Bring HEART to the Ballroom and Your Fundraising Strategy

Tom Riles is in fundraising because his daughter was born with a heart defect. She had a 1 in 2,500 chance of survival when his wife was 20 weeks pregnant. Now, she’s 13 years old and healthy! After Tom and his wife told their daughter’s story on Ellen, the American Heart Association (AHA) asked him to start emceeing their galas. Soon he became one of their auctioneers, and now Tom fundraises for AHA, St. Jude, and Make-A-Wish, amongst many more nonprofits.

After going through his daughter’s open heart surgery, Tom began to live life FEARLESSLY and with HEART. In this session, he’ll encourage the attendees to do the same while giving them practical advice on how to break records in the ballroom and throughout the fundraising year.

Does your gala experience feel flat? Is fundraising down?

Tell your nonprofit’s story with HEART so that donors can’t help but invest in your cause the night of the gala and throughout the year.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn the best practices for fundraising galas in 2024.
• Understand how to bring your organization’s HEART into a gala and yearlong messaging and content strategy.
• Live life fearlessly and market like a pro.