Connection is How Your Cause Finds Its Voice

Are We More Disconnected Than Ever?

It sure feels that way lately. The idea that we're living through a time that is pulling us apart, not binding us closer together, seems to be in the room of every conversation I have.

We feel distance – from each other, from institutions, from the sense that we're all working toward something shared.

And yet.

Philanthropy exists precisely because people choose to connect anyway. The big, bold irony of philanthropy is that at its root, the mending it offers comes precisely from the breaking.

Every volunteer hour, every donation, every fundraiser asking a friend to give is someone saying, "This matters to me, and I think it might matter to you, too."

When we feel disconnected, the work of fundraising isn't just important. It's essential. And it asks more of us: more creativity, more intention, more willingness to build real bonds with the people around us instead of down-shifting to transactional outreach.

That's why I'm grateful to be sponsoring CauseVox's free Nonprofit Fundraising Summit: The Great Connection next week, March 4th & 5th. The theme couldn't be more timely.

With 50 sessions and over 70 speakers including Edward Norton, the Mardini sisters, Vu Le, Julia Campbell, and Lynne Wester, this free and virtual gathering is built around the idea that fundraising will always be about people. And maybe that as long as we have people, we always have the opportunity for connection.

I hope you will join me there.

Register free →

Obviously, connection is an idea embedded into our name, More For Many, and it is one we've been thinking about a lot lately. In fundraising (and actually in most of our work, from strategy to leadership development), connection isn't just a nice-to-have; it's the entire model.

We've been building a new framework called the Radiance Peer-to-Peer Model to help organizations design P2P programs that create community, not just revenue.

We'll be sharing more in March, but if you want an early look:

Preview the free Radiance guide →

But first — go register for the Summit. It's free, and it's one of those events you'll be glad you made time for.

See you there.