GIFT conference highlights from BlogLandia

Robby was great... Look out for the podcast/video soon.

The gift of GIFT and Grassroots Fundraising Colleagues

It's the morning after. The morning after a weekend conference of progressive people working to bring positive social change in this country and around the world--and serious, creative, practical, and fearless about securing the resources necessary to do that. Grassroots Fundraising Journal and GIFT (Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training) recently merged and the conference "Raising Change" in San Francisco this weekend brought together about 600 people to network, challenge, commiserate, teach, and support each other.

Inspirational highlights for me:

Robby Rodriguez, SouthWest Organizing Project (SWOP) challenges us that, in working together for real change, the equation of 1+1=2 isn't enough. We need strategies and action that feel like 1+1=10. Katherine Acey, Astrea Lesbian Foundation for Justice quoted a colleague who says, "We have to fundraise to live out our politics." Amen. Rona Fernandez, Californians for Justice, in a structured high school style debate on the effectiveness and relevance of what her opponents called the "nonprofit industrial complex" points out that "We cannot underestimate the resources we need to defeat the enemy." And the reception, which __of course__ was a model fundraising event, featured award-winning spoken word artists offering up personal, political, authentic, out loud and edgy comment and rhythm. Their performance was not the typical conference "Up With People" smiling cutie pie entertainment. Right on.

Oh--and the extraordinary experience of being in a room full of colleagues fundraising for social change and being one of a minority of white people--deserves more than a footnote.

Change Matters was invited to be a Consultant Sponsor and I'm pleased and proud that we accepted. It'll happen again in two years. See you there.

Posted by Amy Kincaid