Hear why this Dutch fundraising consultant attends Summer School every year
- Jun 14 2018
"Summer School is a chance to bring new, actionable insights back to the office"
That’s just one of the reasons why fundraisers like Reinier Spruit return to Summer School year on year. Having joined us as a delegate in both 2016 and 2017, he’s coming back to Dublin for the third time on 12 and 13 July.
Based in the Netherlands, Reiner runs a one-man fundraising consultancy which specialises in interim management and advice, with a focus on individual giving. He’s also founder of the crowdsourced fundraising blog 101fundraising.org
We caught up with him to find out what it is about Summer School that keeps him coming back for more.
Q1. Why did you choose Summer School over other conferences you've attended?
Summer School always has an excellent line-up of speakers. And also important: compared to other conferences with international speakers it is a very affordable conference. Do I need to add the great location as a benefit?
Q2. Is there a particular session you are looking forward to?
I'm expecting a lot from Stephen George's session about fundraising leadership. I work a lot with Fundraising Directors myself and I'm keen on a taking away new insights or ways to inspire and influence non-profit leadership. But there are many other smart fundraisers presenting like Craig Linton, Derek Humphries, Jeff Brooks and Mark Phillips.
Q3. Are there are particular fundraising challenges that you are hoping to discuss and find solutions to at this year's Summer School?
The (Dutch) sector is showing signs of shifting towards a more donor-focused type of fundraising. A great development. But we're not there yet. We're always looking for new examples to convince fundraisers to actually start doing it.
Q4. What are you hoping to get from Summer School this year?
I'm hoping the Dutch delegation is bigger than last year, I'm hoping to meet some new friends and catch up with lots of old friends. But above all I hope to get 5-10 actionable insights that I can use in my work. Knowing what I came back with the last two years, that should not be very difficult! Looking forward to it!
We’re looking forward to seeing Reinier again too!
But what about you? Will you be joining Reinier at Summer School this year?