San Antonio Nonprofits Rally for Major Gifts Ramp-Up

San Antonio Nonprofits Rally for Major Gifts Ramp-Up is fundraising veteran Jim Eskin’s take on a July 2025 conference event that’s taking the River City by storm! Here’s what Eskin has to share:

When Louis Fawcett first reached out about organizing a Major Gifts Ramp-Up (MGRU) conference in San Antonio, we jumped at the idea. When he shared that Bexar County has 19,451 millionaire households with a net worth of $10,000,000 plus we said “We’ve got to do this!”

Sure, there are plenty of conferences that claim to be game changers in the resource development arena. But MGRU has a proven track record of impact that can’t be matched. More than 20,000 nonprofit leaders from organizations of all different sizes, missions and parts of the country have attended a Major Gifts Ramp-Up Events!

Here’s what nonprofit leaders from across the nation have to say about MGRU Events:

VISIT HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP SAN ANTONIO

This is a time of profound challenges in the social sector and the need to join together couldn’t be more pressing. Let’s set the stage:

• Clouds of uncertainty loom over government funding.
• Societal needs aren’t going away, if anything they’re escalating.
• Stock market and world trade conditions are volatile.

In an ever-evolving landscape of challenges and opportunities, this spirit has emerged as a powerful strategy for maximizing impact and addressing complex social issues. Rather than fighting for slices of the pie, let’s bake bigger pies.

The surest path to capacity building and operating in the most effective and efficient way possible is through an unstinting commitment to education and continuous process improvement in an increasingly complex and ever-changing world.

San Antonio Nonprofits Rally for Major Gifts Ramp-Up

Organizing a San Antonio conference for July 23-24, 2025 has been one of the most satisfying experiences of my fundraising career. Jim Eskin, Eskin Fundraising Training

Especially gratifying is the profound way it has brought together and unified the region to join hands to drive greater social change.

In short order, Association of Fundraising Professionals – San Antonio, The Nonprofit Council and Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce signed on to enthusiastically promote participation among their respective memberships. Registration grew so quickly we were forced to scamper for venues to accommodate such a large audience composed of more than 100 professional and volunteer nonprofit leaders.

We landed at Mexican American Catholic College (3115 West Ashby Place, Alfaro Hall) that has gone the extra mile and then some to accommodate all our needs.

VISIT HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP SAN ANTONIO

Eskin Fundraising Training has long embraced the power of a “learning community” — both in-person and virtually — in which everyone has wisdom, experience and personal insights to contribute.

The learning community spirit will be in full force to enrich the conference. Led by MGRU faculty who base their presentations on research and data, sound strategies and proven best practices, San Antonio nonprofit leaders will be equipped to elevate resource development operations to the next level.

The conference theme recognizes that more and more resource development success depends on obtaining major gifts. An estimated 90% of American philanthropy’s vast $557 billion annual enterprise comes from just 10% of the donors. The curriculum specifically targets the discovery, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of major gifts of 5-, 6- and 7-figure amounts that unlock exciting opportunities and open doors to transformational possibilities.

Association of Fundraising Professionals – San Antonio chapter, active since 1984, has been a focal point for professional development and advancing excellence for practitioners at all stages of their careers. “This conference strikes at the very heart of why we exist — to learn, grow and become more productive in pursuit of lifelong learning and lifelong sharing,” commented Cindy Sullivan, AFP Chapter President

“We exist for three reasons: to support, connect and strengthen leaders of the vibrant nonprofit community of South Central Texas,” stated Scott McAninch, CEO, The Nonprofit Council, which was launched in 2003. “Over and over again, our members identify boosting funding as their highest priority. This conference is precisely what they’re looking for.” Since 2014, The Nonprofit Council has been proud to present Big Give — a 24-hour online giving day that helps connect South Central Texas nonprofits with existing and new donors raising over $50 million from hundreds of thousands individual donors.

Since 1894, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, along with the support and contributions of its diverse membership, has been propelling business success and impacting San Antonio’s military installations, infrastructure, economic development, workforce, and more. “The formation of a nonprofit Ambassadors entity is the newest addition to the organizational structure,” commented Marcy Andrade, Chair, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Charities Committee. “We have a growing number of nonprofit members and businesses that partner with nonprofits. This conference is taking place at a perfect time for us.”

There are approximately 2,000 registered 501(c)(3) organizations in the San Antonio area. Like the national pattern, the vast majority have modest annual budgets, less than $1 million.

Though the conference is focusing on San Antonio, nonprofit leaders have registered from throughout Texas including the Houston, Dallas, Corpus Christi and Hill Country markets.

We might not have the greatest number of high wealth individuals or headquarters of Fortune 500 companies, but San Antonians are well known for their big hearts and profound sense of caring and sharing. This conference represents a unique opportunity for nonprofits to do what they do best — through gifts of time, talent and treasure — aim and reach higher and higher to achieve a brighter, stronger and more socially just future for everyone.

Due to the extraordinary collaboration of partners, the conference quickly achieved its capacity goal. To explore securing one of the few remaining registration openings VISIT HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP SAN ANTONIO

Jim Eskin
Founder
Eskin Fundraising Training
10410 Pelican Oak Drive
San Antonio, TX 78254-6727
Cell: 210.415.3748
E-Mail: [email protected]
www.eskinfundraisingtraining.com