April 28, 2014

Annual Board Retreat Brings in Fundraising Expert

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By Mark Martin, Reef Check Foundation Board Member
Photos: Chris Glaeser

On Sunday, March 23, Reef Check Board members and staff spent a day at Board member Gary Justice’s beautiful Santa Barbara County ranch to participate in a Reef Check Fundraising workshop. We were fortunate enough to have David Sternberg, a partner at Loring, Sternberg & Associates and one of the nation’s most renowned fundraising experts, join us and lead the day’s activities. David specializes in maximizing the board structures and fundraising efforts of nonprofit organizations.

The workshop was extremely effective, energizing the Reef Check Board of Directors and staff with a series of fundraising-related exercises and techniques which included breaking down the process of successful fundraising (from a target and approach standpoint), refining the “elevator pitch” used when interacting with potential donors and gaining a better understanding of what ultimately motivates nonprofit donors to give. The fundraising initiatives of Reef Check’s Board are critical to the long-term success of the organization; as such, sufficient time was spent breaking down the fundamentals of successful fundraising and undergoing role playing exercises to prompt actionable feedback. In addition, certain follow-up initiatives were identified, including updates to the Reef Check website and a continued refinement of the mission statement.

Walking away from the day, the already talented Board left with an increased level of motivation and a strong understanding of how to continue to grow the organization’s fundraising efforts to match Reef Check’s continually expanding international reach and network.

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