Beyond the Gala: A New Model for Community-Driven Fundraising in Bioethics

Published on: April 22, 2026

The Center for Practical Bioethics is reimagining fundraising and outreach through more accessible, community-driven events that foster connection, empathy, and real-world impact. By embracing new tactics—from casual gatherings to free educational experiences—the Center is expanding its reach and deepening engagement with diverse audiences.

Most people’s experience with healthcare and understanding of everything that goes into it probably looks like mine. From the annual checkup to visits for more serious things every now and then, my knowledge of healthcare goes as far as what I hear on the news, from my PCP, or the occasional Mayo Clinic or WebMD article. However, I’ve always felt deep empathy for news of family and friends’ adverse experiences in the healthcare system.

When I found the job posting for the Development and Events Coordinator position for the Center for Practical Bioethics (CPB) and looked into what the organization actually does, I was hooked. The services, goals and stories described on the Center’s website felt very real to me, despite my lack of knowledge about bioethics.

We’ve all heard of healthcare situations where things don’t necessarily go the way you expect or desire, whether it’s a real or imagined scenario, such as on shows like The Pitt, ER, or Grey’s Anatomy. Whether you have been personally touched by end-of-life challenges, experienced discrepancies in opinion between a patient and provider, or seen a technology in use in a healthcare setting that’s unexpected and perhaps scary, most people can put themselves in the shoes of another and imagine how hard and uncertain these situations can be.

This principle of empathy has guided the way I plan community-driven fundraising and donor engagement for the Center for Practical Bioethics since joining one year ago.

Fundraising Differently with Breakfast Stories

 Traditional fundraising events are evolving away from glitzy, large-scale galas toward more casual and fun experiences. While fancy ballroom fundraisers certainly have their place, it’s deeply important to consider fundraising trends and where we think they will go in the near future. Specifically, fundraising event trends suggest that folks are interested in a welcoming environment, proof of the impact of the nonprofit’s work, and personal connection to the cause and the people within the organization.

 Breakfast of Champions was an idea started by the staff before I joined the team last April, and I was so excited to run with it as an attempt to focus on community-driven fundraising. In the spirit of reaching new people and giving them experiences that they desire, our goal was to create a casual event geared toward the busy, passionate professional. Thus, the College Basketball Experience offered a fun venue for our first Breakfast of Champions fundraiser on September 18, 2025.

The main highlight of the event was a speech given by Krystal Pence, a Care Management Manager at AdventHealth Kansas City who has worked alongside Dr. Ryan Pferdehirt, our VP of Health Services, for some time. By highlighting her testimony, she was able to bring real-life situations to our attendees—some of whom were not entirely familiar with our mission. She shared stories of her patients who dealt with death and the reality of being required to make life-altering decisions for a family member. There were tears from her powerful words, and it is my hope to continue to elevate the healthcare professionals in our sphere through storytelling as a core part of our community-driven fundraising approach.

This year’s Breakfast of Champions event will be held at another sports-themed venue, Sporting KC, on September 17, 2026. It is free and open to the public. We hope this will be a chance for people who already know of the important work of CPB to bring a friend, family member, or colleague to learn more about our organization in a lighthearted and low-pressure way—an important aspect of community-driven fundraising.

Engaging the Community Online and In-Person

A common theme in many recent CPB blog posts has been an emphasis on relying on your community. In a world that is terribly unpredictable and full of things that spark fear, it’s easy to want to hide within the spaces that feel known. However, the thing that separates a successful nonprofit from one that is not as effective is how it engages with its community, and CPB is ready to expand its community further through community-driven fundraising and outreach. This was the spark that led us to join three Chambers of Commerce this year, the KC Chamber of Commerce, the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, and the Northland Chamber of Commerce.

There are many benefits to investment in these organizations. The ability to meet representatives of local businesses, healthcare organizations, and nonprofits in an intentional and relaxed way is crucially important to building lasting connections within our broader community. Many people who are not related to healthcare attend the meetings and events hosted by the Chambers, and because of this, each new event is an opportunity to share our mission with someone who is a go-getter for their business or organization—strengthening our community-driven fundraising efforts.

An additional way we are leaning into community engagement is through our free event offerings throughout the year. New this year is Screening Bioethics, a webinar series showcasing examples of bioethics topics in television, movies, and other forms of popular media. This is a fantastic way to bring people who may not otherwise know anything about bioethics into the know through free, engaging educational material with easy access for anyone with an Internet connection—supporting long-term community-driven fundraising by building awareness and trust. Our first webinar on March 26 was very well-received by the audience of over 90 people. We hope to replicate and grow this through our second episode of Screening Bioethics on July 23.

Every year since 1994, we’ve held the annual Rosemary Flanigan Lecture, an in-person event geared toward highlighting a topic of great interest to the bioethics community. This past November, we took a turn away from past lectures by leaning into the theme of the talk, Reflections of an Imperfect Art: Jazz, Bioethics, and the Moral Practice of Medicine by Patrick T. Smith, PhD. We held this event at the Gem Theater, a historic jazz venue in the 18th and Vine district, and featured live jazz during the pre-lecture reception. The event was the most well-attended lecture in a few years, and we hope to increase the number of attendees further with this year’s Flanigan lecture in October (details forthcoming), continuing to support our broader community-driven fundraising strategy.

Creativity, Flexibility and Empathy

None of these events went off without a hitch, despite their great success. Rain and road closures impacted parking and, possibly, attendance at Breakfast of Champions. For me, Screening Bioethics was 45 minutes of stressful screen sharing, email monitoring, and Q&A moderating. 18th Street was undergoing massive construction in November, causing issues accessing the Gem Theater for some attendees. Finally, we are a small team, and the number of engagement opportunities offered by the Chambers of Commerce seems to be endless.

The work of the Center for Practical Bioethics is applicable to people in all walks of life. Almost anyone can place themselves in the shoes of someone else who is dealing with a challenging medical situation. The mission of the organization is relatable, but accomplishing the goals of reaching new people and raising critical funds for the organization are not possible without a deep commitment to creativity, flexibility, and an openness to our community.

I believe this is only the beginning of the amazing things the Center for Practical Bioethics can accomplish through community-driven fundraising built on empathy. As we continue to grow, our impact depends on the strength of the community around us. Whether you attend an event, share our work with others, or simply keep up with the Center through our publications, your involvement helps bring compassionate, supportive healthcare to more people. Find a way to connect with us that feels meaningful to you—and be part of what comes next.

 AUTHOR

Abby Gast-Watterson is the full-time Development and Events Coordinator for the Center for Practical Bioethics.