Rock and roll at IFF in Prague

You may not know this, but the great American rock and roller Frank Zappa has a very special place in hearts of Czech people. After the ‘Velvet Revolution’ in 1989 the new Prime Minister Vaclav Havel made him Special Ambassador to the West on Trade, Culture and Tourism. During the dark, dull, depressing years, when the long shadow of outside interests cast a pall on the cultural lives of people in Prague and the rest of the Czech Republic, rock and roll and the outrageous and vibrant Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention band were a ray of light and laughter in many people’s lives.

I was delighted that our wonderful hosts at the International Fundraising Festival in Prague were maintaining the homage to rock and roll by having a excellent rock band at the gala dinner, with bongo drums played by Jan. Who, despite his tiring role as one of the fundraising team organising the festival, managed to really get the joint rocking – I even managed a little dance myself. But even better, at a session earlier in the day, Kay Sprinkel Grace, a well-known expert speaker from the US, had done a rocking version of the fundraisers rap song that the Czech team had specially composed for the Prague Festival  ‘It will never  work here.’

Sadly I could only be there for 24 hours, but it gave me a great chance to understand the energy and enthusiasm of our fundraising colleagues in Eastern Europe. The Fundraising Festival played host to delegates from 21 countries and terrific international speakers. I spoke to all the international speakers and they were delighted to share their experiences with fundraisers in the East, who often cannot  expect the salaries and resources that we sometimes take for granted in the West.

I was lucky enough to spend time with Slovakians, Hungarians, Georgians, Moldovans and more. I was proud to see what the Resource Alliance had been able to support . This was the second year the Czech team Jana, Jan and Marketa, and a great team of international volunteers, had organised the Festival, and it is an uplifting example of how the Resource Alliance can become a dynamic partner to such events – seeding and encouraging creative ventures. I felt very proud that we had been a part of this festival. Our presence in Eastern Europe may be modest, but the results are so impressive. One of our founding principles at the Resource Alliance is that fundraisers all over the world can learn from each other and usefully share their knowledge and experience: this was a great example of this principle in action.

It was inspiring, fun, exciting and different, Kay Sprinkel Grace singing the rap song about fundraising had to be the highlight, but as well as all the fun, there was a high calibre programme, with some of the best speakers from around the world and great case studies and speakers from the region – all of which can only serve to deliver positive fundraising results.

A really original feature of the design of this fundraising festival, was the Open Space format. The day, on theme ‘It will never work here’ was carefully structured with a series of workshop simulations, facilitated sessions and case studies all designed to overcome barriers to innovation and learning and to create a bridge between fundraising expertise, ideas and learnings – internationally and regionally.

With speakers from the UK, the US, Slovakia, Hungary, Canada, France, Ukraine and the Czech Republic there was an extraordinary range of experiences to draw from and lots to challenge any suggestion, that great fundraising ideas cannot cross borders.

You can see why Frank Zappa was such a hero to the Czechs – creative, inventive and irreverent, but serious about the work and the world. That just about sums up the terrific team from the Czech Fundraising Centre who organised this Festival – all of them very serious about fundraising and the sector, but finding ways to learn that were so different, such fun and challenging the status quo.

Such clever ways of keeping us all engaged – I found a little stuffed bear on my bed, dressed in football kit on Thursday night, I wondered what the bear was for, but on Friday morning, the vital role the little bear would play was revealed – the ‘Bear Theatre’. Everyone had their own bear, and the bears all talked to each other. What a great way to get us back into the spirit of the Festival. After all the Friday fun and the hard work of the previous day, the bears made us laugh and smile and got everyone into the mood for more work, more learning, to convince all the attendees from 21 countries why we should never say ‘It will never work here!’.