Support is great in any season
What do you get when you put a collection of fundraisers together in a room? Relax, this is not the lead-in to a bad joke, so I will tell you what you get: An energetic collection of professionals brimming with enthusiasm, insight, and eagerness to learn.
Heartland Sings invests in their employees, and I am benefitting from the IUPUI Fund Raising School’s Certificate in Fund Raising Management course, hosted by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. When I walked into the meeting room for our first session on March 28, I encountered a room filled with nearly 30 strangers. When I walked out, that’s how many new colleagues I had.
Let me tell you that nonprofit associations are alive and well and thriving here in the Fort. It was hard to find a quantifiable number, but there are more than 120, and many have a representative in this training course. There are those from long standing, well known agencies to those who are their organization’s founder and only employee. We run the gamut from novice to experienced, but have a shared commitment to help the agencies we serve succeed.
You might think, “Meh,” when it comes to asking people to give money towards a cause. I once did. The most important thing I am learning as a fundraiser is that giving is intrinsic to the human condition. Every act of generosity is a human act and deserves respect. People obviously give to endeavors they believe in, and every worthy cause imaginable is represented in this community. If you care about people recovering from addiction, the disadvantaged job seeker, those who need housing, individuals with disabilities, the environment, our trails, our wetlands, youth programs, the city’s history, those seeking grief recovery, the Arts…Fort Wayne’s nonprofits have you covered.
You can add to the impact of area nonprofit agencies by volunteering with one or more of them. You can add to the impact by advocating for them—sharing their message with others. And, you can add to the impact with your giving. There doesn’t need to be a special occasion in order for you to make a donation. If you see or hear an organization’s compelling story or have benefitted from their services yourself, help them thrive with your financial support.
And hey, if you have been moved by a Heartland Sings performance, or impacted by one of our educational programs or community outreach events and want to send some dollars our way, we won’t complain.
