News/Blog

By Jill Scibilia, CFRE, AFP-NYC President-Elect
Vice President, Development
Phelps Hospital Northwell Health

As I write this, I am on the campus of the community hospital I serve, Phelps Hospital Northwell Health in Sleepy Hollow.  Our hospital sits on a 69-acre campus overlooking the Hudson River and my office is in a building up the hill from the main hospital.  I am not on the front lines the way my medical colleagues are who care for patients, but I am a close witness to the work in which they are engaged. These are unprecedented times and it is an honor to work with them always and especially during these times. 

These are unprecedented times.  As professional fundraisers, our top priority, after the well-being of our families, is to attain the resources needed to continue the valuable work of our nonprofits.  The world has dramatically changed over the past three weeks - and so has fundraising. The leaders of AFP-NYC will bring their diverse perspectives and experiences to a conversation that explores these and the other realities we're all now facing. 

First of all, let me start by saying that I hope that all of you are safe and in good health.  Like you, I’ve received a number of COVID-19 update emails from various suppliers, consultants, partners, associations, and companies.  Thirty-seven, in fact, over the past two days.  I was hesitant to send a message about COVID-19 to you, fearing that it would get lost in all this noise.  After all, how many times do you need to be reminded to wash your hands? 

By Steve Jacobson, AFP-NYC President and CEO, JCA, Inc.

While I typically would wish you a happy Friday, today is not, by any means, a happy day.  We are all under threat from COVID-19, and its potentially devastating impact on our health and safety and the health and safety of our colleagues, family and friends.  As a leading voice in our community for the professional advancement of fundraisers, we have a responsibility to enhance the lives and careers of our members and our fundraising community.  But, we always have to consider the best interests of this community as we assess our engagements and interactions.  With that said, AFP-NYC has decided to postpone all of our professional advancement programs and networking events through April 30^th.  Specific details on each activity will be forthcoming shortly. 

By Craig Shelley, CFRE, Chapter Treasurer & Managing Director, Orr Group

I’ve been thinking a lot about fundraising as a profession of late.  I just renewed my CFRE credential (I’ve written about this before but I’m happy to discuss the process with people and encourage fundraisers to pursue this distinction), which I initially pursued as a commitment and recognition of the profession.  But I’ve also of late been thinking about the difference of volunteer driven vs professional driven fundraising efforts and where the line of distinction is drawn.

By Michele Hall, AFP-NYC Secretary 

This is my first Chapter Leadership Brief and I pondered for weeks on what I wanted to write. Should I share some cheeky advice on loving donors, volunteers, board members or your co-workers in honor of Valentine’s Day? Or delve into the current status of diversity in fundraising in a nod to Black History Month? Both are certainly worthy topics to explore; however my thoughts are in the vice grip of event planning…. Gala season is upon us!

By Jill Scibilia, CFRE, AFP-NYC President-Elect

I’ve been giving a great deal of thought lately to how development is branded—both at my institution and across the non-profit sector.  In this week’s article, I will focus on the development brand within institutions.  In a future article, I will share my perspective on the brand of development across the non-profit sector. 

Happy 60^th Birthday, AFP!

Happy New Year, everyone!  Now that year-end gift processing has (hopefully!) been completed and the results are in, I trust that 2019 was a great year for your organization’s fundraising.  And, I hope that 2020 is even more successful, though you only have 349 more days to reach your goal, so you’d better get cracking!  Thankfully, we have an extra day due to the leap year this year…

The Donor Experience

As some of you may know, I lead and manage a for-profit company that serves the technology and information management needs of nonprofits.  Over the years, we have built software products and established a consulting business.  Essentially, our nonprofit clients are our customers.  So, when I received an email invitation from an organization called “Meetup” about how to build a better customer service experience, I figured that this would be a great opportunity to learn more.

The work of a fundraiser can be enormously difficult. There are many factors that contribute to this, but the one that has the most potential for generating stress is the relationship between the CEO/Executive Director and the Director of Development. This can be a marriage made in heaven or hell depending up the capacity and willingness of both individuals to accept the challenges of creative communication and collaboration. This was the topic of an AFP-NYC Educational Program on July 18, 2019.