The co-founder of MeaningFULL Development and Communication is a recipient of a 2023 Amy Award.

Read the full article about Nina and learn about the Amy's Award ​The Amy Awards: Nina Gehan builds bridges to support local nonprofits | MADISON MAGAZINE | channel3000.com

Originally published on Park Bank's Blog How to Plan and Execute ‘MeaningFULL’ Nonprofit Events | Park Bank

Breaking down the 5 stages of a successful fundraising event’s lifecycle

Fundraising events can be highly valuable to nonprofit organizations — if they’re executed properly.
Hosting an event presents a tremendous opportunity for nonprofits to connect with potential donors, raise funds, and spread their mission.
Of course, with limited resources, orchestrating an event that’s both financially successful and highly engaging can be a challenge.
How can you pull it off?
It starts by understanding the lifecycle of a successful fundraising event, according to MeaningFULL Development & Communications Co-Founder and CEO Nina Gehan.
A well-organized event involves 5 stages:

1. Ideation/Pre-Planning
2. Logistics and Coordination
3. Marketing and Promotion
4. Event Execution
5. Event Follow-Up and Evaluation

Let’s break them down (timelines may vary based on size and scale of the event).

by Nina Gehan

A new report finds that while 88 percent of survey respondents said they would recommend fundraising as a career for a person of color, almost 60 percent acknowledged they might be reluctant to suggest that people of color they know move into the fundraising profession “because fundraising involves external relationships where bias might be present.”
The report, Money, Power and Race: The Lived Experience of Fundraisers of Color, from Cause Effective, a New York nonprofit consulting firm, brings systemic issues to light through narratives and provides recommendations to improve equity at nonprofits.

Read more:  Money, Power and Race: The Lived Experiences of People of Color | Association of Fundraising Professionals (afpglobal.org)

A  must read!!!! 

By Birgit Smith Burton

Since founding the African American Development Officers Network (AADO)* in 1999, I have collected hundreds of stories of fundraisers of color who have experienced what they have identified as racism in their professional fundraising career — sometimes subtly through macroaggressions such as, “You’re so articulate”, “I didn’t realize you were black when I read your name”, “Where are you really from?” One such story involved a fundraiser who was continually passed over for a promotion to a frontline development officer. When she inquired, she was told that the major donors would not want to engage with a black person so there would be no reason to promote her if she couldn’t be successful in her job.

Read more: ​The Issue of Racism in the Fundraising Profession | Association of Fundraising Professionals (afpglobal.org)

You can now download a free copy of the Blackbaud Diversity in Giving Report

As the United States continues to grow and become more diverse, it’s more important than ever to consider whether the nonprofit playbook is due for an overhaul. Do current fundraising efforts have the cultural competency to reach all Americans who might support nonprofits?

Based on a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. donors, Blackbaud's first-ever Diversity in Giving study provides an in-depth analysis of the priorities, values, and attitudes of African-American, Asian, and Hispanic donors. By understanding each group’s giving attitudes and preferences, this study serves as a strong foundation to guide your organization toward a more inclusive—and effective—fundraising approach.
Download : Diversity in Giving - Blackbaud Institute

By Nina Gehan
2013 -2017: Starting a conversation about diversity at AFP
The year was 2013. A newly published report, the Race to Equity report, from the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, had just come off the press. The report documented in detail widespread racial disparities in the city of Madison and Dane County and demonstrated through data that African-Americans fared much worse than whites in nearly every category, and across 40 different well-being indicators. The report, coupled with community organizing by the African-American community including Rev. Alex Gee, who penned the op Ed “Justified Anger” in 2013, brought a new focus on equity in the Dane County community.
In the local non-profit sector it seemed like everyone was talking about the report and Rev. Gee’s op ed. Some were “shocked” or “surprised” to learn disparities had only worsened over the years. Others were happy to finally see the reality they knew existed, or that they had been living with, being talked about publicly. People from all backgrounds came together, conversations sprung up, workgroups were formed, demonstrations were organized…

Read more:  AFP Greater Madison | JEDIs and the battle against inequity: How AFP has embraced, confronted the challenge (afpmadison.org)