Find Your Flow

A Community for Heart-Led Fundraisers

I’m creating this community because fundraising is hard.

Too many kind and brilliant people burn out. It’s not right and I’ve got a fire lit under me to change it.  

I’m guessing you found your way into fundraising because you care deeply. Because you’re creative, thoughtful, resourceful, and relational. And because you want to make the world a better place. 

You’ve had some success and you’re making it work, but energetically it can feel like you’ve hit a brick wall after running an ultramarathon. There’s JUST so much on your mind and heart. So many high-stakes decisions to hold: 

  • The board chair who insists on launching a new event.

  • The finance meeting where you’re pressed to raise your goal on the spot. 

  • The donor email you’ve put off sending for a good month now, concerned about coming off as entitled or pushy

  • Maybe even questions about whether you can keep doing this. Is there a way to do this that doesn’t feel icky and exhausting?

Ugh. I’ve been there, and I know how hard it can be, especially in a small shop, where you may not have colleagues to turn to. 

A Place of Belonging

This lonely pressure that I have felt is why I want to create a space of belonging for fundraisers.

Belonging to yourself, first and foremost. And then belonging with others who share your values. And belonging in a different paradigm of fundraising – one rooted in humanity, courage, and love.

Because yes, we are here to raise money. And also: how we do it is everything.

The energy we bring matters. The values we lead from matter.

And you – the human being doing the fundraising – you matter, too.

This is the unique lens I bring as a both a professionally trained leadership coach and a career-long fundraiser.

I’m always holding the questions of how we can grow our fundraising whole-heartedly and grow into the fullest expression of ourselves.   

 A Place for Practical Support

Even as I hold these broad questions as a north star, this community will be here to support you very practically. It’ll be a place to bring the urgent questions that don’t always have clean answers:

What do I do when my boss wants me to pressure someone and it feels wrong?

How long do I wait to reach out after a donor’s spouse dies?

Can I really ask for that much? 

Do I stay in this role or do I start searching? 

What do I do when a donor keeps sending mixed signals?

How do I reach out to donors in a way that feels like me? 

These are questions that deserve reflection, conversation, and the wisdom of people who have walked this path before. Plus, in coaching, the chance to discover your own wisdom about them.

A Structure for “Coming Home”

Each month, we’ll gather twice over Zoom, in a setting that I hope will feel like coming home.

Since I believe deeply in embodiment, we’ll always begin with getting present – perhaps with movement or a grounding meditation – and we’ll always close with a check out. Plus group agreements around confidentiality and how we give/receive support will help us in creating a brave space where we can be real.

Coaching Circle  |  60 minutes

This is the place you can bring the messy, human, “I don’t know what to do here” situations. We’ll open with spotlight coaching, where I’ll support one group member in getting underneath the surface of an issue. Then we’ll move into “love seats” where members can share a challenge and hear new perspectives and ideas from the group.

Co-Working Session  |  75 minutes

This is the place where you’ll banish procrastination and get your most pressing donor outreach written. Then after your writing time, you’ll receive just-in-time feedback from me and colleagues who get it. You’ll leave feeling more clarity and courage, ready to hit “send” on your piece.  

Slack Channel

The Slack Channel will be your go-to for accountability support, celebrating wins, sharing resources, asking questions, and giving and receiving support. We’ll post our top three to-do’s for the week on Monday mornings and celebrate our wins and accomplishments on Friday afternoons.

The community might be for you if…

  • You want to raise money in a way that is grounded in relationship and humanity, not “raise the most money no matter what.”

  • You long for a space where you can be real: not polished, not performative, not pretending you have it all figured out.

  • You’re leveraging ChatGPT and other fundraiser forums but you’re not sure if the advice you’re getting there is a fit for you and your organization.

  • You are carrying questions that feel too vulnerable or nuanced to bring to your boss, your board, or a big professional networking space.

  • You find yourself procrastinating on donor outreach and seek the structure and accountability that scheduled time and shared commitments provide.

  • You’re tired of trying to figure it out alone and you want to be in community with others who are practicing a different way.

And yes, I do think of this as a practice…

Despite our best intentions of showing up authentically for this work, we are going to wobble. We are going to fall back into old patterns sometimes. We are going to send the awkward email, make the clunky ask, avoid the thing, overthink the follow-up, and then try again.

That’s okay. This is not about becoming perfect.

It’s about building our balance. Returning to center. Strengthening our courage. Remembering that fundraising is more than just asking – it is care, connection, and empathy in action.

I’m looking for 8-10 founding members who want to help shape this community from the beginning, helping me learn what is most useful, nourishing, and supportive about this space.  

I would ask for a commitment of four months at $47/month – or $188 in total – from September to December 2026. Founding members who choose to continue beyond December will receive preferred pricing in 2027 and beyond. 

If you feel a spark of recognition as you read all this, I heartily invite you to join us! Please fill out this form (button below) by September 1 to let me know you’re interested. We’ll get started after Labor Day.  

An Invitation to the Founding Cohort

Yes! I'm interested!

Need Supervisor Approval?

You’re in luck! I've created a one-page overview specifically for Executive Directors and supervisors. It gives a clear-eyed summary of the community and its tangible benefits. Download the overview PDF here.

What Fellow Fundraisers Say

“When I first stepped into a fundraising role, I had two big questions: ‘How do I do this?’ and ‘Do I even want to?’ 

Vanessa gave me the frameworks, tools, and encouragement I needed to not only figure out the work, but actually grow to love it. Through our sessions, I found the courage to reach out to major donors and I discovered how joyful and validating these conversations could be.

I’m glad to say that fundraising no longer feels like a monumental, solitary effort or a code that I have to break. In fact, I’ve discovered a virtuous cycle where my connection with donors fuels me.”

- George Marschall, Development Officer, Golden Gate Bird Alliance

“Vanessa’s group programs are such unique spaces. They’re great opportunities to be in a room with other fundraisers where you can show up as you are, reflect on your successes and challenges, and get thoughtful feedback on the nuts and bolts of your work. 

The structure is grounding, the community is warm, and Vanessa's feedback is incredibly helpful – both when it’s for your own project and when you're listening to the feedback for others. What a gift to have this kind of supportive group.” 

- Calliope Desenberg, Development Director, Urban Adamah


Frequently Asked
Questions

  • Both. I’ve intentionally designed the community to support fundraisers at many stages. I think newer fundraisers will appreciate the practical guidance and encouragement, while more experienced folks will value having trusted peers to think strategically and share wisdom with. Because everyone brings different experiences, I anticipate folks will learn as much from one another as they do from me.

  • I hope everyone will attend regularly because the relationships deepen over time. That said, I completely understand that vacations, board meetings, donor visits, and family life occasionally get in the way. And that’s ok! At this time, I do not plan to record sessions because I want them to remain a confidential space where people feel comfortable speaking openly.

  • One of my highest priorities is creating a space where fundraisers can speak candidly about their challenges, celebrate their successes, and ask vulnerable questions. In my experience, that level of openness is much easier when people know the conversation stays in the room.

  • Not to worry! My hope is that Find Your Flow becomes a long-term community with opportunities to join throughout the year. If you'd like to hear about the next cohort – most likely beginning in January – simply join the notification list and I'll reach out when enrollment opens again.

  • No, this is just for the four months September to December 2026. It’s an introductory rate that reflects the gift of your partnership in helping me shape the community from the beginning. While membership rates will increase over time, Founding Members who continue will always receive a meaningful discount relative to the current membership price.

  • A little of everything! I’m an experienced coach, facilitator, and consultant, so I bring a powerful set of tools to the table. The common thread in all of our sessions will be helping you move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

  • About 2-3 hours a month.

  • Find Your Flow is designed as a cohort experience rather than a drop-in membership. While I hope you'll continue well beyond the founding cohort, the first four months are intended to help us build trust, relationships, and momentum together. For that reason, I encourage prospective members to join only if they feel they can participate with reasonable consistency.

  • If, after our first session, you think “lovely people, lovely program, but just not what I need now,” simply message me to say so. I'll happily refund your first month's membership.

About Vanessa & Bravely Aligned

In my first Development Director role, I started off as a one-woman shop with a $1 million fundraising goal and I felt completely overwhelmed. While I had a solid seven years of professional fundraising under my belt by then, I also had a wicked case of imposter syndrome and the belief I needed to forge bravely ahead without help. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time spinning my wheels and crying in the parking lot. 

I had the chance to work with two kind and wise consultants during those early years who coached me to trust myself and who connected me with the additional tools and resources I needed. I also put together a small group of fellow fundraisers who would meet up from time to time to provide each other encouragement and advice. Thanks to these supports, I was able to build out a four-person development shop and launch a $15 million capital campaign – success I never could have imagined at the outset. I also mustered my courage to serve as Board Chair of Impact Bay Area, a grassroots nonprofit where I managed an Executive Director transition.   

I became a coach and consultant in 2020 when I formed Bravely Aligned, a practice that helps nonprofit leaders fundraise and lead with courageous authenticity. I facilitate workshops, group programs, and 1:1 engagements that help leaders grow their impact and align their fundraising with values like belonging, joy, and trust. My work is grounded in the belief that fundraising can be an act of love – and that when leaders ground themselves in their purpose and their values, they create the kind of connections that inspire and sustain generosity. 

In terms of credentials, I hold a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from University of San Francisco, I am an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and certified as a coach by both the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). I’m committed to ongoing learning and professional development and to following the codes of ethics established by both AFP and ICF.

I live in San Francisco’s East Bay with my husband and two plucky daughters, who are currently 3 and 5. When I’m not working, you can find me writing poems, making chocolate chip pancakes, or camping on Mount Diablo.