Funding Friday: Listen, Then Make Room

Funding Friday is arriving on Saturday, and I owe you an apology. Consistency matters when you ask people to make room for your work each week. I missed Friday because I had just returned from the 2026 PANO Collaborative Conference, and I needed a little time to take it all in before writing about it.

The conference was phenomenal. PANO put together a fantastic, inclusive gathering, and I’m grateful I had the opportunity to attend. I met people from across the nonprofit sector who brought different experiences and perspectives to a shared concern: how we can better serve the public good. If you were there and we didn’t meet, I missed out. I was the person with the very bouncy ringlets wearing the chicken shirt on the first day, in case that helps you place me. I hope we get another chance.

I expect I’ll write more about the conversations and ideas I brought home. Today, I want to focus on the biggest takeaway: I need to go home and listen to the people I serve.

Nonprofit work gives us plenty of reasons to talk. We explain our missions, make the case for funding, report our results, recruit volunteers, and tell stories about the difference our programs make. All of that has a place. But the more practiced we become at explaining our work, the easier it can be to assume we already know what people need from us.

Listening asks more of us than collecting a few encouraging comments after an event. It means asking people about the barriers they face and making it possible for them to answer candidly. It means hearing from someone whose experience does not match the story we have been telling about our work. Sometimes it means admitting that a program we worked hard to build needs to change.

The conference also left me thinking about another responsibility. We need to help ensure that everyone has a voice. PANO did a terrific job of making room for people to contribute, and I felt the difference that made. When more people can speak and be heard, we learn things that would otherwise never enter the conversation. I came home reinvigorated to do my part to make that happen in the organizations and communities I serve.

Of course, inviting people to speak is only a beginning. Who feels welcome enough to answer? Who has the time, access, or support to participate? Whose words carry weight once a decision has to be made? Those questions matter in nonprofit leadership, in fundraising, and in the everyday choices we make about whose expertise we recognize.

I came home with new connections, useful ideas, and a renewed appreciation for people who care about this work. My first task is to put that energy to use close to home: ask better questions, listen carefully to the answers, and help make room for voices we have not heard enough.

If you’re looking for ways to continue your learning, PANO has resources worth exploring. The PANO Navigator gathers resources for Pennsylvania nonprofits, while Training & Events lists opportunities to keep learning. PANO’s Standards for Excellence and membership information are useful places to start if you want to learn more about its ongoing work.

I’m glad I went. Now I need to listen to what people at home have to say.