Schedule 2023
Philanthropy and Fundraising
Tue, Sep 12
8:45 - Welcome
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9:00 - How to Make the Ask
10:00 - Working groups
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10:30 - Break
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11:00 - Strategies to Grow Annual Giving
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12:00 - Working groups
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12:30 - Break
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13:00 - From Ignorance to Appropriation: The Path of the YMCA Bogotá Team towards Effective Marketing and Successful Positioning
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14:00 - Closing
Marketing
Wen, Sep 13
8:45 - Welcome
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9:00 - How to Write Better Fundraising Copy
10:00 - Working groups
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10:30 - Break
11:00 - The Role Social Media Plays in Fundraising Strategy
and Results
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12:00 - Working tables
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12:30 - Break
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13:00 - YMCA Sao Paulo. The search for extraordinary income and public alliances for the maintenance and growth of its Social Projects.
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14:00 - Closing
Sponsors
Thursday, Sep 14
8:45 - Welcome
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9:00 - A Sponsor’s Impact - Crafting a Meaningful Sponsorship Proposal
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10:00 - Working tables
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10:30 - Break
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11:00 - Turning Event Sponsors into Annual Partnerships Presenter
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12:00 - Working tables
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12:30 - Break
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13:00 - Regional experiences (YMCA LAC and Delta)
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14:00 - Closing
Mon, Sep 11 - Fundamentals
8:45 - Opening and welcoming
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9:00 - How a Vision Plan Changed Our Philanthropy Program
Participants will:
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Review the playbook on building a strategic vision plan for your annual campaign
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Understand how a vision plan is used as a resource
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Hear key learnings and case studies on bright spots and gaps
Session description:
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Contributed dollars are essential to delivering our Y mission. By building and executing a vision plan for your annual campaign, staff and volunteers are better equipped to share the need, donors are motivated to invest in the future, and your impact is strengthened due to an increase in funding.
Sallie Ransom
VP of Camping Services
Organization: YMCA of the Triangle
Bio:
Sallie Ransom is the VP of Camping Services for the YMCA of the Triangle with over 28 years of experience in overnight camping. Sallie holds an Organizational Leader certification through the YMCA, and sits on the Y-USA Camp Cabinet and North Carolina NCYCA Board. She has extensive experience in strategic planning, operational planning, leading change, marketing, development and major gift fundraising. Sallie oversees three overnight camps, Camp Sea Gull, Camp Seafarer and Camp Kanata, with a combined annual budget of $22M.
11:00 - Break
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11:30 - Comprehensive Campaign Fundamentals​
Participants will learn how to:
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Build awareness of best practice, language, process, and measurement
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Encourage a mindset shift and a change in approach and expected outcomes to organizational fundraising
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Conduct an organizational assessment
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Change philanthropic culture at your Y
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Reposition fundraising campaign strategy to include "the entire universe" of donors in the campaign effort
Session description:
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A comprehensive campaign strategy can be a great tool for "focused" capital fundraising and for raising general operating and sustaining support for your YMCA. We will walk you through the details to help you have a better understanding of comprehensive strategies and develop a campaign for your YMCA.
Michelle Curtis,
Chief Development Officer/VP of Philanthropy
Organization: YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg
Email: mcurtis@stpeteymca.org
Bio:
Michelle is a member of the leadership team at the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, having joined the Y following financial development leadership roles in performing arts with The Florida Orchestra as well as in higher education at Eckerd College. In addition to professional fundraising roles, Michelle has been active as a fundraising volunteer in St. Petersburg, serving as a board fundraising chair and in several advisory roles. Prior to her fundraising career, Michelle spent 15 years in insurance and financial services. She currently serves as Co-Chair of Financial Development for YPN Florida. In her time at the Y, Michelle has focused on a number of strategic fundraising initiatives including the creation of a multi-year giving society, leadership giving, major gifts, and grant administration. Under her leadership, the Y has experienced a 300% increase in Annual Giving, runs a significant direct response campaign annually, has made significant progress wiith developing major gift prospects and has experienced a 200% increase in grant funding. Financial development at her YMCA continues to expand and exceed goals despite the challenges from Covid-19.
13:30 - Working tables (both presentations)
Open space to all participants who want to deepen the topic of the session, its objective is to promote discussion through the exchange of experiences, learning and good practices among the YMCAs.
Tue, Sep 12 - Philanthropy and Fundraising
Lunes 19 de septiembre - Fundamentos
Wen, Sep 13 - Marketing
8:45 - Welcome
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9:00 - How to Make the Ask
Participants will learn how to:
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Identify their own pain points in asking for a gift
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Engage donors to learn their passions and how they connect to your mission
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Tell your Y story by connecting the case for support to donor priorities
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Use stewardship techniques that will build a deeper relationship with the donor
Session description:
Many volunteers – and Y staff – can be uneasy asking for money. You prepare yourself and your team for an ask that feels natural – even joyful – for both you and your donor. In this session, you’ll learn strategies that work together to help you plan, engage and ask prospective donors in a way that is effective and energizing.
Mary Kay Polston
Senior Consultant, Match Nonprofit Consulting
Bio:
Mary Kay currently serves as a senior consultant with Match Nonprofit Consulting. Mary Kay has spent nearly 30 years serving the YMCA at local, regional, and national levels. Most recently, she served as the Director of Member Advancement with the Alliance of New York State YMCAs. In this role, she was responsible for leading and coordinating service delivery for 37 YMCAs in New York State, including facilitation of strategic planning, board governance, statewide fundraising and peer communities, and general operational support. Prior to joining the Alliance, Mary Kay served as the Senior Director of Development Partnerships in Y-USA’s Financial Development Department, where she led capacity-building, training and resource development, direct response, and collective fundraising efforts.
Mary Kay is a sought-after speaker and presenter, delivering resources and training on annual campaigns, major gifts, planned giving, donor stewardship, and building a culture of philanthropy. She is a frequent NAYDO (North American YMCA Development Organization) Conference presenter, and also received a 2022 NAYDO Communications Award for the work she spearheaded to develop and execute statewide fundraising campaigns for the Ys in New York State.
10:00 - Working groups
Open to all participants to deepen the topic of the session to promote discussion while sharing experiences, learnings, and good practices between YMCA.
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10:30 - Break
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11:00 - Strategies to Grow Annual Giving
Participants will learn how to:
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Unlock your case for support to engage major donors and foundations
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Leverage giving days to increase awareness and acquire new donors
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Use your donor and membership data to increase the effectiveness of direct response
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Make stewardship a multi-year program to increase retention and upgrades
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Gain more actionable strategies
Session description:
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What are the innovative, actionable strategies and techniques that will help you meet and even exceed your fundraising goals? How can you refresh your plans to take advantage of the messages that have been resonating with your donors? This session will encourage you with ideas inspired by the experiences of your colleagues across the country.
Rachel Bowman
Chief Development Officer
Organization: YMCA of Central Florida
Email: Rachel.bowman@cfymca.org
Bio:
Rachel Meuser Bowman is the Chief Development Officer at the YMCA of Central Florida, having recently served as Chief Advancement Officer at the YMCA of Coastal Georgia in Savannah. She has more than 17 years of experience in leading financial development, 13 of which have been at the YMCA.
In her role, Rachel provides leadership and strategic direction for the philanthropic, marketing, communication and corporate membership efforts for the Association that spans 7 counties and includes 10 branches. She is passionate about connecting donors with opportunities to make a difference and encouraging a culture of giving that spans generations!
Prior to parachuting into the Y, Rachel served as the Assistant Annual Fund Director at The Citadel Foundation in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Director of Annual Giving at Franklin University in Switzerland. She is a past NAYDO Council Member and is a leader of the NAYDO Program and Membership Staff Network.
12:00 - Working groups
Open to all participants to deepen the topic of the session to promote discussion while sharing experiences, learnings, and good practices between YMCAs.
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12:30 - Break
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13:00 - From Ignorance to Appropriation: The Path of the YMCA Bogotá Team towards Effective Marketing and Successful Positioning
Session description:
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We will take a tour of the experience of the YMCA Bogotá team since before starting their "immersion" in the world of marketing and communication, and how over time they have been acquiring knowledge and experiences, which have made them develop skills and overcome challenges, both in the area of programs and in the area of inclusive business. Through testimonials from the team, we will see their evolution and appropriation of the tools and how they have contributed to their work and results. We will give as an example the Mental Health project, Hablar Lo Cura, how it was articulated within the organization and outside with key actors and how it contributed to the positioning of the YMCA Colombia. We will end with the challenges that the team still faces and how we are addressing them with the aim of continuing to grow and thus contributing to the sustainability and positioning of the YMCA Bogota.
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Ximena Nicolás
Inspirer
Organization: Thinking Big Consulting
Bio:
Since she was 8 years old, she was part of the GScout Scout Group and nature, teamwork, and solidarity became her compass. She studied social communication and has a specialty in advertising, marketing and international business. From all the companies in which she worked: Ogilvy, McCann, TBWA, Value Retail, among others, she sought out how through marketing she could contribute to social and/or environmental projects. With her entrepreneurial spirit, she set up Simple Creations, to design, produce and distribute products for Home Peace. She lived in Costa Rica to work at Avon as Mk Director for Central America, contributing to the empowerment of women, countering gender violence and raising funds for breast cancer. Following her entrepreneurial spirit, she founded Thinking Big Consulting to Inspire and Empower those Responsible for Sustainable Development through conscious Marketing and purposeful communication.
8:45 - Welcome
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9:00 - How to Write Better Fundraising Copy
Participants will learn:
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What to write in your appeal to raise more money
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How to format and design your appeal to get better results
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How to write thank you's that make donors give again
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Plus, you get checklists, templates, and before & after appeal and thank you “makeovers”
Session description:
This fast-paced workshop focuses on the power of fundraising copywriting in direct mail, email, and thank you notes. Learn how to make the donor the hero of the story, raise more money with your appeals and implement communication strategies that get donors to stay longer and make bigger gifts sooner.
10:00 - Working groups
Open to all participants to deepen the topic of the session to promote discussion while sharing experiences, learnings, and good practices between YMCAs.
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10:30 - Break
11:00 - The Role Social Media Plays in Fundraising Strategy and Results
Participants will gain:
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Better understanding or awareness of social media platforms
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Better awareness of the importance of social media in a fundraising strategy
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Tips and tools that individuals can use immediately
Bio:
Rachel has worked every side of the Rubik's cube that is the nonprofit sector. When she was 26 years old Rachel launched Girlstart, a non-profit empowering girls in math, science, engineering and technology in the living room of her apartment with $500 and a credit card. Several years later she had raised over $10 million and was featured on Oprah, CNN and the Today show. Today Rachel delivers online workshops and courses to transform people into confident, successful fundraisers. Learn more about Rachel at www.rachelmuir.com.
Rachel Muir
President, League of Extraordinary Fundraiser
Organization: League of Extraordinary Fundraisers
Email: rachel@rachelmuir.com
Webpage: www.rachelmuir.com
Session description:
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This workshop will provide an overview of social media and how it can be used as an effective tool in fundraising and communications strategies. We will provide a brief overview of 6 platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tik Tok and Snap Chat), share examples of posts and usage. We’ll discuss how social media has been used by various Ys for fundraising and communications along with best practices.
David Frederick
Chief Strategy and Brand Officer
Organization: YMCA of San Diego County
Email: dfrederick@ymcasd.org
Biografía:
David Frederick serves the YMCA of San Diego County as the Exec Vice President and Chief Strategy and Brand Officer. He leads Marketing, Membership, Insights & Analytics, Innovation and partners with Technology. Previously, he was the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. David is the Chair of the national YMCA CMO Network that provides guidance and resources to marketing leaders across the national Y Movement. Prior to the Y, he served as SVP/Chief Communications & Marketing Officer at United Way of Tarrant County and has worked for multiple for-profit companies including AT&T, Time Warner, and GE providing marketing communications, digital marketing, and strategy. David has a degree from Clemson University and has a wife and two children.
12:00 - Working tables
Open to all participants to deepen the topic of the last session to promote discussion while sharing experiences, learnings, and good practices between YMCA.
12:30 - Break
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13:00 -
- YMCA Sao Paulo. The search for extraordinary income and public alliances for the maintenance and growth of its Social Projects.
The participants of this workshop will obtain: Experience in the search for alliances to capture extraordinary income for the growth and maintenance of social projects.
Session description:
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The YMCA of Sao Paulo has experience in sustainable public alliances in 12 of its 19 social projects, involving 6000 beneficiaries, these alliances allow us to offer extra-curricular quality attention, with food, skills development, cultural activities, activities sociales and coexistence. An extraordinary plan will be presented for raising income per Unit/project based on the needs of your community based on at least 2 major events per year (once per semester) and regional strategic actions.
Izabel Vito Lopes
Executive Secretary responsible for the Organizational Development Division of the YMCA of Sao Paulo
Organization: YMCA Sao Paulo
Bio:
Executive Secretary of YMCA São Paulo for 27 years, Economist with a master in Financial Management. Responsible for seeking public notices and opportunities for the preparation and presentation of projects for the achievement and acquisition of new extraordinary income for the maintenance and growth of social projects at YMCA São Paulo.
She is currently the Executive Secretary responsible for the Organizational Development Division of YMCA São Paulo, being responsible for the Organizational Development process through people in the 19 units with 600 employees, 850 volunteers and 32,000 associates. Responsible for organizing events and training days such as: Meeting of Volunteers and Professionals; Fraternization parties for professionals; Congresses and Conventions with Volunteers to raise extraordinary income.
Executive Secretariat responsible for the Division of Social Development of YMCA São Paulo since 2017 as responsible for the entire operation in 19 social care points, which in 2022 serve approximately 6000 people, serving approximately 1 million meals for children, adolescents, young people and elders .
Thursday, Sep 14 - Sponsors
8:45 - Welcome
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9:00 - A Sponsor’s Impact - Crafting a Meaningful Sponsorship Proposal
Attendees will learn:
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The importance of learning a sponsor’s unique “WHY”
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What information to include in your sponsorship proposal
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Where to look for new potential sponsors
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How and when to make the ask
Session description:
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Special events can be an integral part of a YMCA’s fundraising strategy. Sponsorship dollars represent a key portion of event revenue. Don’t leave any sponsorship money on the table! Join this session with the experts at AmFund to “go back to the start” of your event planning process and learn how to craft the perfect sponsorship proposal.
Deborah Marshall
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Organization: American Fundraising Foundation (AmFund)
Email: dmarshall@amfund.org
Bio:
Bringing a unique and innovative approach to all that she does, Deborah K. Marshall is an internationally renowned facilitator who thrives on strategizing with leadership across the nonprofit sector. Deborah has a vast background holding significant executive roles in real estate development, healthcare, public relations, and currently as the Chief Operating Officer and Sr. Vice President of the American Fundraising Foundation.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020, Deborah spearheaded AmFund’s initiative to provide educational programs, new platforms, and production tools to organizations across the country, allowing them to thrive in an environment of change. She was recently recognized as 2020’s Fundraiser of the Year by Nonprofit Pro.
Deborah is a motivating and inspiring speaker. Her disciplined and logical approach to managing any situation, combined with her business acumen and passion for success, provide a firm foundation for AmFund’s phenomenal growth in helping hundreds of deserving nonprofits nationwide achieve their fundraising goals.
Bio:
Driven, focused, charismatic, and kind, Kalley is the ideal development professional. As one of Orlando Business Journal’s Inaugural “Inno Under 25” Honorees, she knows how to set goals and achieve them strategically. Her many years of experience in nonprofit management, combined with her commitment to volunteering, make her a true thought leader in the nonprofit community. From providing education as a professional Sales Trainer to managing membership for one of the largest girl-led organizations globally, Kalley maintains her E-Speakers Certification and has a wide array of expertise to share with the organizations with whom the American Fundraising Foundation partners.
Kalley Clausen
Senior Director of Development & Strategic Initiatives
Organization: American Fundraising Foundation (AmFund)
Email: kdunn@amfund.org
10:00 - Working tables
Open to all participants to deepen the topic of the last session to promote discussion while sharing experiences, learnings, and good practices between YMCA.
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10:30 - Break
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11:00 - Turning Event Sponsors into Annual Partnerships Presenter
Attendees will learn these steps of an Annual Partnership:
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Prospect: Learn how to find your prospective Annual Partners for the upcoming year.
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Discovery: Learn how to evaluate the donor’s motivation to engage and prepare a proposed Annual Partnership Grid.
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Solicitation: How to prepare for the solicitation conversation. What are the benefits of this arrangement for the donor?
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Annual Flow: What does the rest of the year look like? What internal processes are needed?
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Stewardship: How to thank your donors, all year long!
Session description:
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An Annual Partnership offers donors at any level a customizable 12-month sponsorship agreement that combines benefits through special events, program initiatives, cross-promotion, and more. Annual partnership offerings are completely individualized to the partner’s interest, value motivation, and budget which are realized through the discovery phase. These partnerships allow the development person to eliminate repetitive asks throughout the year and have one solicitation for the entire calendar year that guarantees multiple interactions and no asks. The Annual Partnership process is a vital resource to maximize contributions and move your fundraising from transactional to transformational in impact.
Devon Maloney
Vice President of Fund Development and Community Outreach
Organization: Lakeland Hills Family YMCA
Email: DevonM@lhymca.com
Bio:
Devon Maloney is Lakeland Hills Family YMCA’s Vice President of Fund Development and Community Outreach. Within the organization, Devon offers extensive experience in organizational advancement, administrative leadership, institutional development, and fundraising through best practice.
Over the past 15 years, she has dedicated herself to non-profits with child-based missions. At each, she has shown consistent success in growing small shop fundraising offices and creating and executing engaging initiatives. Though her job may be development, Devon strives to connect with all departments, using her development and operations experience to advance an organization's mission across the board through fundraising, outreach, and advocacy.
Devon's Y origin story begins early on with YMCAs. As a competitive swimmer into her college years, she spent her childhood at her home pool at the Greater Somerset County YMCA and many other YMCAs across the state. She's a proud mom of two young kids, Luke and Maggie, who participate in the Y’s Early Childhood Center and Summer Camp.
12:00 - Working tables
Open to all participants to deepen the topic of the last session to promote discussion while sharing experiences, learnings, and good practices between YMCA.
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12:30 - Break
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13:00 - Regional experiences (YMCA LAC and Delta),
Stay tuned! because very soon there will be more information...
Event powered by the Regional Node
We are an inspiring human team that mobilizes, articulates, and connects the 25 Latin American and Caribbean YMCAs, with the purpose of increasing our relevance, social impact, and sustainability as a movement.
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Remember that these services are part of your YMCA membership
