Are you ready to continue making a positive impact on public lands and the visitor experience? Are you prepared to shift from federal employment managing public lands and creating amazing visitor experiences to a career in the nonprofit sector working for a park partner, park foundation, friends group, conservancy, environmental, conservation, sustainability, and/or outdoor-related nonprofit organization? Is the lack of fundraising skills and experience limiting your opportunities for that next career step?
Do you want to learn more about the art and science of professional fundraising within the context of public lands philanthropy?
If so, register now for this 9-week exclusive online course, specifically designed as a cohort learning community made up entirely of former federal employees of public land management agencies.
This course will teach you the art & science of fundraising for nonprofit organizations that philanthropically support local, state, and federal public lands and recreation agencies, such as park foundations, friends groups, conservancies, associations, societies, cooperative partners, educational institutes, natural history associations, etc. Enrollment is limited to 15 course participants!
Course Overview:
Course Structure:
This course is a hybrid online course that combines synchronous and asynchronous learning. The synchronous learning includes weekly Live Sessions on Zoom, as well as optional Virtual Office Hours twice a week on Zoom. The asynchronous component of the course includes weekly modules that run from Wednesday to Tuesday on a learning management system that includes text, articles, and video training.
Asynchronous Online Modules:
Nine modules over 9 weeks running from Wednesday to Tuesday.
Wednesdays:
Weekly Modules are launched!
Thursdays:
Live Sessions on Zoom (3:00 PM ET – 5:00 PM ET). Note: Live sessions are recorded and posted in the learning management system in case you cannot participate live.
Fridays:
Optional Virtual Office Hours (4:00 PM ET – 5:00 PM ET)
Saturdays:
Asynchronous work via online modules and project progress
Sundays:
Asynchronous work via online modules and project progress
Mondays:
Optional Virtual Office Hours (4:00 PM ET – 5:00 PM ET)
Tuesdays:
Projects submitted to learning management system
Course Content:
Governance, board engagement, board giving, fundraising committees, financial policies, communicating impact through case statements and case expressions, stewardship, fundraising ethics, government oversight, giving trends, prospect research, donor management systems, philanthropic psychology for donor recruitment and retention, gift acknowledgement, and annual fundraising planning for unrestricted funds from individual donors using a multi-channel approach.
Course Schedule:
• 10/1/25 – 10/7/25: Module 0 - Welcome to the Course & Getting Prepared
• 10/8/25 – 10/14/25: Module 1 - Building Relationships & Communicating Impact Ethically
• 10/15/25 – 10/21/25: Module 2 - Comprehensive Case Statements & Case Expressions
• 10/22/25 – 10/28/25: Module 3 - Giving Trends
• 10/29/25 – 11/4/25: Module 4 - Philanthropic Psychology, Donor Acquisition, Donor Acknowledgment, Donor Retention, & Donor Renewal
• 11/5/25 – 11/11/25: Module 5 - Annual Fundraising Campaign Planning & Donor Management Systems
• 11/12/25 – 11/18/25: Module 6 - Annual Fundraising Campaign Strategies
• 11/19/25 – 11/25/25: Module 7 - Prospect Research
• 11/26/25 – 12/2/25: Module 8 - Course Evaluation & Continued Education
Assessment
Community:
This course is formatted as a cohort learning community comprised of only former federal employees of public land management agencies that are shifting their careers to the nonprofit sector in park partner, environmental, conservation, sustainability, and outdoor-related nonprofit organizations.
Connection:
Opportunities to meet and network with, as well as learn from, the other course participants and the instructor in the Live Sessions and Virtual Office Hours will be provided on a weekly basis as we work through the course content as a learning community.
Career Coaching:
Opportunities for one-on-one career coaching with the course instructor will also be available. An emphasis will be placed on illustrating course participants’ fundraising experiences on LinkedIn and resumes.
Projects:
Course participants will work with a real nonprofit park partner organization of their choice (upon the organization’s approval and the instructor’s advisement) as a volunteer Development Associate. As the organization’s Development Associate, the course participant will complete projects (i.e., assignments) to build the organization’s fundraising infrastructure. If a course participant is not affiliated with a park partner organization, the online course instructor will leverage his network to place the course participant with a nonprofit park partner as a Development Associate.
Commitment:
This course is similar to a college-level class and requires approximately 9 to 10 hours per week:
• 3 – 4 hours of asynchronous work: Reading articles and watching videos.
• 2 hours: Synchronous live sessions on Zoom.
• 3 hours: Project work.
• 0.5 – 1 hour: Virtual office hours with the instructor.
This course is formatted to explore a single “narrow and deep” course topic, annual fundraising, as opposed to having a national conference experience where you receive a smattering of content that is "wide and shallow" on 15 to 20 different topics. Both are good learning experiences, but they are different!
What You Will Gain
• In-Depth Knowledge: Delve into critical areas of fundraising, excluding grant seeking and special event fundraising.
• Hands-On Experience: Develop a Comprehensive Fundraising Case Statement, an Annual Fund Plan, and Direct Mail & Email Letters using Philanthropic Psychology. Learn how to launch a Resource Development/Fundraising Committee and select a donor management system. You'll leave this course with the products you need to actually launch an annual fundraising campaign for a park partner organization!
• Personalized Feedback: One-on-one Zoom meetings with the instructor and prompt email support.
• Community Building: Join the exclusive NAPF Development Network on LinkedIn or other Networking Groups for ongoing support and connections.
• Continued Education Units (CEUs): Course participants that successfully complete the course will receive 30 hours of continuing education documented as 3.0 CEUs via the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, as well as receive a Certificate of Completion.
• Credit for Prior Learning: Course participants may receive 3 credit hours via Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) at the undergraduate or graduate levels from Indiana State University for RCSM-483/583: Fundamentals of Fundraising, as Dr. Nathan is not only the Chief Consultant to NAPF, but also is an Associate Professor and Program Director at Indiana State University in the Department of Political Science where he directs both the Nonprofit Leadership Program and the Public Lands & Recreation Administration Program. NAPF and Indiana State University have been building a seamless transition or "ladder of professional development & higher education" from
NAPF training to Indiana State University credit towards degrees!
Pricing
This course offers exceptional value compared to the cost of attending a national conference. You'll leave with actionable plans and tangible products to launch an annual fundraising campaign for a park partner organization.
• Early Bird Rate: $1,499.00 (by 9/15/25)
• Regular Rate: $1,799.00 (after 9/15/25)
About the NAPF
Dr. Nathan likes to say that “the National Association of Park Foundations is the Public Lands Alliance for nonprofit park partners that support local, city, county, and township parks and recreation departments and park districts.”
The National Association of Park Foundations is the trusted national leader in providing knowledge, skills and capacity to local park foundations, volunteers and other citizens who work to enhance and strengthen park systems in their communities.
The National Association of Park Foundation's vision is to build effective, active, local park foundations, volunteers and other citizens that support their park systems to enhance the park experience in their communities.
Ready to Elevate Your Fundraising Skills?
Please complete the form below, or email NAPF Executive Director Kevin D. Korenthal, CAE at execdir@the-napf.org to inquire about and/or secure your seat today.
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain expert insights, connect with peers, and apply practical solutions to your organization’s challenges. Enrollment is limited to 15 course participants!
