A New Way Forward Series
Fundraising as an Act of Joy offered by Alysia Souder, Executive Director, Institute of Music for Children (AEN Board Chair); Jennifer North, Director of Development, Institute of Music for Children; Claire Sashi, Parent, Institute of Music for Children; and Leandro Torres, Content Creator and Student, Institute of Music for Children.
All too often, nonprofits operate within a culture of scarcity. In an effort to deliver a sense of urgency in their fundraising and communications, they reinforce stereotypes and duplicate the structural framework that has left so many behind. They traditionally depict members of the community in ways that perpetuate bias, diminish power and exacerbate harm. In this session, we’ll discuss how to reframe fundraising to reflect a culture of abundance, centering the communities we serve and amplifying their voices throughout the organization. This approach can also inform operations, communications and program development.
About the Presenters:
Alysia Souder is the Executive Director of the Institute of Music for Children. She has over 20 years of experience in arts education working as a Teaching Artist for organizations across New Jersey including Arts Horizons, Playwrights Theatre, Papermill Playhouse and the NJ Performing Arts Center and managing a wide range of programs including Poetry Out Loud and the Urban Writers Project. She is passionate about the role the arts should play in young people's growth and development and bringing the arts to underserved youth has been central to her work.
Ms. Souder is involved in the arts sector statewide as Chair of the Executive Committee of Arts Ed Newark and member of the steering committee of the Creating Change Statewide Symposium. She is a sought after presenter, and is currently facilitating a series of workshops for classroom teachers, teaching artists, social workers and other community stakeholders on Trauma-Informed Care through the Collective Impact Initiative funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. She is also actively involved in the Nonprofit Professionals of Color Collective.
Jennifer North is the Director of Development of the Institute of Music for Children in Elizabeth. She has 30 years of experience in the nonprofit sector with expertise in fund development, communications, strategic planning, and operational management for organizations addressing a range of critical community issues. Her interest in youth development extends beyond the work day, when Jennifer is engaged in political organizing and advocacy around racial justice, education equity and criminal justice reform. She currently sits on the Youth Justice Governing Board of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. Prior to her work at the Institute, Jennifer spent 8 years as Vice President of Beyond Celiac, a national patient advocacy organization. She holds a Bachelor's of Fine Arts degree in Drawing and Painting from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has engaged in graduate study in Adult and Organizational Development at Temple University.
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