Grassroots Support and Fundraising for Disaster Preparedness

Honestly, this was one of the more unusual speaking opportunities I’ve done in fundraising. Preparing for something that is a first can be intimidating, but it can also prove interesting and enlightening. That’s what happened at the first CERT Summit hosted by The Patterson Foundation in January at The Ora, Sarasota.

It was an open breakout session, so no one reserved a seat with no attendee roster. In essence, it would be a surprise session for both the attendees and me!

We took the collaborative approach–first circulating the room as people filed in. “It’s nice to meet you! Where are you from, who are you with, and why did you choose this breakout session?”

Okay. I didn’t ask everyone who walked in all these questions, but you get the point! I needed to do a quick surveillance of attendees so we could jump into a collaborative discussion that would be useful, meaningful, and actionable.

Turned out the attendees represented nonprofits, home and condo associations, and a few disaster-relief vendors from the exhibitor tables. Nice mixture of interesting people with a common interest: Raising support in preparation for disaster relief for their immediate circle, wider circle, and clients served. 

The discussion focused on finding out 

• What is available?
• How do we receive it?
• Answering “Who? What? Where? When? How? Why?”

Support raising–a different way to state fundraising–sometimes helps people shift the focus away from just needing dollars to getting the need met with existing support. 

In other words, it’s a collaborative method of getting the need met.

Walking around and talking to the exhibitors prior to the breakout session informed my understanding of just how experienced and prepared Sarasota and the surrounding counties have become in disaster preparedness and planning. There’s no need to duplicate efforts – find out what is already available and then learn how to receive it for when it’s needed. 

That’s the start. Network. Ask questions. See who is already doing what you want to do, and ask them how they did it.

Support/fundraising for disaster preparedness is an unusual arena. We all want to be prepared ourselves, but beyond that, we want to be able to wisely, efficiently, and safely help others when disaster strikes. That’s what building a strong, resilient community is about – taking care of ourselves and having capacity to help others in need. The 2026 CERT Summit provided a networking and learning opportunity to plan ahead and stay safe when disaster strikes.

For a quick refresher on TPF values underscoring the whys behind the CERT Summit, click here for the CLSES (Connecting, Learning, Sharing, Evolving, Strengthening) page on The Patterson Foundation website.