Before All Else: Rediscovering the Essentials of Fundraising
Guest Speaker: Anna Schlia, Founder & Lead Consultant, Brightside Philanthropy

Agenda: 
8:30 AM - Registration
9 - 10:30 AM - Program
10:30 - 11 AM - Networking

This session strips fundraising back to its essentials and asks the question: If all you had were a pen, stationery, a phone, and a brochure… could your organization still reach its goals?

Fundraising has never been more complicated—or more cluttered. Between platforms, dashboards, campaigns, content calendars, and an ever-growing list of “must-do” tactics, it’s easy for nonprofits to confuse activity with impact. But historically, philanthropy was built on something far simpler: human connection. With little more than letters, conversations, and shared purpose, communities once raised the money to build churches, schools, hospitals, and movements that changed lives.

We’ll conclude by developing your organization’s “Before All Else” framework: a practical, portable guide to help staff, leaders, and volunteers stay disciplined in the basics, communicate priorities clearly, and protect the work that truly moves donors.