The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation’s Nonprofit Networking Day will provide four different breakout sessions focused on purposeful strategies for immediate action, hosted by some of the area’s top nonprofit and business professionals.

Set for October 11 at St. Bonaventure University, Nonprofit Networking Day provides an opportunity for nonprofit staff, board members, volunteers and interns alike to come together and learn, collaborate and network.

This year’s sessions include:

“Effective Fundraising Readiness” with Barb Sweitzer, CEO of YMCA of the Twin Tiers.

Takeaways from this session will include an assessment tool as a handout helping the organizations to assess their readiness in 10 criteria areas. After reviewing the importance of the 10 areas the session will encourage each organization to assess and then build strategies to improve organizational capacity in those areas.

Sweitzer began her career at the YMCA as a lifeguard before progressing all the way to the CEO position at the Olean YMCA in 1998. In 2008, she joined the YMCA of the USA staff as a senior resource director. In 2018, Sweitzer returned to her roots to serve as CEO of the YMCA of the Twin Tiers.

During her tenure at the Olean-Bradford YMCA, Barb’s leadership moved the Y into a culture of philanthropy growing the annual campaign, orchestrating a successful capital campaign to build a new Y facility, facilitating a major community collaboration resulting in a shared facility and merging two independent Ys across two states.

“Telling Stories with Purpose: Explain your mission, compel donors to give” with Kathleen Donovan, senior marketing social media and public relations coordinator, Cutco Corp.

During this session, attendees will learn to make their mission come to life through storytelling. Participants will walk away with ideas on how to collect, tell and share compelling stories that can move the needle for giving and learn to motivate donors through real stories that evoke empathy.

Kathleen Donovan has honed her storytelling skills over the 35-plus years she has been working as a professional communicator. She began her career as a radio news reporter at WBEN-AM in Buffalo and later shifted into public relations and social media at Cutco Cutlery in Olean. She is currently member of the Olean Family YMCA Advisory Board.

Over her career she’s watched the communications landscape evolve, but the art of communicating through storytelling, she believes, is still at the heart of getting people to listen.

“The Grant Application: Tips from the funders” with Beth Gosch, executive director of the Western New York Foundation, and Laura Whitford, president of the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation

Session attendees will get helpful tips from both a local and regional funder’s perspective on topics such as how to make a grant application stand out, avoiding common mistakes, the value of research and data, building a “grant toolbox” and more.

Beth Kinsman Gosch is the executive director of the Western New York Foundation and has provided inspiration and leadership in the development of the foundation’s grant making initiatives since 2005. The Western New York Foundation is a regionally focused foundation serving the seven counties of Western New York.

Laura Whitford is the president of both the Dr. Lyle F. Renodin Foundation and the St. Elizabeth Mission Society, both of which are sponsored ministries of the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, NY. In 2014, the Franciscan Sisters welcomed her as the first paid staff person to lead the Renodin Foundation. Since 2002, the Foundation has awarded 383 small grants totaling $1,187,670 to 73 worthy organizations.

“Technology isn’t everything! Learn more about developing meaningful cross-generational relationships that will have a positive impact to your organization today and in the future” with Jennifer Barbee, associate director and director of development of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

The session will focus on developing cross-generational relationships, particularly with the young philanthropist to support your organization for years to come.

Jennifer Barbee joined the BPO as director of development in 2010 after serving in the same position at the Virginia Symphony from 2002 to 2010. In 2017 she was promoted to BPO associate director and director of development

Since her arrival at the BPO, she has served as the staff point person for the 2013 Carnegie Hall Tour Campaign that became the most successful fundraising event in the history of the orchestra; has led three successful fundraising campaigns for the BPO tour to Florida, spearheaded the fundraising and Patron Tour effort to Poland in 2018; and successfully completed a $35 million endowment campaign.

Registration for Nonprofit Networking Day is now open. To register, CLICK HERE. Early bird registration pricing is available until Sept. 27.

The day will begin at 8 a.m. with a continental breakfast followed by the keynote address by

David O. Egner from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. A networking lunch, also included in the ticket cost, will be held in the Reilly Center Hall of Fame Room.

For 25 years, the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation has been the area’s supportive, responsive and trusted community foundation. Established in 1994, CRCF is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email [email protected], or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter (@CattFoundation).

 

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