April Professional Development | How to Raise Endowment Funding
We all know we need to have a robust and growing endowment for our nonprofit. But, even if we have an endowment fund right now, how can we work in more money for that when we need dollars for more pressing needs? This session answers the following questions:
- What exactly is an endowment?
- How does it function?
- How much does it need to be?
- Should it produce income?
- What should we spend it on?
- Who is in charge of it?
- How do we raise it?
- Where does endowment fundraising fit in our annual funds, special events, major or capital campaigns, planned giving, and earned income?
Planning on how to handle and augment your endowment affects all avenues of revenue for your organization. In many ways, it is the true “ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM” in your fundraising. Smart and diversified fundraising plans always include careful and intentional planning regarding endowment. Come see how to master this phase of your planning. And you might want to invite your executive director and some board members to join you!
Presented by Alex Comfort, CFRE
Alex Comfort, CFRE is President of Mountain Non-Profit Solutions, a consulting company he formed in 2009 after 23 years as a professional fundraiser. He specializes in
working with all non-profits for sustainability, capital campaigns, major gifts, agency and development audits, planned giving and endowment growth. Additionally, since 2013 he
has taught an acclaimed 4-day, comprehensive Fundraising Boot Camp. With the onset of Covid-19 he has changed his teaching to a personalized, individual focus which also
includes a great deal of agency consulting. He served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Development: Major and Planned Gifts at the University of North Carolina at Asheville for over 11 years. In his thirty-seven years of development experience, he has also been a capital campaign field director for a national firm, Director of Development for Covenant House New Orleans, Vice President of the LSU Medical Center Foundation in New Orleans, and Executive Director of the Cradle of Forestry Interpretation Association in Brevard, NC. He was chosen “Outstanding Fund Raising Executive” twice: first for the AFP chapter of Greater New Orleans in 1995 and then for the western North Carolina AFP chapter in 2010. He has extensive experience as a teacher, speaker and writer about development – related topics. For the last 45 years, he has also been an Episcopal priest, serving both full time and part time in parish work. His capital campaign experience spans his development career, and he has directed 45 successful capital campaigns. His first book, Even a Blind Squirrel Finds an Occasional Acorn: Fundraising Tales from the Front Lines, was published in 2020.
working with all non-profits for sustainability, capital campaigns, major gifts, agency and development audits, planned giving and endowment growth. Additionally, since 2013 he
has taught an acclaimed 4-day, comprehensive Fundraising Boot Camp. With the onset of Covid-19 he has changed his teaching to a personalized, individual focus which also
includes a great deal of agency consulting. He served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Development: Major and Planned Gifts at the University of North Carolina at Asheville for over 11 years. In his thirty-seven years of development experience, he has also been a capital campaign field director for a national firm, Director of Development for Covenant House New Orleans, Vice President of the LSU Medical Center Foundation in New Orleans, and Executive Director of the Cradle of Forestry Interpretation Association in Brevard, NC. He was chosen “Outstanding Fund Raising Executive” twice: first for the AFP chapter of Greater New Orleans in 1995 and then for the western North Carolina AFP chapter in 2010. He has extensive experience as a teacher, speaker and writer about development – related topics. For the last 45 years, he has also been an Episcopal priest, serving both full time and part time in parish work. His capital campaign experience spans his development career, and he has directed 45 successful capital campaigns. His first book, Even a Blind Squirrel Finds an Occasional Acorn: Fundraising Tales from the Front Lines, was published in 2020.
