It was nearly a month ago that we made the decision to cancel our annual in person Gathering and pivot to a virtual gathering instead. We’ve all been through so much change and in many ways the life we knew is hardly recognisable. Early on we were tracking centers various responses to Covid-19 in a shared google doc as we navigated the uncharted waters together. From monthly webinars we shifted to weekly community calls. Some simply a space to share with friends and peers, to witness and support each other. Some with a focus on how to transition to online programming or respond with fundraising initiatives adapted to these times.
In this recent webinar with fundraising professional Brett Cobb, we explored the following:
- Staying centered during crisis periods, including focusing on what our Center does best
- Historical fundraising patterns during periods considered good, bad, or uncertain
- Creating specific calls to action
- Considerations for building your case during Covid-19 and beyond, including ways to create confidence in you and your organization
- Opportunity to share so far what approaches are working and what is not during Covid-19
- Options including crowdfunding and social media campaigns
- Your wish list to support your Center’s fundraising program at this time
Fundraising with Compassion
Brett has more than twenty years of nonprofit experience with major organizations and consults with Boards of Directors and nonprofit leaders, including HCN. His fundraising work includes senior leadership roles at Omega Institute for Holistic Studies for nearly 8 years and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Since 2015, Brett is also a Senior Teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training under the auspices of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at the Stanford University School of Medicine and The Compassion Institute. With this unique blend of fundraising expertise and deep compassion, Brett is a wise and soothing presence during these times.
Follow on webinars
A follow on two hour webinar will be scheduled in the coming weeks as we respond to needs expressed within the network and support of your center. We welcome any fundraising team members as well as board and volunteers assisting fundraising programs on the call. Please email christine@centersnetwork.org if you’d like to be on the mailing list as we’re opening some of our webinars during this time beyond HCN membership.
Community calls
There was a depth of sharing on our recent community call as we connected across borders, straddling Canada, US, UK, Italy and China, with the mantra “we’re all in this together.” Heartwarming comments include;
“Loved this sharing time, so good for my soul. Glad to be in it with all of you.”
“It’s nourishing to hear you all.”
“Feel more connected, grounded and inspired with all of you here.
“Very much appreciate all of you, the wisdom and the love.”
Michael Lindfield, President of Meditation Mount in California, shared beautiful closing words as he drew the threads of sharing together. “We’re holding the whole gestalt. It is a shock to the system and, an affirmation of one life – one sacred ecosystem. The imaginal cells carry the promise and the potential and it is up to us to create the conditions.”
Virtual Gathering
Here at HCN, we’ve been somewhat like the swan, moving along as gracefully as we can with focused activity beneath the surface. It’s been a swift pivot from preparing for our in person gathering at Esalen to offering our first Virtual Gathering for Holistic Centers. We’re all pivoting in these changing times as we simultaneously aim to center ourselves deep within, amidst the outer change. May we all find the hidden opportunities and collectively stand in the value we offer to the world, as Gaia calls out for a major shift in culture.
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