If you missed us at the Chesapeake Watershed Forum this Fall, we wanted to share a recording of our conference talk with you!

In 2000, the Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) started small, with just one part-time staff member. They successfully followed the traditional model of raising money first from their board, then from board friends, then reaching out to solicit memberships, and finally expanding to events and grants.

But times have changed, and today PRKN is working for a new mix of funding sources to ensure their sustainability.

And simultaneously, organizations from underserved communities have found completely new models of building sustainable fundraising.

In this recording, Emily Franc, PRKN’s former Vice President of Development & Philanthropy, shares the organization’s journey, from early direct mail campaigns to the creation of the large-scale summer festival, Riverpalooza. And WaterGrass Founder, Baird Straughan, compares PRKN’s experience to other organizations and assesses how fundraising models are changing today.