St. Johns County Chamber Celebrates Florida Nonprofits – Your MGRU Scholarship Is Enclosed

St. Johns County Chamber has a history of success and community pride. In that spirit, St. John’s County Chamber of Commerce is elevating their legacy by bringing a two-day, high-impact event that unites business and nonprofit leaders around a single idea: when charitable organizations grow together, everyone wins.

This event will be held February 3-4, 2026 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm at the Fullerwood Training Center. Chamber of Commerce members will attend on a full organizational scholarship.

Major Gifts Ramp-Up Florida
Fullerwood Training Center
10 Hildreth Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32084
February 3-4, 2026
9am-4:00pm (Both Days)
Happy Hour (5pm)

Inside Your St. Augustine MGRU Conference Experience

At the heart of this partnership is the conference itself—a high-energy, tightly facilitated, two-day training that blends humor with inspiration. The format is engaging, interactive, and results-driven. Attendees leave motivated, connected, and ready to make real change happen—right here in St. John’s County.

Here’s just a few of the BIG IDEAS we’ll cover during your 2-Day event in St. Augustine:

• RE-IMAGINING PHILANTHROPY There are no rules here! We’re trying to accomplish something.
• FEASIBILITY STUDIES DON’T WORK Feasibility Studies are a consulting racket. Stop paying into the scam.
• OVERHEAD, ALLOCATION & CASE FOR SUPPORT Nonprofits don’t spend enough money on overhead and suffer because of it.
• BOARDS, BOARDS, BOARDS – NEW ROLES THAT WORK There is one thing all boards have in common…they do not function.
• STOP REQUIRING YOUR BOARD TO FUND RAISE Its’ never worked. It never will. Learn a new way to receive big gifts.
• GREAT LEADERS AREN’T MANAGED BY COMMITTEE Make your Executive Director the Board Chair (It’s OK…she already is!).
• MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP MODEL Donors are more important than clients, causes or people.
• SOLICITING & THE MAJOR GIFTS RAMP-UP MODEL How to properly invite donors to invest in capacity-building.
• CASE…IT’S THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS Money chases after great dreams and sound plans.
• INSTITUTIONAL CASE vs. PROJECT CASE It’s less about who you are…it’s more about…what you’re going to do.
• THE REAL REASONS DONORS GIVE Donor Motivation Matrix (LaRose) vs. Reasons Donors Give (Panas).
• THE THREE-PART ASK…RECEIVING THREE GIFTS AT ONCE Annual Fund, One-Time Projects & Endowment.

How Nonprofits Win: Tools, Training, and Transformation

For local nonprofits, the MGRU conference is more than an event—it’s a turning point.

Over two days, nonprofit professionals learn how to secure the resources their missions need, using a 13-step system that’s been proven across the nation to raise millions in new gifts.

They leave equipped to:

• Identify and engage major donors effectively.
• Communicate measurable community impact.
• Design campaigns that fund programs, facilities, and endowments.
• Strengthen their internal operations and staff retention.

MGRU’s hands-on approach gives nonprofits not just strategies, but confidence. They gain the financial capacity to serve more people, pay competitive wages, and sustain their work long after the conference concludes.

For the St. Johns Chamber, that means stronger nonprofit members, richer community engagement, and a county where generosity meets growth.

St. Johns County Chamber – A Legacy of Nonprofit Collaboration

When the St. John’s County Chamber partners with local nonprofits and co-hosts an MGRU conference, it sends a clear signal: this is a community that believes in partnership over competition, purpose alongside profit. The Chamber gains members, prestige, and influence. Nonprofits gain capacity, stability, and hope.

The ripple effects are unmistakable: a stronger economy, a more connected county, and a culture of generosity that defines who we are.

St. John’s County is already known for its beauty, history, and entrepreneurial spirit. With the Chamber–MGRU partnership, it can also become known as a model for how communities prosper when every sector pulls together.

Because when business and purpose unite, everyone wins—and St. John’s County Chamber of Commerce leads the way.

St. Johns County Chamber Celebrates Florida Nonprofits was first posted at INSIDE CHARITY

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About the Author:

Joanne Oppelt, CNE, CDE, CNC, is a nonprofit management consultant, author, and trainer with more than 30 years of experience in organizational leadership, fundraising, and community development. She serves as CEO of Feel the Vibe, a national initiative dedicated to deep listening and authentic connection, a faculty member at the National Development Institute, and a senior counselor with Major Gifts Ramp-Up (MGRU). Joanne specializes in building cross-sector partnerships that align social impact with sustainable growth.