Bernadeta (Bernie) Baktashian joined RCAC in 2019. As a fund developer, she develops and maintains funding relationships, identifies potential funding sources, and coordinates, plans, develops, reviews, and writes grant proposals. Bernie attended the University of California, Santa Cruz where she earned degrees in Environmental Studies and Sociology. Before joining RCAC, Bernie taught in various capacities, including as a middle-school enrichment teacher and instructor at an innovation-centered camp. Bernie aims to incorporate play and humor in her work, even under the most pressing of funding deadlines.

Track: TAP Skills: Policy, $ and TMF
Title: Fundraising is a Team Sport
Day/Time: Thursday, 8/18 | 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Description: This playful session will prioritize in-person connection and interaction to highlight key fundraising concepts under one core concept: fundraising is a team sport. This workshop will use examples and case studies to highlight successes and/or opportunities gone awry and share experiential learnings and best practices in organizational fund development. Basic improv-style games and team-building activities will get participants to interact and underscore overarching themes of the training—i.e., collaboration and communication. Participants will understand what goes into organizational fund development, how different roles within the organization contribute, key fundraising strategies, and an increased connection to their colleagues.