Learning Lab | The Board's Role in Fundraising and Major Gifts

Join us for this two-session workshop as part of our Learning Lab series.

Who is Eligible to Attend:

Organizations must attend in teams of Executive Director and at least one Board member. Additional board members and staff are welcome to attend with your team, but at minimum your Executive Director and a Board member must attend together. All-volunteer organizations with no paid staff must have at least two Board members attend as a team. Attendees are registering for and committing to attending BOTH workshop dates.

Dates:

Thursday, May 6, 2021, 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Thursday, May 20, 2021, 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Where:

Both workshops will take place on Zoom.

Session Descriptions:

Thursday, May 6, 2021, 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Session 1: The Role of the Board in Fundraising

Today more than ever nonprofits boards are expected to raise significant amounts of money during complex times. This workshop will outline the key elements necessary to building an effective fundraising board, including the board’s role in major gift fundraising. The Curtis Group’s extensive work with nonprofits has provided them the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of nonprofit boards of different sizes and levels of experience. This workshop will bring that experience to the table and help participants better understand how successful nonprofit boards and staffs operate.

Participants will leave the workshop with a greater understanding of:

• the board’s role in major gift fundraising
• the importance of board leadership and why it is essential to successful fundraising
• how to build an effective fundraising board
• the key traits to look for in potential board members and how to properly recruit them
• how to orient the board and prepare them for their role in fundraising
• how successful nonprofit boards operate

Thursday, May 20, 2021 , 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Session 2: Making a Successful Major Gift Ask

Beginning a major gifts program is crucial to the success of a nonprofits fundraising program. This workshop will show development professionals and board members how they can begin a program that moves donors and volunteers to the “Big Ask” and have meaningful conversations with their supporters. During the workshop participants will learn the importance of building relationships, the basic steps for an effective cultivation and solicitation and the role of the board in major gift calls.

This workshop will include:

• how to begin a program that moves donors and volunteers toward a major gift ask
• the importance of building relationships
• how to know when it’s the right time to ask
• the basic steps for an effective solicitation
• the role of the board in major gift calls

About the Presenter

Victoria Dietz’s experience covers an array of activities in development, from annual fund work to major gift and corporate development. In her role as vice president for The Curtis Group, she is responsible for a variety of clients’ planning studies, trainings and campaign management, overseeing a client portfolio spanning from Delaware through North Carolina. Victoria specializes in helping her clients strategically grow overall fundraising capacity and has worked with clients and volunteers to raise nearly $250 million in her eight years with the firm.

Prior to joining The Curtis Group, Victoria oversaw corporate and foundation relations for Bon Secours Hampton Roads. Victoria has completed specialized fundraising training through The Advisory Board, the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, the Hampton Roads Gift Planning Council, AFP International and Virginia Fund Raising Institute.

A sought-after speaker and presenter, Victoria has served on the faculty of Tidewater Community College’s Academy for Nonprofit Excellence, Charlottesville’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence, the Virginia Fund Raising Institute, and the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, and has also conducted national trainings for DonorSearch, Bloomerang and the YMCA.

Victoria holds a B.A. from The College of William and Mary. She served on the boards of the Virginia Association of Museums, Association of Fundraising Professionals-Hampton Roads chapter, the Hampton Roads Gift Planning Council, and is the past chair for the Virginia Fund Raising Institute, and is currently a member of the Giving USA Editorial Review Board—which offers valuable input to Giving USA each year. Victoria is actively engaged in her community, serving on the Business Women’s Giving Circle through the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia, and is a past steering committee member of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation’s Community Leadership Partners. She is also a past board member of the Junior League of Norfolk-Virginia Beach. In 2015 Victoria was selected by Inside Business as a top “40 Under 40” honoree, recognized for both her career and community accomplishments.