r/education • u/mominnva • 18d ago

Careers in Education Educational Fundraising Conferences

I’m looking to learn more about fundraising in the educational sector. I participated in some conferences/webinars at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education(CASE), but they were terrible, and I was mad at myself for spending so much money on them. They charge a fortune for their events, and mostly its speakers who were just there for self-promotion. And then when you even ask for where you can sit down to have their little continental breakfast, they tell you with an attitude it’s standing room only. Can anyone recommend any resources that they found really helpful in pursuing a career in fundraising in the educational sector and that won’t break the bank for someone that doesn’t have a company or organization paying for it (and with people who can at least pretend to be caring). Thank you!

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u/Accomplished_Code687 18d ago

CASE really has perfected the art of charging you premium prices for the privilege of standing in a hallway eating a stale croissant while someone pitches their consulting firm

I went down a similar path a couple years back and honestly got more out of a few niche LinkedIn groups and some free webinars from smaller foundations than any of those big name events. The recorded sessions from the AFP library are solid if you can get a temporary membership, they're not education specific but the principles carry over pretty well

What level of education are you focused on? The approach for K-12 vs higher ed is different enough that it changes which resources are worth your time

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u/mominnva 18d ago

I will check out the AFP library! Thanks for the recommendation! I’m more focused on the college sector, but I would be open to opportunities in k-12 too.