From Summit Dreams to Sustainable Revenue: How the Alpine Club of Canada Transformed Fundraising
The Alpine Club of Canada is a nonprofit organization established in 1906 to promote mountaineering, foster a sense of adventure, and advocate for the protection of the alpine environment. Executive Director Carine Salvy registered for the RAP course to better structure the club’s approach to fund development. Today, she has the tools, confidence, and strategies to face fundraising head-on.
A challenging responsibility
Fundraising is essential for the Alpine Club of Canada and a new skill for Carine Salvy. The sensitive conversations around making the ask, the accountability from the rest of the organization, and the processes around fundraising were all part of a complex and challenging responsibility.
Being in a leadership position, however, the executive director felt the pressure of needing to take ownership of fundraising and wanted to be able to grab the bull by the horns, but wasn’t sure where to start. After spending the money on unsuccessful grants and one-off consulting experiences in the past, Carine knew there had to be a better way. That’s when she made the decision to invest in fundraising education for the organization by enrolling in the Revenue Accelerator Program for Executive Directors with KEA Learning.
The choice was easy, as the RAP was a single investment in education to generate profitability over time. Being able to internalize fundraising as a skill rather than outsource on an ongoing basis was the sustainable solution she was looking for. Carine knew of KEA founder Kathy Arney’s knowledge and expertise in the fundraising field and was excited to learn from her.
“Fundraising is a comprehensive task and it’s difficult to know where to start. When Kathy was launching this program it felt as though finally there was a structured method to approach it.” ~ Carine Salvy
A new way of thinking
During the program, Carine began thinking differently about fundraising — particularly donor management. She was given the time and space to consider different donors and how to nurture their individual relationships, and to gain a deeper understanding of the nuances and subtleties of donor relationships.
Carine quickly began to experience a transformation, becoming more familiar and comfortable with donor conversations. At the same time, she found herself in a network of peers who were aligned by similar goals, which made for a safe, supportive environment to learn and explore.
“It’s very rewarding because, pretty much from day one of the course, there is a shift in mindset when talking to donors. You can see how they start to hear you out, give you more time, and appreciate your work.” ~ Carine Salvy
Seeing the possibilities
Today, Carine is more confident launching a fundraising strategy; she sees the possibilities. The executive director has come away with the tools, ideas and confidence to face the challenges of revenue generation head-on at every step of the fundraising process. The course helped Carine look not only at big-picture strategy but also at the nuts and bolts of implementation. Being able to translate an idea into an action plan has been invaluable.
“Kathy is very experienced and clearly has so much knowledge, which gave me a lot of trust and confidence in the program. Nothing is off limits, you can speak your mind and she welcomes that and makes it a really comfortable, supportive environment.” ~ Carine Salvy
About Carine Salvy
Carine Salvy has been the Executive Director of the Alpine Club of Canada since 2022. She leads the club’s operations at its national office in Canmore.
With over 25 years of experience in executive management and corporate governance, Carine previously served as the CEO and co-founder of Mountain Path, a company focused on developing responsible leadership in the mountains.
Carine’s appointment marks a significant milestone for the Alpine Club of Canada as the club’s first female Executive Director.
Ready to take your organization to the next level with confidence, skills, and the right tools?
Read More Articles
The Painting Behind You: Why Nonprofit Leaders Miss Their Biggest Opportunities
What the Mona Lisa taught me about the opportunities we’re failing to seeI have to be honest with you: I don’t really get the Mona Lisa. On a recent trip to Paris, I stood in the Salle des États at the Louvre, craning my neck past the hundred-person crush to see the...
Smart Tools for Smarter Grant Writing
Exploring AI-Powered Options Nonprofits Can Actually UseArtificial Intelligence (AI) is finding its way into almost every corner of nonprofit work — and grant writing is no exception. For many organizations, the idea of drafting proposals faster sounds like a dream....
Listening – The Heart of Donor Relations
There’s an art and a science to strategic meetings.Here is a great video called Having Strategic Conversations from Karen Osborne, on how to plan a strategic meeting. When I was first starting out in major gift meetings, I remember being soooooo nervous. I wrote...