It Takes a Village: Why I Attend Bridge

My first time attending the Bridge Conference was also my first time stepping into the Gaylord Hotel in National Harbor. As I entered the lobby, I was greeted by a surprising little village embedded within the epicenter of the hotel. It includes real-life trees and actual functioning shops, and you can feel the heat of sunshine or rumble of thunderstorms directly overhead from the skylight. I’d never seen anything like it.

But I don’t attend Bridge year after year for the mini village. I attend it for my village — the fundraising community that raised me.

You know how they say it takes a village? They’re right.

I “grew up” working three election cycles at a national political committee, and I learned a lot in that environment. But it wasn’t until I started attending Bridge that my worldview expanded beyond what I could see within my “household” of an organization. That first year at Bridge, I was awe-struck by the scale of it all.

Now, a decade into my career, I get something different out of Bridge than I did back then.

Because the funny thing about returning to the same village year after year is that it never stays exactly the same. New faces arrive. Familiar ones move into new roles. The village learns new lessons. The challenges we face evolve.

You change, too. Your goals, motivations, and perspective have just as much of an impact on your Bridge experience as anything else. And in different eras, you’ll play different conference roles:

• The first timers: You’ll learn everything and anything, absorbing it all as you quickly become a critical member of the community.
• The scouts: You’ll be sent out on behalf of your organization to find a great new partnership or learn a great new skill, and come back ready to tell the tale.
• The community builders: You’ll spend time in the lobby between sessions and meet a neighbor at breakfast. Come prepared with business cards.
• The shape shifters: You’ll have meaningful conversations as you explore options and lay the building blocks for what’s to come next in your career.
• The lifelong learners: You’ll attend a session about an up-and-coming topic and ask the most pressing questions during Q&A.
• The wisdom sharers: You’ll host a session or exhibit booth, show a colleague around, or match-make a connection that you know will benefit everyone.

Regardless of what role or roles you play in the village this year, my advice is the same: introduce yourself to someone new, wander into a session that’s outside your comfort zone, reconnect with old neighbors, and be generous with what you’ve learned.

If you do Bridge right, it’s an exhausting few days. But it’s worth it.

This village is special — much more so than the one in the Gaylord lobby. Because Bridge is more than just a town you visit. It’s a longstanding community you become a part of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Corinne Loiseau has directed fundraising mail for over 120 political campaigns, spearheaded Capital One acquisition mailings, and is now an Account Director at K2D Strategies serving nonprofits across all fundraising channels.

She recently moved to Vermont, so be sure to catch her while she’s in town at Bridge this year!