the faculty from The IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy who taught their popular “Fundraising for Small Nonprofits” two day course. We wanted to bring this class to Fort Wayne because professional development is VERY KEY to success in the fundraising industry, but many budgets for fundraising staffers are limited. By bringing the IU School of Philanthropy to Fort Wayne, attendees did not have to travel, have overnight accommodations, nor worry about daytime meals (we fed everyone well for morning to afternoon shifts).While we could tell you how wonderful the instructional sessions were, let those that attended tell you in their own words what they thought of the two days: “I appreciate that the content and instructor understood the realities of a small non-profit and recognized the starting point at which most of us begin.” “I have attended many presentations in my career and this was by far one of the best speakers, along with useful material I can take and run with in my position.” “Bill [the instructor and director of the fundraising school] was wonderful in explaining the the process. He provided many real life examples and kept me engaged throughout the course.” “Very good use of the money and time I spent at the training session.” [The sessions were not free, but we provided some great discounts for our schools and churches.] “Would highly recommend this course.” “Practical USEFUL information that can be implemented NOW (while providing plenty to review and become better at in the future).”We look forward to hosting more well-received options for our schools such as this year for years to come.P.S. SAVE THE DATE: June 3-5, 2019We will be partnering with ALDE in 2019 to bring their Essentials in Fundraising Course for Executive Directors and their course for those new to fundraising. Plan your time and budgets accordingly!
