Bridging Dreams and Dollars

“There’s this story NASA tells, where they ask someone mopping the floor ‘What are you doing here?’ And they go, ‘I’m helping put a man on the moon.’ It’s cliche, but it’s the same with fundraising. You’re not just a fundraiser. You don’t just get the money. You help this organization achieve their mission.”

That’s Sandrine Frem, Fulbright Scholar turned development professional. And she is unapologetically passionate about her work, her impact, and the value of the arts in a complicated world.

“I feel like art is one of the best things we human beings do. No matter where we’re from, we all universally go back to it: visual arts, music, craftsmanship, or even through the day-to-day things we don’t normally think of as art.”

From the outside, it’s easy to think of fundraising as dry. What are you doing all day? Just asking for money?

But for Sandrine, supporting The Louis Armstrong House Museum is one of the most rewarding jobs she’s ever had.

“I’m helping a kid learn the trumpet. I’m helping a neighbor walk down the street and see something they never thought they’d be able to see in their neighborhood. I’m helping a colleague put a new program in place. When you see things like this, it puts the job in a different light. It’s incredible.”

Why Do the Arts Matter?

The world is a complicated place. And as we discussed with the Association of Nature Center Administration’s Jen Levy, it’s difficult for arts and community-building organizations like Jen or Sandrine’s to fundraise in.

After all, how do you position arts funding in front of disaster relief or a food bank?

“I think we’re not seeing beyond our noses when it comes to the importance of these spaces. In communities where there isn’t any community programming, a lot of teenagers may look elsewhere for entertainment, and perhaps fall through the cracks along the way.”

For pragmatic individuals, this may be a tough perspective to keep in mind. “Data” that “proves” arts funding is valuable can be muddy or difficult to collect. But the arts really are important for more than just humanistic reasons.

“Louis Armstrong didn’t have a formal education in trumpet. He actually learned the cornet [a small trumpet] while he was in a juvenile detention facility. An arts program is how we got one of the founders and fathers of jazz.” 

The Louis Armstrong House Museum

You’d have to speak with her to feel it, but Sandrine is incredibly passionate about the museum.

“You’re probably imagining lots of trumpets and sheet music, right? But it goes beyond that. Louis wanted to control the narrative of his story, so he documented his life. He wrote his own autobiography, saved letters, notes, and even over 300 recordings of everyday conversations. It’s remarkable.”

The Museum itself is actually the house Armstrong and his wife, Lucille, built. And they do more than just preserve his archives. They give tours, hold concerts, run after-school educational programming, and even bring housing workshops and “justice arts” to the community.

“It’s incredible work from all fronts. Artistic. Community. Social. Archival. But that’s it in a nutshell.”

Gratitude for a Diversified Portfolio

Like many nonprofits, the Louis Armstrong House Museum relies on a pretty broad funding mix: government grants, foundations, individual donors, and even community memberships.

And it wasn’t by accident, either.

“You can’t put all your eggs in one basket,” Sandrine explains. “Resilience and sustainability are about balance.”

Equally important, however, is resisting the urge to chase every opportunity that appears.

Effective grantwriting requires alignment between grantors and grantees. Organizations that do their research on the front end—making sure they’re reaching out to funders who are truly a fit—win more, and better, grants than those that don’t.

The goal isn’t to be everything to everyone. Rather, it’s to build a supporter base that reflects your values, capacity, long-term vision, and the community members you serve. 

“We’re really grateful to have such a diversified portfolio of funding. We’re lucky to have such an incredible mission and supporters who believe in us.” 

Fundraising as Meaningful Work

Many development professionals fall into this work by accident. Maybe someone hands them a grant application for the first time or asks them to draft a gala invitation.

But it’s not exactly what we aspired to while we were in school. Right? Finance can feel so far away from the causes and impact we dream of, imagining a career in the field is pretty rare.

However, Sandrine sees things a little differently.

“We have an idea. We have a dream,” Sandrine begins. “But the first hurdle any person anywhere faces is, how do we get it done? How do we get the funds to get it done? We’re the bridge between an idea and making it happen… It feels like we’re making dreams come true…”

When fundraising is reduced to forms, budgets, and compliance, it’s easy to lose sight of the purpose. But Sandrine’s framing is important; your work matters, and you’re every bit as responsible for impact as the passionate front-line service providers you work alongside.