The Marietta Community Foundation today announced the first in what may eventually become a series of fundraising workshops for charities in the Mid-Ohio Valley.  The first session is:

?Beyond Grantwriting and Golf Outings?
An Introduction to the World of Fund Development
for Non-Profit Boards and Senior Staff
Friday, March 19th
8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
(Registration Begins at 7:45 a.m.)
Lafayette Hotel in Historic Downtown Marietta

Grants are a wonderful source of revenue for a charity, but they are sporadic and unreliable in the long term.  Golf outings and other events are valuable, but they require a tremendous amount of work for relatively little return.  Ultimately, a charity?s financial stability depends upon the relationships it builds with individual donors.  This session is an introduction on how to begin building these relationships.

The workshop is ideal for volunteer boards of directors and senior staff of small to mid-sized non-profits who are new to relationship based fundraising.  It is also open to anyone who just wants to learn!

This session will be led by Bret Bicoy, President & CEO of the Marietta Community Foundation.  Bret has over ten years of experience working in the world of philanthropy, having previously served as Senior Foundation Officer for Programs and Development with the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation.  His work as a development professional and as fundraising counsel to non-profits helped raise nearly $25 million during the last decade.  His specialty is major gifts for endowments and/or capital campaigns for small to mid-sized charities.

The Marietta Community Foundation is underwriting the cost of this workshop so it is free to all participants.  However, to ensure that we have adequate materials and space, participants must register by March 12th by calling (740)373-3286 or sending an email to judy@mariettacommunityfoundation.org.

The Foundation anticipates hosting future educational sessions on a variety of fundraising topics featuring different expert speakers from the Mid-Ohio Valley and beyond.  Non-profit executives and staff are also invited to submit ideas to the Foundation on other free workshops that could assist them in their fundraising efforts.