Human-rights support group WITNESS strikes a balance to keep its mission in focus at its galas.

FS: What fundraising challenges does WITNESS face?
SF: A big challenge is diversification, as I mentioned, and we’re making a lot of progress in that respect. I think another challenge — and this is not exclusive to WITNESS — is that in a way we’re the victim of our own success. The more money we raise, the more programs we start. And the more programs we have, the more staff we need. The more staff, the more funding, and so it becomes a cycle where we’re trying to keep up with ourselves institutionally.