The return of regional gatherings is a plus for the field
April 2024’s MidAtlantic Gathering was an opportunity for sharing and connecting.
Before the pandemic, NNFS members and fiscal sponsors gathered regularly in their local regions to discuss their work, share resources, and find ways to collaborate. These in-person meetups were usually organized by a local fiscal sponsor and took a variety of forms. In Los Angeles, fiscal sponsors met monthly over a brown bag lunch. In New York, arts organizations met on a regular basis. In the MidAtlantic region, fiscal sponsors organized a biannual, full-day event that featured organizations from as far south as Washington, D.C. and as far north as New York. A $25 registration fee covered the cost of food and drinks for the day.
The MidAtlantic fiscal sponsors last met in 2018 before reconvening in April of 2023 in Baltimore. On April 26, 2024, a regional gathering was held in Philadelphia. There were 40 people in attendance, coming from fiscal sponsorship organizations in the Baltimore region, Washington, D.C., New York, and Philadelphia; the event was hosted in the offices of the Urban Affairs Coalition. The agenda included deep introductions, and sharing of successes and challenges.
Before this larger meetup, Baltimore fiscal sponsors met — they shared takeaways from that discussion and priorities around strengthening the fiscal hosting landscape in their region. Other topics included systems and systems implementation/transitions (finance and HR); fundraising for fiscal sponsors; customer service/project management; and marketing. After breakout sessions, the larger group convened for questions and sharing. Attendees also brainstormed ideas for sessions or discussions at either the next regional gathering or the upcoming National Gathering in Atlanta in October. The day ended with an onsite happy hour.
Those in attendance expressed great appreciation for the time spent together and hope to organize another gathering in early September. Though the National Gathering will follow in October, the group felt the connections made regionally offer additional benefits and would foster the opportunity to network with familiar faces in Atlanta. NNFS helped to spearhead the event, setting up paid registration and drafting the agenda in collaboration with attendees.
If any region, city or locale would like support to organize a local fiscal sponsorship gathering, please reach out to Polly at NNFS (fiscalsponsors@gmail.com) or call (443) 418-0394.
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