Written by Anne Poarch, Director of Advancement

In July, I attended the Virginia Fund Raising Institute (VFRI) in Williamsburg, Virginia, joining development and nonprofit professionals from across the state for three days of learning, conversation, and reflection.

I went expecting to come home with new fundraising strategies — and I certainly did. What I appreciated though was how the sessions reflected the broad work of advancement, from donor discovery and corporate partnerships to planned giving, leadership, and working with the media.

As different as those topics were, I noticed how often they came back to the same thing: relationships.

Lead with Curiosity

One of my first sessions, led by James Wasilewski of Virginia Commonwealth University, focused on donor discovery and a deceptively simple skill: curiosity.

Good donor conversations aren’t about asking a perfect list of prepared questions. They’re about listening closely enough to recognize what matters to someone and being curious enough to learn more.

This particularly resonated because we’re beginning a donor interview initiative at Capital Trees to better understand why people choose to support our work, what keeps them connected, and what distinguishes Capital Trees from the many organizations worthy of their support. The conversations themselves may be every bit as valuable as what we ultimately learn from them.

While important, listening is only one side of the relationship with donors. We also have a responsibility to share how their support is being put to work and help donors see the meaningful impact they are making possible.

From Sponsorship to Partnership

Another timely session explored corporate social responsibility and the difference between securing corporate support and building a true partnership.

At Capital Trees, we’re already thinking intentionally about this distinction. A company may connect with us through a financial contribution, by facilitating a volunteer workday for their employees, or another point of engagement. From there, the relationship can grow through additional volunteering opportunities, educational programs, employee engagement, or introductions to others who also care about our work.

It’s about understanding what matters to a company and its employees and finding where their goals and our mission genuinely intersect.

Invitation and Connection

Perhaps the idea that tied the conference together for me most was the concept of invitation.

Development isn’t simply about asking someone to give time or financial support. At its best, it’s about inviting people to participate in work they care about in a meaningful way. 

At Capital Trees, there are so many ways to connect with our work, from walking through the Low Line or volunteering in a greenspace to attending a program or supporting a project. Part of our role is helping people see how those experiences connect to our larger effort to create and sustain Richmond’s public greenspaces.

The final session I attended, led by Lindsey Franklin and Kelsey Hawisher-Faul of Richmond Hill, invited us to consider fundraising as a practice rooted in gratitude, invitation, and courage. For someone whose work is about connecting people with an organization dedicated to transforming people and places through nature, that felt like a fitting place to end.

Bringing It Back to Capital Trees

I returned from VFRI with pages of notes and plenty of ideas, but also with an encouraging realization: many of the things we’re already exploring at Capital Trees align with what I heard throughout the conference.

That includes how we tell our story. A session on working with the media, moderated by Amy Lacey from CBS6, was especially relevant as we think about our growing visibility. Since our 15th anniversary in 2025, we’ve been intentional about moving beyond being one of Richmond’s “best-kept secrets” and more fully establishing Capital Trees as the leader in creating and caring for Richmond’s public greenspaces.

Greater visibility isn’t simply about being better known. Because this work matters, more people need to know about it. We want our community to understand the role public greenspaces play in the health and vitality of our city. That means telling our story through traditional media, but also equipping our staff, donors, volunteers, partners, and other champions to share about the impact of our work.

We’re working to better understand the people who support us, communicate the impact they make possible, deepen corporate relationships, and create even more meaningful ways for people to engage with our mission.

Perhaps my biggest takeaway was a reaffirmation of something simple:

Our work begins with people.

When we lead with curiosity, listen well, share our impact, and invite people to take part in something that matters, we do more than raise financial support. We build a community of people who care about and want to participate in creating a greener, healthier, more beautiful Richmond.