Asking for Money for a Need They Don't Have: Empower Girls Camp's Fundraising Fix

<p><b>Therese Tetzel on Building Empower Girls Camp to Change Girls’ Trajectories</b></p><p></p><p>James Misner talks with Therese Tetzel, founder of Empower Girls Camp, about leaving a 30-year corporate career to build a research-informed program that helps shy or at-risk girls develop confidence and resilience. They also discuss why short, consistent donor updates beat broad, generic appeals.</p><p></p><p><b>Key topics</b></p><ul><li>Empower Girls Camp aims to deeply impact a small group of girls rather than many superficially.</li><li>Therese left a 30-year corporate career after questioning its purpose, sparked by tutoring Sifa, a young refugee who couldn't read — Sifa's first camp became the turning point.</li><li>Serves girls 9–11 who are shy, withdrawn, or facing hardship at home — a "precision intervention disguised as a STEM camp."</li><li>Selection uses a 12-point counselor questionnaire and a scoring system built with a child psychologist.</li><li>Therese designed the program using her corporate product-development background, planning it out on butcher paper.</li><li>Lessons learned: not every parent says yes, so a response plan was needed; in fundraising, local relationships and short, frequent donor updates beat long newsletters.</li><li>Donors want to see impact, not a sales pitch — regular updates build trust.</li><li>Vision: keep adding schools and girls yearly, aiming for 20 schools.<p></p></li></ul><p><b>Timestamps</b></p><p>00:00 - Why nonprofit missions differ from corporate ones<br />00:28 - Meet Therese Tetzel and Empower Girls Camp<br />00:59 - Leaving corporate America after asking "What am I doing here?"<br />02:28 - Meeting Sifa and discovering the power of tutoring<br />03:10 - Teaching a six-year-old refugee to read in a month<br />04:07 - The first camp experience that changed everything<br />05:47 - From one camper to a broader model<br />06:17 - Launching a nonprofit with no prior experience<br />07:59 - Building the model from the American Camp Association study<br />09:26 - "Precision intervention masquerading as a STEM camp"<br />10:13 - Identifying the girls most likely to benefit<br />11:12 - The 12-point questionnaire and selection process<br />12:21 - Building the process on butcher paper<br />13:17 - Using school data to predict enrollment<br />14:14 - Parent permission, photo releases, vaccination records<br />15:27 - What didn't work: assuming every parent would say yes<br />17:10 - Fundraising lessons: local giving matters most<br />18:26 - Why sales skills don't translate to fundraising<br />19:27 - Donor communication needs to happen often<br />20:24 - Short, frequent updates over long newsletters<br />21:34 - Keeping the cause front and center for donors<br />23:14 - Donors want impact, not merchandise<br />24:46 - Showing outcomes multiplies donor joy<br />25:10 - Milestones can also lead to grants<br />26:16 - Growth plans: more schools, girls, funding<br />27:37 - How to connect with Therese<br />28:17 - Why the organization is uniquely focused</p><p></p><p><b>Resources &amp; Links:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thekiposgroup.com/" target="_blank"><b>The Kipos Group Website</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://thekiposgroup.com/schedule-your-call-with-james/" target="_blank"><b>Schedule a Discovery Call with James</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesmisner/" target="_blank"><b>Connect with James Misner on Linkedin</b></a></li></ul><p></p><p><b>Connect with Therese:</b></p><ul><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.mpowergirlscamp.org/" target="_blank"><b>MPower Girls Camp Official Website</b></a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/therese-tetzel-b84098154/" target="_blank"><b>Connect with Therese on Linkedin</b></a></li></ul>