Every nonprofit leader knows the feeling: a mission worth believing in, a to-do list longer than the staff roster, and the persistent question of who will help carry the work forward. The answer is almost always the same: people. The right volunteers who are ready to step in and stay engaged, and the donors who are ready to invest more deeply in your mission.
Join Dawn Robinson, CFRE, and Angie Hartley, MBA, of Cramer & Associates for a practical working lunch focused on two skills that can make an immediate difference for your organization: identifying and recruiting a strong volunteer team and confidently asking for major gifts.
Drawing on decades of frontline fundraising and consulting experience, Dawn and Angie will share practical strategies for finding the right volunteers, crafting invitations people want to say yes to, and moving donor relationships from cultivation to a confident, gracious ask. In 90 minutes, you’ll learn how to recognize the people already in your organization’s orbit, engage them more intentionally, and approach important conversations about both time and treasure with greater confidence.
You don’t need a large development team or an elaborate system. You need clarity about who to engage, confidence in how to ask, and a plan for what comes next.
You’ll leave this session with:
- A simple framework for identifying and recruiting the right volunteers
- Practical language for making the “ask” . . . for both time and treasure
- Strategies for moving prospective major donors from cultivation to solicitation
- Clear next steps you can put to work the very next day
Cramer & Associates is a women-led philanthropic consulting firm based in Columbus, Ohio, serving nonprofit organizations throughout Ohio. Founded by Michelle Cramer, the firm brings decades of frontline fundraising and consulting experience to capital and comprehensive campaigns, campaign readiness studies, board governance and training, strategic planning, annual development planning, and major gift strategy.
Cramer & Associates works with organizations across the nonprofit sector, including social service agencies, schools, animal welfare organizations, arts and cultural organizations, community foundations, and faith-based ministries. Many are small teams doing extraordinary work with limited resources.
At the heart of the firm’s work is a simple belief: every nonprofit, regardless of size, can build the confidence, relationships, and infrastructure needed to ask boldly and grow sustainably.
How to Engage Volunteers and Inspire ...
Date and Time
Thursday Oct 15, 2026
11:30 AM - 1:00 PM EDT
Location
BUILD - Exchange Room
139 W. Columbus Ave.
Bellefontaine, OH 43311
Fees/Admission
$13 covers the cost of your lunch provided by The Flying Pepper.
