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

Therese Tetzel on Building Empower Girls Camp to Change Girls’ TrajectoriesJames 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.Key topicsEmpower Girls Camp aims to deeply impact a small group of girls rather than many superficially.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Sifa, a young refugee who couldn't read — Sifa's first camp became the turning point.Serves girls 9–11 who are shy, withdrawn, or facing hardship at home — a "precision intervention disguised as a STEM camp."Selection uses a 12-point counselor questionnaire and a scoring system built with a child psychologist.Therese designed the program using her corporate product-development background, planning it out on butcher paper.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.Donors want to see impact, not a sales pitch — regular updates build trust.Vision: keep adding schools and girls yearly, aiming for 20 schools.Timestamps00:00 - Why nonprofit missions differ from corporate ones00:28 - Meet Therese Tetzel and Empower Girls Camp00:59 - Leaving corporate America after asking "What am I doing here?"02:28 - Meeting Sifa and discovering the power of tutoring03:10 - Teaching a six-year-old refugee to read in a month04:07 - The first camp experience that changed everything05:47 - From one camper to a broader model06:17 - Launching a nonprofit with no prior experience07:59 - Building the model from the American Camp Association study09:26 - "Precision intervention masquerading as a STEM camp"10:13 - Identifying the girls most likely to benefit11:12 - The 12-point questionnaire and selection process12:21 - Building the process on butcher paper13:17 - Using school data to predict enrollment14:14 - Parent permission, photo releases, vaccination records15:27 - What didn't work: assuming every parent would say yes17:10 - Fundraising lessons: local giving matters most18:26 - Why sales skills don't translate to fundraising19:27 - Donor communication needs to happen often20:24 - Short, frequent updates over long newsletters21:34 - Keeping the cause front and center for donors23:14 - Donors want impact, not merchandise24:46 - Showing outcomes multiplies donor joy25:10 - Milestones can also lead to grants26:16 - Growth plans: more schools, girls, funding27:37 - How to connect with Therese28:17 - Why the organization is uniquely focusedResources & Links:The Kipos Group WebsiteSchedule a Discovery Call with JamesConnect with James Misner on LinkedinConnect with Therese:MPower Girls Camp Official WebsiteConnect with Therese on Linkedin