Incorporating diversity into your shop’s fundraising portfolio? Where do I even start?
Here is a sneak peek of what is coming to Fundraising Day 2017 on June 8 from guest blogger and speaker, Laura Syron.
Incorporating diversity into your shop’s fundraising portfolio? Where do I even start?
Sound familiar?
This is where I found myself back in 2012 when I had just started at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. I’m sitting in a wildly successful fundraising organization with a wonderful, uber-competent staff and a highly-engaged, passionate Board. And I’m walking around a Cancer Centre that is top 5 in the world, and is as diverse in its patient population as is the market in which it finds itself – the GTA.
Why is it then, that when I do a deep dive into our donor records, less than 3% of our donors are from the ethnically diverse communities we serve? And what can I do about the fact that many of our very established programs do not yet have a purposeful focus on engaging ethnocultural communities? And where would I even start given that I have no dedicated resources or official mandate?
Fast forward to 2017. Here at The Princess Margaret, I now have 1 & 1/3 full-time staff focused on ethnocultural strategy; a Board that is actively recruiting for highly-engaged, passionate leaders from the GTA’s ethnocultural communities; a strong and growing set of relationships with key community leaders, and colleagues who have built ethnocultural activities into their plans. And, to date, we have delivered over $2 million net revenue to conquer cancer in our lifetime.
How’d we get there? Come and find out. Join me at AFP’s Fundraising Day 2017 for my session “Modifying your Fundraising Programs to be more Inclusive.” Not only will we talk about my lessons from the trenches, but I’d love to hear about yours. Sign up today!
Laura Syron
Vice-President, Community Programs
The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation
Laura is Vice President, Community Programs at the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation in Toronto, Canada. In this role, Laura helps achieve the Foundation’s fundraising goals through oversight of five business units: Annual Giving, Leadership Giving, Tribute & Memorial, Special Events, and Ethnocultural Strategy. The Foundation raises and stewards funds for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Canada’s leading cancer research hospital and be one of the top five cancer research centres in the world.
Prior to her role at The Princess Margaret, Laura was Vice President of Research, Advocacy and Health Promotion at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. Laura joined the Foundation in 1996 and held increasingly senior positions in the organization. Laura has also worked in the for-profit sector, including senior marketing positions at Procter & Gamble Canada.
Laura holds a Bachelor degree from the University of Toronto and a Master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Follow Laura on Twitter @LauraSyron1