Leverage individual strengths to build a fundraising team designed for long-term growth and sustainability.
Strong fundraising results are built on more than strategy alone they require the right people in the right roles. This session explores how nonprofits can structure and develop fundraising teams that maximize individual strengths, improve collaboration, and create long-term organizational sustainability. Participants will examine key fundraising functions, team dynamics, and leadership approaches that help organizations build stronger donor relationships, increase capacity, and reduce burnout within development teams.
Learning Objectives:
Identify key roles and functions that support an effective fundraising team
Learn how to align individual strengths and skills with fundraising responsibilities
Explore strategies to improve collaboration and communication within development teams
Understand how organizational structure impacts fundraising success and sustainability
Develop approaches to build long-term fundraising capacity and reduce team burnout
Meet Your Trainer: Jacob Mize, Chief Development Officer at Mercy House, has been working in homeless services for almost 15 years, with the last 11 years spent at Mercy House. Since 2018 Jacob has worked in development, with a focus on major gifts, marketing and communications, fundraising event management, grant management, and volunteer and in-kind donation solicitation.
In addition to this, Jacob has served in a number of professional development organizations including AFP-OC and OCNPN, where he is the Board Chair. Jacob has also supported Big Brothers Big Sisters OC, serving as a "big" for over 10 years in which he was a finalist for Big of the Year in 2019.
Jacob earned his degree in Human Services with a minor in Chicano Studies from Cal State Fullerton and lives in Buena Park with his wife and 2 daughters. He is active in his community which has included him sitting on the Buena Park Human Relations Commission and the Faith Based Collaborative as a part of the North Orange County Public Safety Collaborative.
