"One river gives
Its journey to the next . . ."
Our company name is inspired by the Alberto Ríos poem When Giving Is All We Have because we believe that giving and generosity have the power to change the world.
We believe in it because we've seen time and time again what happens when fundraisers like you are able to connect with communities and inspire generous, caring people to be a part of your mission.
We've also seen firsthand just how powerful fundraising can be when it's less stressful and a little bit easier.
That's why we envision a world where the power of generosity can make real, lasting change for the better. And why our mission is to help fundraisers enable and empower generosity - and make it easier to for you to do.
What We Value
EXPERIENCE
With over 30 years of direct fundraising experience we've just about seen it all. We've celebrated incredible success and learned from embarrassing failures and we bring all of that experience into our work with you.
LEARNING
We’re not the types to say “This is the way we’ve always done it”, so we’re constantly digging into and testing current trends, research, and innovations to inform our service and our work.
CURIOSITY
"Hey, what would happen if ..." We like poking at things to see what makes them work and see if we can’t do it better. Plus whatever's just around the corner might be really neat and interesting!
POSSIBILTY
We're wide-eyed, goofy, true believer optimists. We really do believe in the power of what could be and that working towards potential is the greatest journey we could be on.
PURPOSE
Finding the purpose and the meaning behind every action, discovering and living by our own 'Why' and the 'Why' of every mission we serve is what gets us out of bed in the morning and keeps us going all day.
HUMOR
We take our work and the trust placed in us very seriously – we just find that finding joy and laughing along the way makes any load lighter. We like solving problems and chasing after potential – and we intend to have some fun while we’re doing it.
Trusted Partners
T. Clay Buck, CFRE
Founder & Principal
I’ve been in fundraising for over thirty years and have struggled with the same challenges you have – outdated systems, bad data, and goals that seem insurmountable. Like you, I knew I couldn’t do it all alone, but I could never access – or afford! – the high-quality, experienced help and counsel I needed.
That’s precisely why I created Next River Fundraising Strategies.
My experience comes from holding just about every position in fundraising, from Development Coordinator to Chief Development Officer in organizations of all sizes. I am a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), have a certificate in Philanthropic Psychology, and am certified Trainer and Coach. I’ve worked on annual funds, capital and endowment campaigns, and in database management, wealth intelligence and prospect development.
I’ve seen firsthand what can happen when fundraising isn’t so hard and stressful – and I’d really like to help you build that. Because I know it works.
THE PODCAST
Fundraising Is Funny Podcast
Let’s face it, fundraising is funny. In the #1 ranked nonprofit podcast, Lynne Wester and Clay Buck take a look at some of the ridiculous things we all deal with on a regular basis. We laugh about it and take a moment to say, “See? It’s not just you!”
And then we talk about how we can fix it. Our goal is to demonstrate that laughter can be an effective way to learn and that the power of generosity can truly change the world.
Laughter through tears is our favorite emotion. Because . . . . c’mon . . . Fundraising is FUNNY.
Visit www.fundraisingisfunny.com to learn more or share your stories. Subscribe wherever you get your favorite podcasts