Fueling Dynamic Fundraising: Catalyzing Nonprofit Thrivability

To get more information about Fueling Dynamic Fundraising, please email sara@saraleonardgroup.com


The Fueling Dynamic Fundraising initiative’s Listening Tour has roots in The Patterson Foundation’s belief of not arriving with the answer. It uses connecting, learning, sharing, evolving, and strengthening (CLSES) to make an effective impact. To prepare for the next evolution of TPF’s Fueling Dynamic Fundraising initiative, we connected with the community of people raising money for Suncoast nonprofits. They generously shared their successes and challenges. We are pleased to report this learning.

Fueling Dynamic Fundraising (FDF) creates opportunities for nonprofit organizations to improve their fundraising practices because stronger fundraising leads to increased mission impact. Over the course of three weeks, the FDF team met with 112 nonprofit staff and volunteers from 95 organizations. “Fueling Dynamic Fundraising: Catalyzing Nonprofit Thrivability” shares the key findings.

Two additional resources can provide context for the information in The Listening Tour Report. Earlier this year, The Patterson Foundation (TPF) conducted a Capacity Building Scan and determined that the Suncoast lacked fundraising education and implementation support. Another one of TPF’s beliefs is doing work in ways others are not doing, cannot do, or will not do. We are elated that FDF offerings will provide nonprofits with increased fundraising capacity.

Next, national research shows that fundraising decreased in 2022. According to Giving USA, donations decreased 10.5% when adjusted for inflation. This supports what nonprofit staff and volunteers shared during the Listening Tour. While some organizations had increased donations, giving overall was down.

After hearing the need for professional training on the fundamentals of fundraising, FDF is set to offer in-person training in partnership with the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy and The Fund Raising School. This will begin in late 2023 with a 4-day, in-person course on Principles & Techniques of Fundraising. This course will be open to nonprofit organizations with an active profile on The Giving Partner with an annual revenue between $300,000 – $3 million.

An additional course will be offered for small nonprofits to address the unique fundraising challenges and opportunities they experience. This will begin in December 2023, with a 2-day, in-person course open to nonprofit organizations with an active profile on The Giving Partner with annual revenue up to $300,000.

We are grateful to the nonprofit professionals and volunteers who candidly shared their fundraising experiences. Using what was learned, TPF seeks to strengthen organizations through the educational opportunities of FDF.