Deeply Authentic Donor Outreach: A Workshop for Heart-led Fundraisers
Vanessa Baker
I’m excited to invite you (or folks you may know!) to my new, complimentary workshop: ✨ Deeply Authentic Donor Outreach ✨
It’s about embracing your full humanity as a fundraiser and finding flow with more regular, joyful donor connections.
Here's the scoop:
As fundraisers, we can find ourselves “performing,” putting on the mask of who we think our bosses and donors expect us to be. We may procrastinate for weeks on donor outreach, and when we finally hit send, the language can feel stiff and the response can be tepid at best.
This stings, because we care deeply about our work and long to be in real relationship with our donors.
💡 But what if the very things we worry about -- our quirks, imperfections, even our newness to fundraising -- are the very keys to unlocking trust, connection, and generous giving?
The thing is -- donors are people, just like us. They want to feel meaning and connection, not be treated like an ATM. When you find the courage to drop the mask and speak with your own voice, you invite them to do the same -- and doors open.
Imagine your donors saying, “I’m so glad you reached out,” “Yes please to that coffee date,” and “Wow, can you tell me more about that program?” I have seen this approach in action and I know that it’s possible.
It doesn’t take a multi-page strategic plan, a glossy Case for Support, or a moves management system installed in your database. All it takes is you and your willingness to show up as you.
In this 90-minute session, we’ll gather to hold the “muchness” of this work with tenderness: our love, our fear, our courage, our dreams, our failings, and our brilliance. From this place, we will kindle our courage, feel into our strength, and any binding grip inaction may have.
More specifically, we will:
✨ Unpack beliefs that may be holding you back
✨ Explore mindset shifts that make fundraising more easeful and joyful
✨ Learn and practice authentic language you can use immediately
📅 Tuesday, September 16 | 1:00–2:30pm PT | Zoom (6 places left)
This is for you if you:
✔ Are new to fundraising or worried you won’t be taken seriously
✔ Have been in the field for years but hide behind the scenes or put off your outreach
✔ Are ready to break free from transactional, icky dynamics and connect as humans
💬 Expect: Real talk, connection with colleagues who get it, and the relief of realizing that you can reach out – just as you are.
To reserve your spot, simply email me with “workshop please!”
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My name is Vanessa and I support nonprofit leaders who are committed to showing up bravely and in alignment with their values. I help folks grow their confidence -- whether through leadership coaching or through fundraising mentoring, training, and strategy development.
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I’m also launching a new co-working and learning community called Find Your Flow. It’s part writing lab, part reflection circle, and entirely heart-led. The next session is September 24, 1–2:30pm PT.
Make sure that donor correspondence you've been putting off actually gets written! Reserve your seat here and enjoy some easeful accountability.
