Fundamentals Academy Session 2: Advocacy 101

Advocacy is a powerful way for funders to extend the impact of their grantmaking. While funding often responds to immediate needs, advocacy helps shape the policy environment that influences long-term outcomes. Used thoughtfully, it allows dollars to go further and supports more durable change.

This session introduces advocacy as a practical tool that funders—and their grantees or investees—can use to drive impact beyond individual grants.

Join us to explore how advocacy can strengthen your work and what it looks like to engage responsibly. We’ll cover legal do’s and don’ts, key strategic considerations, and governance responsibilities, and address common myths along the way.

Fundamentals Academy is offered as a certificate program! Participants who join all four sessions will receive a certificate of completion.

Target Audience

This program is designed for members of Catalyst. If you are interested in Catalyst membership, please contact Melissa Leon.

Catalyst is committed to making our events accessible to everyone. Please let us know how we can help you fully participate by contacting Maryan Osman. 

About the Fundamentals Academy Series:

Fundamentals Academy is the 101 of philanthropy you wished you had when you started your job. In this four-session learning journey, you will gain in-depth knowledge of essential philanthropic practices, understand the lay of the land of our region’s funding organizations, and grow your own professional network within the field.

Fundamentals Academy is a great fit for those who are new to the field of philanthropy and want to gain a solid foundation to build their work, or anyone seeking to expand their knowledge of the world of philanthropy. Paced to fit the demands of your daily life easily, there will be one session a month from February to May, culminating with a certificate of completion.

Don’t miss out on the full series, register for our other Fundamentals Academy events here.

Speakers

Rebecca Hamburg | Chief Impact Officer | California Donor Table

Rebecca M. Hamburg is currently the Chief Impact Officer at the California Donor Table and its affiliated organizations. Previously serving as the Chief Network Officer, her expanded role now includes overseeing organizational strategy, which encompasses network growth, donor relations, finance, and strategic partnerships. Additionally, she acts as a strategic advisor for the State Leadership Project, the c3 arm of the Committee on States, where she leads efforts to align national state-based infrastructure funders.

Before joining California Donor Table, Rebecca was the founder and principal consultant at Rebecca Hamburg Consulting. Her consulting work empowered organizations to achieve their vision for a better world by providing guidance to assist grantmakers in understanding how they can support and engage in advocacy. She also helped other nonprofit organizations to engage their communities in public policy efforts by providing them with an understanding of federal tax and election law. Prior to starting her consulting firm, Rebecca worked as the West Coast Director for Alliance for Justice and Program Director of the National Employment Lawyers Association. She also spent several years litigating cases on behalf of public and private employees around the country, as well as victims of civil and human rights abuses in the U.S. and around the world.