Are Black Organizations in the Phoenix Area Hosting Too Many Fundraisers?

One of my good friends consistently repeats this statement to me, "Work smarter, not harder."

During the last five years, I've noticed an explosion in the number of fundraising events that African Americans and black organizations are hosting in the Phoenix area.

The African American community has dozens of civic groups, nonprofits, churches, greek organizations, alumni clubs, committees, professional associations and a chamber of commerce in the Valley of the Sun!

I encourage these organizations to continue with their efforts to make the Phoenix area a better place for ALL of our of citizens!

However, I also want to advise ALL of them to consider collaborating more often - especially on fundraising events!

Fall and Spring are usually the busy seasons for fundraisers in the Phoenix area!

If I attended every single gathering in the Valley of the Sun, I'd be in debt up to my eyebrows! It seems like all of the agencies, big and small, are tripping over each other for our attention and our dollars! Remember, only 3-5 percent of the population in Maricopa County is African American!

My suggestion is for three to five smaller African American organizations to partner up with one of the larger black groups in the Valley for mega charity functions. Or better yet, we could have a few large-scale MULTICULTURAL fundraisers each year. This way, people of all races can work together to support each other and learn about a variety of causes. The participating agencies can decide how they divide all of the proceeds after each event.

I think this would make things easier for ALL residents in the Phoenix area. Planning and attending these events takes a lot of work and a lot of money!

Maybe if we can work smarter, we can all reap greater financial, emotional, social, professional and personal rewards!