COLUMBIA, Mo. – More than a dozen working professionals from the afterschool field and University of Missouri Extension recently completed training from The Fund Raising School at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, learning important fundraising principles and strategies for sustainability.

Offered in partnership with the Missouri AfterSchool Network, the training will help attendees navigate the rapidly changing field of nonprofits and afterschool.

“Many afterschool programs were turned upside down as the pandemic struck,” says Terri Foulkes, executive director of the Missouri AfterSchool Network. “Learning how to become sustainable was important before the pandemic, but learning to be sustainable in today’s current climate is even more crucial now.”

Over the years, the Missouri AfterSchool Network has been an active partner with MU Extension, realizing early in their partnership that some of the resource development needs of the Missouri AfterSchool Network aligned with the needs of local extension councils.

“The Missouri AfterSchool Network started working with The Fund Raising School at the same time folks on the extension team were looking for similar training,” says James Preston, chief development officer for the MU Office of Extension and Engagement. “When the network shared the outline for the fundraising for small nonprofits training, it proved to be a great fit for county engagement specialists, a number of whom participated. Finding ways to stretch limited professional development resources is just one way the collaboration is a great partnership.”

“Course material, subject matter and the presentation aroused my inner core to focus on the joy of giving,” said Tonya Compton of Raytown Quality Schools. “It also allowed intentional thought to refocus and gain momentum of fundraising.”

The recent cohort had the rare opportunity to work with a world-class faculty member, Bill Stanczykiewicz, director of The Fund Raising School and assistant dean for external relations at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

“Bill is an excellent storyteller and uses his years of experience in this field to cement the principles of fundraising with stories that are memorable, helping to cement those principles,” says attendee Colleen Abbott, director of the Learning Enriched Afterschool Program at the Eldon R-I School District. “Bill also answered questions for participants, even when out of the purview of the course, and provided additional resources to learn more about those areas.”

Before his post with The Fund Raising School, Stanczykiewicz served 17 years as CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute. Much like the Missouri AfterSchool Network, the Indiana Youth Institute is a statewide nonprofit that promotes healthy youth development and academic achievement by providing capacity-building professional development, technical assistance and funding for educators, youth workers and other community leaders.

To learn more about The Fund Raising School and upcoming trainings, contact Mark Cowsert of the Missouri AfterSchool Network at 573-882-9665 or cowsertm@missouri.edu.