Fund Development at Skills Society

CITIZENSHIP HIGHLIGHT BELONGING

Robin’s Story

To belong includes creating shared stories and rituals with community and feeling like you are an important part of something bigger than yourself. Robin is an engaged citizen who feels a sense of belonging as a member of a Star Trek fan club that he has been a part of since 2011. Group members come together to share their passion and interest in Star Trek through live action role playing, attending local events and conventions, costuming, and chatting over a bite to eat. Robin has been watching Star Trek since he was a kid and is passionate about all things science fiction. Robin shared that the three chapters he belongs to are part of a larger community of Star Trek fans, known as Starfleet International, with over 200 members in Edmonton alone! For Robin, part of what makes life good is “being in community and having friends”. Friendships are often built by connecting with others around a shared interest. Through the Star Trek fan club, Robin is able to share his passion with others and is a valued member of the community.

Robin

FUND DEVELOPMENT AT SKILLS SOCIETY

A YEAR IN REVIEW

This piece was written by Carmen Norris, member of the Skills Society board fund development committee

Hi I’m Carmen Norris and I’ve been a member of the Skills Society board for 5 years. In more recent years, I’ve been part of the fund development committee where we’ve been working to move the needle on Skills Society’s strategic priority to increase financial resiliency. As you might remember from last year’s fund development report, we have been exploring and seeking to better understand the difference between fundraising and fund development (checkout a recap of some of the differences between these two approaches in the breakout box on page 22). This has been important foundational work as we move ahead in developing a fund development strategy and culture within Skills Society.

Reflections on some of the work that’s brought us here

Reflecting back on the last year I am amazed by the amount and quality of work the fund development committee has achieved! We began by drafting a mandate statement and developing an action plan. Adopting a mindset of learning and curiosity we launched a discovery phase exploring three main areas of focus:

1. Fund Development Culture

We were so fortunate to learn from the Fund Development Survey Report produced by 2020-21 Board Intern Folakemi Jolaoso, which offers valuable insights into the existing fundraising/fund development culture within Skills Society. This report helped us to understand perspectives of our Skills

community towards fund development, where we might improve, and opportunities to tap into. One key learning the report revealed, is that there is strong buy-in from staff to act as an ambassador or contribute their time for fund development activities, but they could benefit from tools or guidance on how to best tell the Skills Society story. Our board interns are truly the best and every year I learn as much from them (if not more) as they do from us!

Building off Fola’s work I conducted an interview with members of Skills leadership to learn more about the past and current fundraising culture within Skills Society. We learned that Skills Society is well poised for changes in this area, recognizing that fund development is a long game strategy that takes time and sustained effort, but are optimistic for change and excited to dig in.

2. What Others are Doing Well

Thanks to the tremendous work of fellow committee member Kate Gunn, we conducted an enviroscan of fund development strategies across a number of comparable nonprofit organizations. All participants praised Skills Society for embarking on this shift and journey into fund development, an approach that resonated with their organizations. Many common themes bubbled to the surface during her conversations which she distilled into a number of possible actions for the committee to take in the future.

Key takeaways include:

• Fund development involves the whole organization, including the board! We aim to expand board capacity and comfort with fund development including recruitment of new board members with expertise in the field. • To hire or not to hire? Many organizations recommend hiring dedicated fund development staff. There is no silver bullet or right answer to this question but different options to consider, given timing, goals, and organizational culture of Skills Society. • Get support! Organizations recommended consulting agencies and foundations that can offer professional and financial support for organizations like ourselves to further their fund development initiatives.

3. Developing Narrative

Crafting narratives for the purpose of fund development is tricky business and we wanted to unpack what makes a really good story that compels people to give. Fellow committee members Darcy McDonald and Debbie Royer researched this topic and uncovered some refreshing insights:

• We are not starting from scratch. Skills Society already has a rich collection of stories. In developing a narrative for the purpose of fundraising and fund development, we can leverage our existing body of work.

• One thing Skills Society does extremely well is

human-centred design. Staff work hard to ensure the people we support have as much agency and control in planning and shaping what their support from Skills looks like. So it’s only natural that we would consider taking a human-centered approach to fund development, exploring ways to put our donors at the center of our fund development narratives.

Following this vein, I recently had the opportunity to take a design thinking course in which I explored the use of storytelling to compel potential donors to make financial contributions to Skills Society. Asking for money is hard and motivating folks to get excited about what you’re saying and be inspired enough to take action is not an easy task. But with a few expert tips and a bit of practice I was able to create a narrative I am now comfortable sharing and can easily articulate to friends, family and colleagues who are curious about Skills Society. Through this course I also came to a deeper understanding of the financial, political and social tensions that exist around supporting people with disabilities. Through my lessons I am left with a greater appreciation for the work Skills Society commits to on a daily basis and how they continually go beyond providing basic needs to seek out innovative ways for the people they support to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Skills Society doesn’t settle for the ‘good enough’ life. They support people with disabilities and their pursuit of the ‘good

life’!

How is ‘fundraising’ different from ‘fund development’?

Fundraising

Fundraising happens when members of a not-forprofit organization make the choice to raise money for a specific purpose.

Parents selling coupon books, or recipe books so their children have access to the supplies they need is an example of fundraising.

Fund Development

Fund development is a way to get the broader community to engage with the organization’s mission over the longer-term by forging deeper relationships with potential donors while harmonizing multiple fundraising elements. It involves uncovering shared values, cultivating relationships, and then providing opportunities for people to invest in areas that are important to them.

Crafting a plan to integrate grant applications, fundraising sales, public events, and online donation pages in ways that are meaningful to potential investors is an example of fund development.

DONATE TO SKILLS SOCIETY AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

There are many ways you can support our work - and we appreciate any contribution. Many of our initiatives - such as CommuniTEA Infusion and the Outreach Emergency Fund - are made possible by the support of donors. To learn more about these initiatives and others, or to make a donation visit www.skillssociety.ca/contribute/donate.

Exciting things on the horizon

Over the next few months, in collaboration with a professional fund development consulting company, Skills Society will be developing a sustainable, multi-year fund development plan. Through further collaboration we will be exploring grant opportunities and continued involvement from the board to ensure Skills Society is set up for sustained success in the fund development arena. It’s truly an exciting time and I’m honored to play a role, however small, in the financial evolution of Skills Society.

As a friend of Skills Society, you are a partner in building a more inclusive society and helping to shape a world where love, belonging, and living the ‘good life’ is a reality for people with developmental disabilities. As we increase Skills Society’s capacity to develop funds, we invite you to join in on the journey. Two ways you might do this are watching for updates and supporting different aspects of our fund development plan as they are released or sharing about the work of Skills Society with your networks.