Friends Fiduciary has organized and sponsored the biennial Quaker Fundraisers Gathering since 2003. The Gathering typically includes a keynote by a thought leader on the intersection of faith and fundraising.   The keynote addresses from the 2015, 2018, and 2022 Gatherings are shared below; we commend them to all who are interested in faithful giving and fundraising. (The 2020 Gathering was a virtual event and had a unique format that did not include a keynote address.)

Quaker Fundraising in the Internet Age: The Joys and Pitfalls of Having a (Distracted) Audience of Millions at Your Fingertips

Jon Watts has been a singer/songwriter, a videographer and an executive director. As a songwriter, Jon toured the country sharing stories of the Early Friends and his own spiritual journey growing up Quaker in Richmond, VA and attending Guilford College. Jon’s unique success promoting his music in the early days of Youtube led him to become the founding videographer of the QuakerSpeak project, for which Jon traveled for six years, published a video every week, and generated millions of views for the Religious Society of Friends.

In his time as a professional videographer, Jon has worked for FCNL, AFSC, FWCC, Right Sharing of World Resources, Friends Fiduciary, FGC, and many more–helping to craft the central message of each organization for a targeted audience.

In 2021, Jon embarked on a new journey: imagining a Quaker media organization for the 21st century. He has spent the past year dreaming with Friends, organizing a board of trustees, filing paperwork and (of course!) fundraising.

Jon Watts is a member of Central Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, which holds his ministry under its care. He lives in Germantown, where he enjoys hiking in the Wissahickon with his fiancé Jess and recording music in his home studio.

Quaker Fundraising In Uncertain Times

Diane Randall is the Executive Secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation. Diane leads FCNL’s staff to effectively educate and lobby for the policies and legislative priorities established by FCNL’s General Committee. A lifelong advocate for peace and social justice, Diane is a fierce proponent for citizen engagement that advances policies and practices to create a better society for all.

Diane believes that Friends prophetic witness to work for a world that practices peace, equality, community, integrity, and simplicity is often at odds with political life. This effort to pursue truth and to see ‘that of God in every person we meet’ are disciplines that shape FCNL’s patient and persistent approach to lobbying for legislation that can help create a more peaceful and just world.

Diane came to FCNL in March 2011 as the fourth Executive Secretary. Diane has led FCNL’s program expansion, including adding lobbyists and new programs to engage grassroots citizens, young adults, and more Quakers to lobby for peace, justice, and a sustainable planet. Diane travels widely on behalf of FCNL and represents a voice for Quaker advocacy in Washington on the Hill, within the faith community, in media, and throughout the United States.

Before coming to FCNL, Diane was Executive Director of Partnership for Strong Communities, a Connecticut- based non-profit organization providing leadership, advocacy, and policy development on solutions to homelessness, affordable housing, and community development. Diane began her career as a high school English teacher and started working for peace in 1983 as the executive director of the Omaha Nuclear Freeze Campaign. Diane relocated to Connecticut in 1986 where she directed the state Network to Abolish the Death Penalty and worked for the Office of Urban Affairs of the Archdiocese of Hartford, launching a twenty-year career lobbying the state legislature. During that time, Diane became the first Executive Director of the Connecticut AIDS Residence Coalition.

Diane is a convinced Friend, and a member of Hartford Monthly Meeting, New England Yearly Meeting. Diane currently worships with Langley Hill Friends in Baltimore Yearly Meeting, and she relishes worshiping with Friends across the country while traveling for FCNL. She serves on the Corporation of Haverford College. She previously served on the Sidwell Friends School Board of Trustees, the Board of Advisors of the Earlham School of Religion, the CT Housing Finance Authority Board, the CT Public Defender Services Commission, and the West Hartford Board of Education. Diane graduated from the University of Nebraska with a B.S in Education.

2015 Quaker Fundraisers Gathering Keynote

Thomas H. Jeavons is currently a visiting professor of philanthropic studies at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and serves as a trustee of the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund, a foundation based in Jacksonville, Florida.

Thom has served the Religious Society of Friends as the general secretary of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting from 1996 until July of 2006 and as executive secretary of Baltimore Yearly Meeting of Friends from 1979 to 1988.

Thom is the author of Growing Givers’ Hearts: Treating Fundraising as a Ministry (Jossey-Bass, 2000); When the Bottom Line is Faithfulness: The Management of Christian Organizations (IU Press, 1994); and many chapters and articles on nonprofit management, religious organizations, fund raising, ethics, and education.

Thom holds an M.A. (with honors) in theology from the Earlham School of Religion and a Ph.D. in management and cultural studies from the Union Institute.