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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260915T093000
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UID:10000342-1789464600-1791889200@minnesotanonprofits.org
SUMMARY:Building and Cultivating Major Donors for Small- to Mid-Size Nonprofits Series
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Workshop – Live/OnlineSeries Fee: $175 for MCN members / $255 for nonmembers  \n\n\n\n\n\nRegister for the Series\n\n\n\n\nThis series is now at maximum capacity and has sold out. There is no wait list for this event. This series will be offered again in early 2027; check back on our Events Calendar soon to register. \n\n\n\n\nMany nonprofit leaders know they need to diversify funding\, but major donor fundraising can feel out of reach\, especially in small- to mid-size nonprofits without large development teams. The good news is that your next major donor is likely already connected to your organization or within your existing network. The key is knowing where to look\, how to build the relationship\, and how to confidently invite deeper investment in your mission. \n\n\n\nIn this 3-session virtual series\, we will help you build the confidence\, clarity\, and practical systems needed to identify\, cultivate\, and engage major donors in ways that feel genuine\, strategic\, and aligned with your mission. \n\n\n\nAcross three live online sessions\, we will reframe fundraising as relationship-building\, map the people already surrounding your mission\, prioritize the right donor prospects\, and strengthen your ability to lead donor conversations with greater clarity and confidence. Through practical tools\, guided exercises\, and real-time application\, this series is designed to help you move from uncertainty and overwhelm to a more focused\, strategic\, and repeatable approach to major donor fundraising. \n\n\n\nYou will leave with practical frameworks and tools you can use immediately to strengthen donor relationships\, build a more intentional donor portfolio\, and create momentum toward long-term fundraising sustainability. Past participants have shared that this course increased their confidence\, strengthened their donor conversations\, and gave them practical tools they could apply right away. \n\n\n\nBy the end of this 3-session series\, you will be able to:  \n\n\n\n\nReframe major donor fundraising as an opportunity to build meaningful donor partnerships rather than simply ask for money. \n\n\n\nIdentify potential major donors\, connectors\, and advisors already within your organization’s existing network. \n\n\n\nPrioritize the right donor prospects based on alignment\, engagement\, readiness\, and funding goals. \n\n\n\nDevelop tailored engagement strategies that deepen trust and move donor relationships forward. \n\n\n\nLead donor conversations with greater clarity\, confidence\, and purpose. \n\n\n\nUse practical tools and frameworks to build a more structured\, strategic\, and repeatable major donor process that supports more diversified funding.\n\n\n\n\nWatch a video about the Major Donor Coaching Cohort Experience here. \n\n\n\nSession Details\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\nSession 1: Mindset and Cultivate Mapping – September 15 @ 9:30am – 11:00am CT \nIn this session\, we begin by exploring the psychology of generosity and dismantling the “begging” narrative that often creates fear or hesitation around fundraising. Together\, we will shift the mindset from asking for money to inviting partnership in meaningful work. \n\n\n\nWe will then map 30–50 relationship pathways within your existing network to help you identify the hidden donor potential already surrounding your mission\, including supporters\, connectors\, and advisors. \n\n\n\nBy the end of Session 1\, you will be able to:  \n\n\n\n\nReframe fundraising as an invitation to partnership rather than a transactional ask.\n\n\n\nDescribe how generosity\, shared purpose\, and donor motivation can shape stronger fundraising conversations.\n\n\n\nIdentify supporters\, connectors\, and advisors already within your organization’s network.\n\n\n\nCreate a Cultivate Map of 30–50 relationship pathways connected to your mission.\n\n\n\nRecognize where major donor potential may already exist within your current community and relationships. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSession 2: Building the Right Portfolio – September 29 @ 9:30am – 11:00am CT \nIn this session\, we will help you move from a broad or cluttered database to a prioritized portfolio of qualified donor prospects. Using the Engagement Scorecard and related tools\, we will evaluate prospects based on engagement\, alignment\, influence\, readiness\, and relationship strength. \n\n\n\nYou will begin building a focused Power 10 Portfolio and develop customized engagement designs that help move priority donors from contact to committed partner. \n\n\n\nBy the end of Session 2\, you will be able to:  \n\n\n\n\nEvaluate donor prospects using practical criteria such as alignment\, engagement\, influence\, and readiness. \n\n\n\nDistinguish between a broad contact list and a focused donor portfolio built for meaningful cultivation. \n\n\n\nPrioritize a Power 10 Portfolio based on real funding goals and relationship potential. \n\n\n\nDevelop customized engagement designs for your top prospects. \n\n\n\nBuild a more strategic and repeatable process for major donor cultivation over time. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSession 3: Designing Confident Conversations – October 13 @ 9:30am – 11:00am CT \nIn this session\, we will build the messaging and structure you need to lead donor conversations with greater clarity and confidence. Building on the work from the first two sessions\, we will help you define impact\, communicate need\, and make the ask in a way that feels grounded\, relational\, and clear. \n\n\n\nWe will also strengthen your approach to stewardship so donors become more than a source of funding. They become meaningful partners in your mission. \n\n\n\nBy the end of Session 3\, you will be able to:   \n\n\n\n\nUse a clear framework to structure major donor conversations with greater confidence.\n\n\n\nCommunicate shared values\, need\, impact\, and invitation in a compelling and mission-centered way.\n\n\n\nPrepare for donor asks with messaging that feels clear\, relational\, and strategic.\n\n\n\nApproach the ask as a natural part of relationship-building rather than a disconnected fundraising task.\n\n\n\nStrengthen stewardship and next-step planning to support long-term donor partnership.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOptional Implementation Labs: From Strategy to Action – September 22\, October 6\, & October 20 @ 9:30am – 10:30am CT\nThese optional one-hour working sessions are designed to help you move from theory to execution without the overwhelm. Through peer discussion\, hands-on application\, and focused group coaching\, we will bridge the gap between “knowing” and “doing.”  \n\n\n\nRather than introducing new content\, these sessions give you space to apply the course tools directly to your own donor portfolio\, messaging\, outreach strategies\, and upcoming conversations. Together\, we will troubleshoot challenges\, refine next steps\, and build momentum so you can walk into your next donor meeting with greater clarity\, confidence\, and a practical 90-day action plan. \n\n\n\nBy participating in the optional implementation labs\, you will be able to:  \n\n\n\n\nApply course tools and frameworks directly to your own donor relationships and fundraising priorities. \n\n\n\nRefine engagement strategies\, donor messaging\, and next steps through peer discussion and group coaching. \n\n\n\nStrengthen your readiness for upcoming donor meetings and conversations. \n\n\n\nBuild a practical 90-day activation plan for cultivation\, asks\, follow-up\, and stewardship. \n\n\n\nIncrease your confidence in moving from planning to real-world donor action.\n\n\n\n\nThese three Implementation Labs sessions are included with the “Building and Cultivating Major Donors for Small- to Mid-Size Nonprofits Series” registration. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhat You Will Walk Away With\n\n\n\nBy the end of the series\, you will leave with more than notes. You will leave with a practical fundraising engine built for immediate execution and long-term sustainability\, including:  \n\n\n\n\nThe Cultivate Map: a strategic visualization of 30–50 relationship pathways and connectors within your existing network \n\n\n\nThe Power 10 Portfolio: a prioritized list of qualified donors connected to real funding goals and revenue needs \n\n\n\nCustom Engagement Designs: tailored plans for moving top prospects from contact to committed investor \n\n\n\nThe Ask Framework: a structured\, confidence-building guide for donor conversations \n\n\n\nA 90-Day Activation Plan: a sequenced rhythm for outreach\, follow-up\, and stewardship that helps maintain momentum long after the first gift is made \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Event Details  \n\n\n\nThis event is a series with three dates and three optional Implementation Labs. The series registration price includes all six sessions. \n\n\n\nSeries Sessions: \n\n\n\n\nSeptember 15 from 9:30am – 11:00am CT \n\n\n\nSeptember 29 from 9:30am – 11:00am CT\n\n\n\nOctober 13 from 9:30am – 11:00am CT\n\n\n\n\nOptional Implementation Labs: \n\n\n\n\nSeptember 22 from 9:30am – 10:30am CT \n\n\n\nOctober 6 from 9:30am – 10:30am CT \n\n\n\nOctober 20 from 9:30am – 10:30am CT\n\n\n\n\nThis virtual event will take place on the Zoom platform. Your access link will be emailed to you the day before the event after 12 p.m. \n\n\n\nThis sessions will be recorded available to registrants after the live event. \n\n\n\nCaptioning is provided automatically through Zoom. For information on requesting CART\, ASL\, or another accommodation\, please visit our Registration Policies page.  \n\n\n\nTo learn more about events\, registration\, and payment\, visit our Event & Registration FAQ page.  \n\n\n\nWe offer partial scholarships for all of our educational workshops. Visit our Scholarships page for more information. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeaker Information\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEllen Christine is a nonprofit strategist and fundraising strategist who helps small to mid-size nonprofits diversify funding\, build meaningful donor partnerships\, and create stronger\, more sustainable fundraising systems. With more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership and fundraising\, she has helped organizations raise over $1 billion to expand mission impact.  \n\n\n\n\nHer work began on the ground in South Africa\, where she founded a grassroots nonprofit that served 15\,000 students and mobilized hundreds of volunteers. That experience shaped her practical\, relationship-centered approach to fundraising\, leadership\, and organizational growth. None of it started with theory. It started in the trenches.  \n\n\n\nToday\, Ellen is known for making major donor fundraising feel more human\, strategic\, and accessible to leaders who may not have large development teams or formal fundraising training. She believes that for nonprofits to truly thrive\, their leaders must thrive too\, and she brings both strategy and heart to helping leaders build joy-filled\, sustainable approaches to fundraising and growth. 
URL:https://minnesotanonprofits.org/event/building-and-cultivating-major-donors-for-small-to-mid-size-nonprofits-series-2026
CATEGORIES:Fundraising,Virtual
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261008T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261008T100000
DTSTAMP:20260824T201346Z
CREATED:20260824T201345Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260824T201346Z
UID:10000385-1791450000-1791453600@minnesotanonprofits.org
SUMMARY:Show Me the Story (Not the Spreadsheet)
DESCRIPTION:Virtual Workshop – Live/OnlineFee: $50 for MCN members / $70 for nonmembers  \n\n\n\n\n\nRegister Today\n\n\n\n\n\nFinancial reports don’t have to be intimidating or sleep-inducing. In this session\, we’ll explore how to transform complex financial information into engaging visual stories that help staff and board members truly understand your organization’s financial model and health. Using real-world examples and accessible visualization techniques\, we’ll move beyond spreadsheets to show how charts\, narratives\, and visuals can make your financial presentations more meaningful\, memorable\, and mission-aligned. Whether you’re a finance professional looking to communicate with clarity or a leader seeking to bridge the gap between numbers and impact\, this session will equip you with practical tools to make your financial story resonate across your organization. \n\n\n\nAs a result of attending this session\, participants will: \n\n\n\n\nGain strategies for translating financial data into clear\, compelling visuals that enhance understanding among non-finance audiences.  \n\n\n\nLearn how to frame financial information as a story that connects organizational performance to mission and impact.  \n\n\n\nAcquire tools and templates to design board and staff financial presentations that inform\, engage\, and inspire confidence.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEvent Details\n\n\n\nThis virtual event will take place on the Zoom platform. Your access link will be emailed to you the day before the event after 12 p.m. \n\n\n\nThis session will be recorded. The recording will be available to registrants for two weeks following the live event. \n\n\n\nCaptioning is provided automatically through Zoom. For information on requesting CART\, ASL\, or another accommodation\, please visit our Registration Policies page. \n\n\n\nTo learn more about events\, registration\, and payment\, visit our Event & Registration FAQ page. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeaker Information\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKatelyn Shehu\, Chief Financial Officer\, Arts Midwest \n\n\n\nKatelyn Shehu serves as Chief Financial Officer at Arts Midwest\, where she leads the organization’s financial strategy\, investment management\, and long-term sustainability efforts. Since joining in 2023\, she has focused on strengthening financial infrastructure\, advancing multi-year planning\, and aligning resources to support Arts Midwest’s mission and growth. Katelyn partners closely with staff and the board to enhance financial literacy\, ensure sound stewardship of both operating and invested assets\, and guide decision-making that balances stability with strategic opportunity. Before joining Arts Midwest\, Katelyn spent more than a decade at the University of St. Thomas\, where she helped secure significant federal relief funding during the pandemic and led one of the university’s largest public debt issuances to advance its strategic plan. She began her career in public accounting at RSM and became a licensed CPA in 2009. Katelyn is passionate about connecting financial strategy to organizational impact and building systems that support creativity and resilience.  \n\n\n\nA little more about Katelyn: When Katelyn isn’t working\, she is busy being a mom to son Aiden and daughter Elsa. She loves trying out new recipes\, playing piano\, reading novels and traveling. She believes strongly in the importance of giving back to community and currently serves as the Board Treasurer for NeighborWorks Home Partners\, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering individuals by helping them buy\, fix and keep homes. You can connect with her on LinkedIn. 
URL:https://minnesotanonprofits.org/event/show-me-the-story-oct-2026
CATEGORIES:Finance & Legal,Virtual
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