About Rural Philanthropy Days

Grow Partnerships and Harvest Success

Our theme, “Grow Partnerships and Harvest Success,” captures the essence of Rural Philanthropy Days (RPD), a three-day conference that is a program of the Community Resource Center. The conference brings together nonprofit organizations from Archuleta, Dolores, La Plata, Montezuma and San Juan counties with funding agencies from the Front Range area.

It’s all about getting to know who does what and who will fund what you do in Southwest Colorado. The funders who support and attend Rural Philanthropy Days have invested millions of dollars in rural Colorado, through thousands of grants made to rural nonprofits.

Similar conferences are scheduled in seven other rural regions throughout the state, and each region hosts a conference every four years. The Southwest region last hosted a conference in 2006.

Because the majority of Colorado’s private foundations and public-funding organizations have headquarters on the Front Range, they may not be as familiar with the challenges that rural communities face. Rural Philanthropy Days gives them the opportunity to experience and learn about Southwest Colorado’s rural communities, their cultures, and nonprofit organizations through interaction with local agency staff, residents, and community leaders.  In turn, local organizations and agencies meet funders to develop mutually beneficial relationships.

During a typical conference, funders from Denver and Colorado Springs travel to a rural region for three days of activities, including informal social gatherings, panel presentations and discussions, and a series of roundtable meetings during which funders and grant seekers have the opportunity to exchange information and search for a funding fit in a more formal setting.

More than 300 non-profit agency representatives are expected to attend along with approximately 50 foundations, state agencies and other funders from the Front Range. All activities will be held in Mancos to emphasize the unique characteristics of rural communities in Southwest Colorado.

The conference includes workshops covering everything from leadership and board development to marketing and branding to fund-raising. Representatives from the state’s leading foundations are expected to lead some of the work sessions. The conference also includes opportunities for nonprofits to network with other nonprofits as well as a Friday morning round-table session during which local organizations meet one-on-one with Front Range grant-makers.

Rural Philanthropy Days conferences are designed to accomplish the following:

• Increase the organizational capacity of local nonprofits and agencies. The conference provides professional development trainings and workshops, many of which are led by Colorado’s top foundation leaders. You’ll also have an opportunity to take advantage of technical assistance offered by conference participants.

• Increase the number of grants and total dollar amount of grants going to rural Colorado. You’ll build fund-raising skills and the confidence to ask for larger donations and grants, and you’ll have an opportunity to meet face-to-face with Front Range grant-makers. Building a relationship is the first step toward improved funding.

• Offer grantmakers an opportunity to build relationships and to create funding opportunities. If you’re a grant-maker, you’ll learn about the region’s culture, history, and pressing issues that will give you the context for the grants you award in the region. It will help you make well-informed decisions about expanding your regional giving for maximum impact.

• Improve regional collaboration between nonprofits and public entities. As a nonprofit organization, you’ll have an opportunity to demonstrate your nonprofit community’s importance to local elected officials, community and business leaders. You’ll also have an opportunity to build relationships and potential collaborations with organizations across county lines to build more effective and efficient regional programs.

• Build relationships and facilitate networking between nonprofit professionals. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to discuss your community’s issues, challenges, and successes with your nonprofit peers, allowing you to develop relationships across county and geographic boundaries.

So join us for Rural Philanthropy Days, Grow YOUR Partnerships, and Harvest Success!

"Rural Philanthropy Days is the state's premiere opportunity for public agencies and nonprofit organizations to learn about the resources available to them in their own state. It also gives Colorado grantmakers an opportunity to learn more about the unique needs of rural areas beyond the Front Range. Every time we host RPD here, Southwest Colorado nonprofits generate millions of dollars in new grant support for their communities."  - Deanna Devereaux, RPD Conference Coordinator and Community Volunteer

The Rural Philanthropy Days Program: History and Impact