A Minute With Amber Fowler, Executive Director, Northwest Burn Foundation

AF: Business partnerships are definitely not a new concept to the nonprofit sector. However, we made a deeply concerted effort to join forces with the business sector for our 2012 8th Annual Golf Classic this past June. The Golf Classic was a huge success after having opted to partner with the local chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. Both of our organizations were enthusiastic about collaborating on our annual golf event because it reinvigorated both our player bases, allowing our like-minded fire protection industry leaders/donors to conduct business on the golf course while still raising valuable funds for the Northwest Burn Foundation. With a sold-out field of 144 golfers, a vast array of sponsors for the event and each of the 18 holes, both our organizations are looking forward to the June 2013 event!

FS: Any major difficulties or setbacks as far as fundraising is concerned?

AF: As a 30-year-old nonprofit, in the past, we have grown very comfortable with routinely returning to the same well, as it were, to seek financial support in our annual fundraising efforts. Obviously, this did not [allow] for a long-term strategic plan, and now, we are playing catch-up to enhance our online giving efforts, improving our website presence and generally looking to social media to further expand our online presence.

FS: What is the organization's fundraising philosophy?

AF: We are working diligently to become a true donor-centric organization, one that encourages donor involvement and support, which is then evidenced by the value and larger impact we have through our program services in the five states we serve.

Dane Grams is director of nonprofit services at Care2 and co-chair of the FundRaising Success Editorial Advisory Board. Reach him at daneg@care2.com