First off, I'm thrilled to share my conversation with Christina Daniel-McKee, the Executive Director of Koochiching County Food Access (KCFA), a hunger relief organization that operates the primary food shelf for Koochiching County in Northern Minnesota. Facing increased demand for services as well as increased food prices for the organization, Christina was motivated to apply for Campaign Institute after recognizing that investing in individual fundraising was a necessary path forward in KCFA’s financial stability and long-term success in providing food for the organization’s community. I spoke with her about her time with RaiseMN, her advice to anyone looking to join Campaign Institute, and her hopes for the future of fundraising. Enjoy!
GiveMN: As a small organization, what are some of the challenges you face when it comes to fundraising? What are some joys or successes you find?
Christina Daniel-McKee: The largest challenges I have experienced when it comes to fundraising are time and capacity. We have seen our food shelf visits double over the last year and a half, and it can be easy to get stuck in the crisis of working to meet a seemingly unending need. The great joy of my experience fundraising so far is the amazing amount of community support our food shelf receives. From monetary donations to large food drives to someone bringing a few cans of food, our food shelf is the recipient of abundant support that points in an encouraging direction as we try to take our fundraising efforts to the next level.
GM: What is your favorite memory of Campaign Institute and/or favorite piece of information you learned?
CDK: My favorite part of the Campaign Institute was working with Coach Cat. Cat helped our organization think critically about what it means to “right size” our work, and through the program, we were able to work towards a fundraising plan that would support a reasonable and sustainable organizational structure.
GM: How has being part of Campaign Institute impacted your fundraising confidence or knowledge?
CDK: The Campaign Institute greatly increased my fundraising confidence. Until I took on the position of Director for KCFA, I had avoided the arena of fundraising, but this program was presented in a generous and accessible way that made me not only lose my fear of fundraising but also made me excited about the potential for community-based fundraising in the future. (Learn more about community-centric fundraising principles here).
GM: Has your organization made any tangible changes or progress as a result of coaching?
CDK: Yes! Coming out of the program, I have strongly advocated to my board that we hire a dedicated staff member to take on some of the fundraising responsibilities, especially when it comes to cultivating and stewarding our local donor base. I believe that if we put the right amount of time and effort into building relationships with local donors, we will only continue to become more sustainable.
GM: What would you say to someone who is interested in but nervous about joining Campaign Institute?
CDK: Do it! I had absolutely zero experience in fundraising prior to the Campaign Institute, and I found the program to be open, fun, and generous, meeting the unique needs of where our organization was at in our fundraising journey.
GM: What are your hopes and dreams for the future of fundraising and fundraising education, if any?
CDK: I hope that every small, rural non-profit in Minnesota can someday access critical skill-building programs such as the Campaign Institute, especially food shelves like ours that rely so heavily on individual donations. More broadly, I hope that the principles and techniques of fundraising and financial leadership offered by such programs can continue to be democratized to all rural and isolated areas of the state.
GM: Is there anything that I didn’t ask you that you would like to share?
CDK: Thank you, everyone, for facilitating this program. Thank you to Cat for her patience and skill in working with our organization. Thank you for investing in rural Minnesota.
Thank you, Christina, for so generously sharing your experience in Campaign Institute with us! Find out more about KCFA here.
And, if getting to know more about the Campaign Institute cohort piqued your interest, keep an eye out for the 2025 cohort applications!