Engage Conference Spotlight: 'Don't Be Afraid to Bark At and Chase the Big Dogs'

On April 10, FundRaising Success is hosting its second annual Engage Conference. Engage is the only case-study-focused fundraising conference focusing on the keys to success from organizations that have successfully made the leap from just-getting-by nonprofits to powerhouse organizations. Leading up to Engage, we will be highlighting content from the participating organizations and speakers that we've published over the years.

During an informal wine and cheese reception at the 2012 New York Nonprofit Conference, Food for the Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma — ever the passionate public speaker — fired up the DMA Nonprofit Federation crowd with a rousing story he related to government affairs advocacy, of all things.

He relayed the story of a dog that used to run to the fence of his yard and bark at every other dog that passed. If a smaller dog went by, this dog would burrow under the fence and chase the smaller canine. However, when a big dog passed, this dog simply ran to the fence and barked, not daring to chase the bigger dog.

Aloma challenged all the fundraisers in attendance to not be afraid to not only bark at the big dogs, but to chase the big dogs, to take on the big dogs on Capitol Hill to fight for the fundraising sector. He urged everyone to think about what will happen when someone in need must be turned away because the dollars aren't there. Think how your mission will be affected if the postal rates and charitable deductions do not remain.

It was an inspiring story to urge fundraisers to take action, something that never goes out of style in this sector.

Angel will present Food for the Poor's case study at Engage this year.

To learn more about the Engage Conference, click here. And to register, click here and enter the discount code: FSNews100