Fundraising Basics for Charter Schools and Emerging Institutions

Tuesday, November 10, 2026 | 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Paramount Club

1301 6th Avenue

New York, NY 10019

Registration Fees

Young Professional & Student - $20

Member Rate - $30 | Non-Member - $40

Registration Closes November 9 at 4:00 p.m.

Join us for a morning of networking and an engaging discussion on development best practices for charter schools and emerging nonprofits. Whether you’re launching your organization’s first fundraising effort or strengthening an established program, you’ll gain practical strategies to deepen donor engagement, build organizational capacity, and support long-term financial sustainability.

We’ll explore key challenges facing growing organizations, from donor retention and staffing to developing achievable fundraising plans that engage leadership and the board. Come connect with peers, share experiences, and leave with actionable ideas to strengthen your fundraising strategy.

We hope you’ll join the conversation!

Breakfast will be served. Space is limited.

Read About Our Moderator and Panelists

Dana Scurlock (Event Moderator), Managing Director of Staffing, Staffing Boutique is a veteran recruitment specialist with over 18 years of experience placing the right people in the right jobs.

She has worked with clients of varying sizes and made placements at every level of recruitment from frontline workers to executive searches.

This extensive knowledge, strong relationships, and industry know-how specific to the nonprofit sector makes Dana an invaluable member of Staffing Boutique’s leadership team.

She earned her BA in English Literature & Theatre from The Ohio State University.

Julie Wolpov, Head of Development, Uncommon Schools, is bringing nearly two decades of executive experience in nonprofit fundraising and strategic growth. Her career spans leadership roles across education, youth development, workforce development, and community organizations, including leadership positions Foundation for Jewish Camp, and JCC Manhattan, as well as nearly eight years leading principal gifts and regional philanthropy at Year Up. Julie specializes in major gift strategy, donor stewardship, and building sustainable, relationship-driven funding models that scale mission driven impact.

Maria Griffin, Founder and Principal, Griffin Associated is committed to raising $1 billion for causes and leaders that change people’s lives.

She is the Founder and Principal of Griffin Associated, a consulting practice that helps nonprofits achieve transformational fundraising results. Through strategy, coaching, and hands-on partnership, Maria works with mission-driven leaders and organizations to strengthen fundraising, build organizational confidence, and turn ambitious goals into results. Her approach combines fundraising expertise with leadership development and organizational strategy—and is grounded in a commitment to moving clients beyond recommendations to meaningful execution and impact.

Previously, Maria served as Chief Advancement Officer of DREAM (formerly Harlem RBI), where she led a 15-person advancement team responsible for raising approximately $20 million annually. In this role, she helped transform DREAM’s approach to fundraising, aligning board engagement, major gifts strategy, institutional giving, and campaign execution to support the organization’s continued growth.

Prior to DREAM, Maria was a Vice President at CCS Fundraising, a global fundraising and strategic consulting firm. She led fundraising planning studies, campaign strategy, and development initiatives for local, national, and international organizations, including George Soros’ Open Society University Network, UNICEF, KIPP Foundation, and the Fund for Public Health in New York City. Within the firm, Maria also served as Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Client Services and oversaw the pilot of CCS’s pro bono consulting program.

Maria began her career in the classroom with Teach For America and later worked at Leadership for Educational Equity, where she coached more than 30 current and former educators running for local office across the country. Her work focused on fundraising, communications, endorsements, and campaign strategy. She also served as Communications Director and a senior strategist for civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson’s campaign for Mayor of Baltimore, managing fundraising and communications and helping execute major-donor events that significantly expanded the campaign’s resources.

Maria is a Board member of the Fund of Public Health in NYC and former member of the Board of Directors of Emerge New York, an organization that prepares women to run for elected office.

Raised in San Diego, California, and shaped by her years in Nashville, Tennessee, Maria is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and now calls Brooklyn home. She is a fan of Broadway musicals, Serena Williams, and discovering live music around New York City.

Amy Gazley, Founder, ARG Fundraising Consultants is an accomplished fundraising professional with over 23 years of experience dedicated to advancing mission-driven non-profits. As the founder of ARG Fundraising Consultants, she leverages her deep expertise in major gifts, corporate partnerships, capital campaigns, and strategic development to help organizations and schools secure the resources needed to thrive.

Since 2019, Amy has applied her fundraising expertise to support the Rosalyn Yalow Charter School in its mission to close the student achievement gap for elementary and now middle school students in the South Bronx. Her efforts contributed to the vital funding required for growing and sustaining the school’s resource-intensive model, which includes a low 8:1 student-teacher ratio and specialized response-to-intervention programs for English language learners and special needs students. This sustainable funding enables the delivery of a rigorous curriculum which incorporates Singapore Math, chess, violin, chorus, art, and fencing to help Yalow students consistently outperform city and state averages.

Thank you to our Program Sponsor

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Women In Development, New York (WID) accepts refund requests made in writing at least five (5) business days prior to the event. Registration fees are not refundable after this date. Nonrefundable ticket purchases may not be used as credits towards future WID events.

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