Armando Enrique Zumaya made a name for himself raising big gifts for universities and teaching others how to research prospective donors and ask for contributions. But his journey to professional success has been lonely. “For years, I was the only brown guy in the room,” he says.
After more than three decades in fundraising, with two $1 billion capital campaigns under his belt, he wanted to leave a greater legacy. He wanted to challenge assumptions about who philanthropists are and which nonprofits deserve funding. In 2018, he established a professional development organization for Latinx fundraisers like himself.
“I want people to self-empower. Stop waiting for something from a white-led foundation, stop waiting for help from elsewhere,” he says. “We are the power.”
In that vein, he named his new organization Somos El Poder, which means “we are the power” in Spanish.
He started calling up Latinx fundraisers he thought would be good candidates to serve on the organization’s board. On each call, he first outlined the mission: to offer professional development and community for Latinx fundraisers and nonprofits. “Before I could say another word, they would say, ‘I want to be on the board,’” Zumaya recalls.
Every trustee had been longing for a space where Latinx fundraisers could meet each other and learn together, he says. “We’re so isolated, we don’t even know about other Latino fundraisers.”
Thirty-six nonprofits have now joined Somos El Poder; Zumaya hopes that number will top 50 this year. Membership is open to all charities that serve Latinx communities, with annual fees ranging from $100 to $900, depending on the size of the charity’s budget. Individuals can join, too. Zumaya and his trustees provide two hours of consulting to each member every month. While the pandemic has kept the nonprofit’s programs virtual, Zumaya hopes to hold an in-person conference whenever the public-health emergency subsides.
Zumaya’s primary goal is to help member organizations boost their fundraising revenue through professional development. “There’s this feeling of empowerment that comes through successful fundraising,” he says. “It’s insanely powerful and people just do not understand it if you haven’t come from that situation.”
Many Somos El Poder member organizations — especially those with annual budgets of less than $5 million — have never experienced a major fundraising success, Zumaya says. Poor fundraising results are often a sign of underinvestment in fundraisers and resources, he says. He hopes his nonprofit’s classes, peer support email list, and expert consultants will help more Latinx-serving nonprofits not only experience a fundraising win but also understand why investing in fundraising programs matters.
Radio Bilingüe, a public radio station that broadcasts in Spanish and Mixtec, joined the membership group last year. Over its more than 40-year history, the nonprofit has relied on foundation funding to meet its roughly $3.5 million budget. But Hugo Morales, executive director, says his fundraising team is laying the groundwork for a major-gifts program thanks to resources and advice from Somos El Poder.
“Armando and his nonprofit opened a window of new opportunities for funding for Radio Bilingüe,” Morales says. Unanswered questions — such as whether a video chat or phone call was best for an initial meeting with a potential major donor — can prevent some nonprofits from growing their fundraising programs. But Morales says his team has found answers through Somos El Poder.
The next step, he says, is to write a document introducing the public radio station to potential donors and explaining how they can help it meet its mission. Morales plans to seek feedback from experts on Somos El Poder’s board.
This year, Somos El Poder will expand its offerings, thanks to grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
The $175,000 grant from the MacArthur Foundation will enhance the charity’s online educational opportunities in areas such as how to identify new donors, deepen supporter relationships, and create a planned-giving program.
The $50,000 Silicon Valley Community Foundation grant established a program for 10 nonprofits that serve the Latinx community. Each organization will choose a piece of its development program to improve — such as corporate giving or individual major gifts. Over the course of a year, each nonprofit will have access to a Somos El Poder trustee as an adviser and a freelance prospect researcher to help reach more donors.
“Does it mean people are going to raise billions? No,” Zumaya says. “It means there’ll be a few of those organizations that actually bring in some gifts and go, whoa, wait, wait — we can do this.”
