Fundraising Training
It all begins with an idea.
The proposal’s estimated cost is $1 million, so we are all going to have to sharpen our fundraising skills! Thank goodness for our deep long term relationship with Resource Generation. Resource Generation is youth organization (18-35) to support young people with class privilege in redistributing wealth, land, and power. Laura and Peatmoss led a fundraising training on Oct 5,2025.
Donor organizing is a relational approach to fundraising
The training reviewed transformation fundraising, how to map your network, and how to make a good ask. The team would love to bring this training to you if you’re interested!
The Proposal!
We have a wild—and urgently needed—proposal. Let’s buy a building for the Daytime Warming Center!
Four of the most veteran DWC crew, Sheri, Ben, Kim, and Peatmoss, have been cooking up a proposal to meet the urgent needs of our community. We came together with our friends, supporters, and community experts, to fine tune our ideas. Here’s the proposal in a nutshell:
The Daytime Warming Center (DWC) is a grassroots, community-led winter day shelter serving homeless and housing insecure people in Washtenaw County and run by a staffing collective of local residents. We have two locations: a fixed site in Ypsilanti and a series of host churches that rotate on a monthly basis in Ann Arbor. We are currently the only day time option for people who need a low barrier, safe, and warm place during the winter.
When the DWC first started, there wasn't a consistent place for people experiencing homelessness to go during the day in the winter months. During the 2014 polar vortex, a group of people asked a local church if they could use the basement during the polar vortex, and the church agreed. Since then the warming center has expanded to a handful of churches opening their doors on a rotating basis during the winter months.
As the years have gone on, the number of people experiencing homelessness has increased, while our number of host churches has gone down. We are slowly growing out of the spaces that have been available to us over the last decade, and we need to find a new solution. Part of being trauma informed is provided stability, and getting a permanent space supports this vision.
In addition to the increased need for a warming center we have long had a need for a cooling center. This need has continued to increase in the face of global climate change.
We plan on buying and renovating a building that can be a permanent home for the DWC that can support those experiencing homelessness. We envision a large building with the following features: modern plumbing, on a 7 day a week bus route, space large enough for gatherings and activities, a kitchen, showers, laundry, storage space, separate quiet area for napping/resting and smaller "office space" for meeting with case managers, tele-health specialists and attending court.
While the DWC will operate only during the day, other groups could make use of the building for emergency overnight programs.
Our rough timeline is to fundraise for the next 2 years, spend 1-2 years buying a building, then spend 1-2 years renovating before we open to the public. We need lots of help to make this dream happen, and you're invited to get involved!
