Are you considering launching a major fundraising effort and questioning what it is you need to know before moving forward? In this session we will go over basic readiness steps, critical success factors, what to expect in campaign mode and your role in making it all happen. This workshop will be a combination of a presentation and conversation to address specific questions and learn from each other.

Presenter: Melissa Irish, MBA

Melissa Irish, MBA, is a seasoned resource development specialist with thirty years of experience raising private sector funds for nonprofits with budgets from $250,000 to $20 million. She spent a decade in senior development staff roles in health and human services, workforce development and the environment before completing her MBA. Prior to that she earned a BS in Health Sciences and Women Studies and volunteered for a year in Nicaragua working with women and children in impoverished communities helping them access education, legal and health care services.

In 2005 she established a consulting practice to serve nonprofits providing strategic fund development including assessments and planning, capital and major gift campaign consultation, feasibility studies and leadership training. In 2023, she launched Lotus Consulting, a full-service fundraising consulting firm bringing together a team of experts to continue this work and focus her clients on balancing margin with mission to unleash possibility.

Melissa specializes in creating effective individual giving programs excelling in helping organizations build their capacity to raise major gifts. She applies innovative strategies from the for-profit arena to enhance the performance of nonprofit organizations. This unique perspective enables Melissa to understand the motives and priorities of diverse stakeholders and connect them with the organizations mission and goals. Melissa brings the "fun" into fundraising and believes every member of an organization - paid and volunteer - has a critical role to play in attracting the resources necessary to fulfill a mission. She applies this philosophy to her work and meets folks where they are to help them discover their fundraising potential.

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