AFP-NYC Cohort Series

By Jennifer Moore, AFP-NYC Board Member, Co-Chair Professional Advancement Committee
Vice President of Development, SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education, Inc.

Year after year, our members tell us that the education and networking opportunities from AFP NYC are invaluable, and I couldn’t agree more. As a result, the Professional Advancement Committee spends months planning our programming and networking opportunities for fellow fundraisers to improve their skills and build their networks. However, we felt that we could do even more for our colleagues.

Last spring, we created a series of workshops designed specifically for the Fundraiser leading a small development shop. 15 fundraisers met monthly to learn from both subject matter experts and their cohort peers at a time when connections to colleagues meant more than ever. Together cohort members navigated the transition to virtual galas, managing staff remotely and scaling fundraising techniques for success with a small team.

This year AFP-NYC will be offering two mini-series workshops—Small Shops Think Tank: Take ‎Your Fundraising to the Next Level and Advanced Fundraising: Accelerating Your Path to ‎Senior Management. Both sessions have ‎been curated to provide participants with niche skill-building and peer learning. At the end of ‎the sessions, cohort members will have built a network for information sharing and problem ‎solving, gained tools for managing their department as well as finding time for fundraising and ‎understand how to put fundraising theory into practice for their organization. 

Both mini-series have limited slots, so register now! More details here:

Small Shops Think Tank: Take Your Fundraising to the Next Level

Advanced Fundraising: Accelerating Your Path to Senior Management

Chapter Leadership Brief 3.24.2021

By Michele Hall-Duncan, AFP-NYC Secretary, CEO and President of enCourage Kids Foundation 

As the vaccination effort intensifies and there is a sense of Spring and optimism in the air, I find myself reflecting on the past year. At my foundation, we lost revenue, laid off staff, and restricted programming just like many others. It was a year of loss, both personally and professionally and the lessons learned will stay with me for quite some time.

Cancelling both our 35^th and 36^th anniversary galas required an internal overhaul of how we relied on these large events, as well as a blind trust in our donors that they would be there for us - even without the opportunity to network with colleagues. This required that we lean on storytelling like never before. We told the much-loved story of healthcare heroes through the lens of pediatrics – and it worked! Our donors were moved and are standing by us and the children we serve. We helped donors understand that long standing issues for medically challenged children will remain and new ones will manifest. We will help tackle them all.

I hope that you are all finding light at the end of the tunnel, and that we continue to share ideas, plan events both hybrid and in-person, and hone our stewardship skills even more.

Know that your AFP chapter is here for you to provide support, education, and a sense of community. Be sure to register for the two-day AFP-NYC PhilanthroCon. If you register by April 15^th you can take advantage of early bird pricing. It is sure to be an amazing opportunity to learn from our fundraising peers and move forward with purpose.

Thank you all for all that you do!

Warmly,

Michele

Chapter Leadership Brief 3.12.2021

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

March 11, 2021 was the one-year anniversary of when the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a global pandemic.

I will never forget those early days of the pandemic.  There was an energy fueled by a mix of adrenaline, courage, fear, grit and heart—especially heart.  There are a few moments that will always stand out to me from those days.

First…On my drive to the hospital where I work, I realized my car was the only one on what was suddenly an eerily quiet road.  

Next…Words from frontline colleagues in the hospital shortly after non-essential workers were asked to stay home and work remotely…“I’m frightened, but I’m here,” one said to me.  Another said, “I cry every day, but I’m here.”  

Then…the first Pivot…Hearing how these courageous colleagues were coming to work despite their fear and despite their sadness over what they were facing caring for patients still brings chills to me.  This was when I knew we needed to pivot our fundraising efforts to focus on the COVID-19 response.  I needed to share the stories of these colleagues with a boldness that matched their bravery. 

It has been and continues to be a great honor to work along-side them and share their stories with our community.  The pivot was just the first in a series of a year of “pivots,” which will undoubtedly continue. 

Do you remember when you first understood the significance of COVID-19?  What are the lessons you learned over the past year?  What changed for you?  What is still an unknown?

Our sector has had to pivot and innovate. We are grappling with what will be a temporary changes versus permanent ones.  We are seeking to address these very questions at AFP-NYC.  If you are not already engaged in AFP-NYC, I want to encourage you to get involved and add your voice to the conversation.  AFP-NYC helps to convene our community to help us address these questions and share best practices while we make connections and support one another.

Wondering how you might become engaged?  Here are two immediate suggestions:

1. Join us next Wednesday, March 17^th for “Stewardship Ideas in the COVID age.”  Click here to learn more and register. 
2. Registration is now open for PhilanthroCon a two-day virtual event that will give you the opportunity to build relationships and connections with professionals from across the country and world. Remember, virtual means we are not limited by geography.  Click here to register.  

I believe we are still very much in the midst of this crisis and have yet to fully understand what our new normal will be.  I also know that our work as professional fundraisers has never been more important or needed than today. Philanthropy has the power to make the world a better place. Our missions and all those we serve are counting on us to help facilitate this. 

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to professional fundraising—and for all you do to make the world a better place.

With gratitude,

Jill

Chapter Leadership Brief 2.25.2021

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

This past Wednesday, the AFP-NYC Chapter signed onto an amicus brief prepared by our friends at the Nonprofit Alliance for two cases now in front of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) addressing some states' overreach to obtain donors' private information.  New York is one of those states (California and New Jersey are the other two), thanks to requirements tucked into the 2020-21 state budget legislation by Governor Cuomo last spring during the onset of the pandemic and economic crisis. 

This legal battle has been brewing for the past five years, going back to California compelling nonprofits to provide the state with donor information on the organization’s Schedule B on the Form 990 tax return.  Schedule B requires listing sensitive information, including name, address, and gift amounts for all donors giving $5,000 or more in the reporting year. Three nonprofits sued the state of California, but a federal appellate court ruled against them.  These nonprofits then appealed their cases to the SCOTUS, where two of the cases were consolidated before the Court.  Oral arguments are scheduled for some time in April.

The concern here is around protecting donors' information and preventing infringement upon the First Amendment right to free speech.  With no evidence to support why additional filing and disclosure is necessary, and no protections like what the IRS has to regulate and enforce the confidentiality of our donors' information, this state-by-state requirement has the potential to dramatically impact the health of the nonprofit sector at a time when our services are needed more than ever.  And, while the states may argue that this disclosure would help them police self-dealing or determine whether the organization is truly engaged in a charitable purpose, they have many other avenues and tools at their disposal to achieve these purposes.

AFP-NYC strongly believes that such mandatory disclosure singles out our charitable sector for unfair treatment.  In fact, the federal government no longer requires advocacy groups (501(c)(4) organizations) to complete the Schedule B because they don’t see any need for the information – and that the information could be misused, as was alleged during the IRS Tea Party scandals. This leaves 501(c)(3) charities as the only entities that would still have to report this donor information. 

On a practical level, compelled disclosure of donor information would likely result in fewer donations. Those donors who normally choose to give anonymously may no longer do so.  Furthermore, those donors who fund organizations with controversial missions may not want to have their names publicized for fear of retribution.  This would play the same way for the Heritage Foundation as it would for Planned Parenthood.  In this case, bad policy is just bad policy.

While it may be too late to sign onto the Nonprofit Alliance’s amicus brief, AFP-NYC welcomes your support.  If you would like to help us magnify the impact of our advocacy work on behalf of the fundraising profession and nonprofit sector, we hope you'll join us for the upcoming virtual lobby week, April 26-30.  You can access our virtual lobby week FAQ here.  Please notify our Government Relations Committee Chair, Kerry Watterson at Kerry@FundraisingWell.com before April 2nd if you'd like to join us in our efforts to promote and protect charitable giving.

The time for action is now.  Please join us!

Chapter Leadership Brief 2.12.2021

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

It’s a cliché to say the world is different than it was a year ago.  The funny thing about clichés is that they are true, so here we are in a very different world.  As we all adapt every facet of our lives to this difference, the organizers of the conference that was historically Fundraising Day in New York had a realization. Trying to recreate this iconic annual event, which has drawn nearly 2,000 fundraisers together for a day of learning and networking each June, in our current environment was a fool’s errand.  Fundraising Day in New York will return when we’re all back to gathering in large groups and complaining about hotel chicken (what I wouldn’t kill for a mass-produced hotel meal right now!). That won’t be June of 2021.

Freed from the constraints of taking an icon virtual, the Fundraising Day in New York committee was able to step back and think about what our community really wants and what our AFP-NYC Chapter can still deliver.  We all still very much want and need the exchange of great ideas that has always accompanied the fellowship of Fundraising Day in New York. Our chapter is still the best organization to design and deliver that content. With that, PhilanthroCon was born.

With half-day sessions planned for May 18 and May 19, PhilanthroCon promises to be the go-to event for the most creative and current ideas in fundraising.  Each day will be headlined by a keynote speaker – Caryl Stern, Executive Director of the Walton Family Foundation, will join us on May 18 and Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America, will join us on May 19 – and offer a variety of high-impact information in interactive 45-minute sessions.

More details will be available in the weeks ahead but registration is now open! Sign up now to save up to $70 and make sure you don't miss a thing!

Mentorship Committee Re-Launches with a New Cohort

by David McGoy, AFP-NYC Mentorship Committee

The new year is a great time for a restart. Whether it’s setting goals for one’s health, personal life or profession, this is the time of year when we refresh and recommit to our goals and start anew. It is only fitting, then, that the chapter’s Mentorship Committee seized the moment to launch its program with a new design and a fresh cohort of mentors and mentees.

“After a year of information gathering, program design, and intensive planning, the committee is proud to launch a program that we think will be meaningful and enriching for all of the mentors and mentees,” said Committee Chair and NYC AFP Board Member, Juliana Weissbein CFRE. ”Many thanks to the committee members, and especially to the mentors and mentees, who are showing a great deal of commitment and dedication to advancing our profession.”

The chapter made a complete overhaul of the program, formalizing its structure through an application process for both mentors and mentees and by utilizing a cohort model that is designed to select the candidates who could most benefit from the program, as well as ensure high-quality matches.

The committee also set, and then exceeded, ambitious goals for diversity, aiming for at least 75% representation from members of an historically underrepresented demographic within our profession (POC, LGBTQ, women, and staff of small organizations), and 40% percent representation in at least two of these groups.  At 93% and 62%, respectively, the cohort blew past these milestones.

“We felt that it was very important to have a cohort that was representative of the very rich range of professionals who do this work,” said Symone New, committee member and a member of the chapter’s IDEA committee. “The 26 mentors and mentees in this program represent a cross section of mission areas, professional experience, and personal identity. We are extremely proud of that.”

The mentors were recruited, selected, and matched based on their potential to benefit from the program through clearly articulated professional goals, interests, and experience. In another win for the chapter, nine of the mentors are members of the chapter’s board.  Additionally, the chapter awarded scholarships to mentors and mentees who needed assistance in securing AFP memberships. Other features of the program include a private LinkedIn discussion group, and a series of events throughout the year, and opportunities to share their knowledge and experience through micro-learning videos and commentary in Fundraising Matters. So you can look forward to meeting them and hearing more about their journey in the months to come.

We are very proud to introduce our 2021 Mentorship Program Cohort. For more information on our mentors, mentees and committee members, please visit our lookbook.

Mentors
Veronica R. Bainbridge
Chantal Bonnitto
Gregory Boroff
Joy Cooper
Adam Doyno, MPA, CFRE
Pedro Govantes
Steve Jacobson
Vikki Jones, CFRE
Thomas Moore, III
Susan Shapiro
Pinky Vincent
Kerry Pereira Watterson, CFRE
Ron Wegsman, CFRE

Mentees
Elandria Jackson Charles
Grace Chung
Renee DaCruz
Madeleine Durante
Danielle Felico
Mack Graham
Nichole Guerra
Isatou Bittaye-Jobe
Martha Lauria
Santana Moreno
Erica Sandoval
David Tomczak
Rebecca Wisotsky

AFP-NYC's Annual Meeting -- Panel Discussion now online

In late January I had the privilege to join three powerhouses in the NYC nonprofit sector to discuss the impact of the events of last year on fundraising and what the 2021 forecast looks like.  Victoria Bailey of TDF, Asha Curran of Giving Tuesday, and Tony Hillery of Harlem Grown discussed the resilience nonprofits have shown and the innovations that are changing how organizations reach their audiences. In case you missed it you can view the entire discussion below!

Tony shared that “having a team to pivot on a dime during a pandemic and not missing a beat in serving our community is one of my proudest moments."  This resilience and innovative approach to the challenges we faced prove how strong our sector is and how important we are for the communities we serve. 

There was some good news shared in the conversation, too.  Giving is up!  Donors want to help and want to find ways to connect with the organizations they care about.  Do yourself – and your organization – a favor and watch the conversation with Tory, Asha, and Tony.  The innovative programming, persistence with solicitations, and importance of resonant leadership that they address will undoubtedly fill your well with inspiration and insights to carry you forward toward more success this year.

Kerry Watterson, CFRE
Fundraising Well

 

The Panel:

Victoria Bailey	Asha Curran	Tony Hillery

 

Help us continue to bring great programs like this to the fundraising community in New York! Your donation to AFP-NYC today will support our ongoing programs and help us expand access to fundraising education for all.

The Ralph E. Chamberlain award, inaugurated by the AFP-NYC Chapter in 2012, is designed to honor an area fundraising professional for a lifetime of service to the fundraising profession and to AFP and our Chapter. Anyone who fits the criteria is eligible, except for current AFP-NYC Board members, or Board members designate or elect. The Award is presented annually at the Chapter's Annual Meeting in January.

Ralph E. Chamberlain, CFRE had a long and distinguished career of service to the AFP, beginning in the 1960s when the organization was first established as the National Society of Fund Raisers (NSFR), through the late 1970s when the name was changed to the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE), and until his death in 1999. Ralph helped form our NYC chapter, then the Greater New York Chapter. Most of his fundraising career was spent with The Salvation Army, serving many years as the director of development and director of the National Information Service. He was also founder and chairman of the board of Precise Kit Promotions Inc., a manufacturer of disaster aid kits for private and government agencies. He was a deeply committed philanthropist and volunteer and devoted much of his time to education, health and arts programs and causes. He served on the board of Hartwick College (Oneonta, N.Y.), Hassett Healthcare (Cooperstown, N.Y.), Glimmerglass Opera (Cooperstown, N.Y.), the Farmer’s Museum (Cooperstown, N.Y.), the Bergen County, NJ 200 Club and the Do-er’s Club of Bloomingdale, N.J. He frequently helped those organizations with their fundraising campaigns and other activities. A music lover himself, Ralph played the trombone with a professional orchestra in Syracuse. Ralph’s dedication to the organization was widely known. Because of his long-time support of the Foundation’s annual fund and generous planned gift, the IAFP Board of Directors renamed their Conference Scholar Program in 2000 to honor his memory and commitment to the Association.

AFP-NYC is proud to present the 2021 Ralph E. Chamberlain Award, honoring an area fundraising professional for a lifetime of service to the fundraising profession, and to AFP and our Chapter, to John Hicks, Principal and Founder of DLBHICKS, LLC.

John is Principal and Founder of DLBHICKS LLC, a consulting practice that provides fundraising guidance and support to nonprofit organizations from grassroots to global. John is a member of the faculty of Columbia University's Master's Degree in Nonprofit Management program.  He serves as a lecturer for the Rutgers University Institute for Ethical Leadership and an instructor for Candid’s “Proposal Writing Bootcamp.”  John has been awarded "Stellar Speaker" status by The Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and has appeared as a featured speaker for The Chronicle of Philanthropy, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and Institute of Fundraising (UK). He is a contributing author to After the Grant (Foundation Center, 2010) and to The Nonprofit Handbook: Fund Raising (Wiley, 2001).

A Certified Fund Raising Executive, John is a former member of the Board of Directors of AFP International. He is past president of the AFP New York City Chapter and has served as Chair of Fund Raising Day in New York, the nation's largest one-day conference on philanthropy.

Chapter Leadership Brief 1.15.21

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

2020 is now hindsight. I entered the New Year filled with a sense of hope for the healing that is sure to come to our fractured world: a world that continues to battle a global pandemic and a country that faces conflict and division.

Then a few days later, I watched in horror as the events unfolded in Washington, DC. Violence erupted in our Nation’s Capitol. Our democratic process was threatened.  Lives were lost. The fallout and reckoning from the events on January 6^th have only just begun. Lessons will follow from what was a seminal day in our history. 

The challenges we face in this New Year are deep and pronounced. I will admit that when taken all together, these challenges can feel insurmountable to me. Or worse, they can even become like background noise crowding out everything else including the good that is in the world.

I have been asking myself how I can cut through the background noise and face these challenges. What is my role in doing so?  I certainly don’t have all of the answers.  Here is how I am approaching 2021. While 2020 is hindsight, I am trying to take a few lessons I learned during this strange, sad, tragic year to heart:

1. Life and each moment we draw breath is precious.
2. Every life deserves to be honored—despite and especially when—far, far too many are dying.
3. Be Kind.
4. “Lean in” to relationships and make the time and effort to connect whether it is a donor, loved one or colleague.
5. Listen for the wisdom that comes from these interactions.
6. Making a difference is not just about big ideas and gestures.  It is also about the everyday interactions we have with the person in front of us (or with whom we engage on zoom). It is often about what we call “the small stuff,” which we know is not so small at all. 
7. As a professional fundraiser I have the opportunity—and dare I say the responsibility—to help people respond to the challenges we face in the world by connecting them with tangible ways they can support. 

What’s on your list? We all have an opportunity and role to play towards healing our fractured world. 

As Mother Teresa shared “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today.  Let us begin.”

So let us begin today and each of the days we are given to make the world a better place. 

Think about your unique gifts and talents, and I hope you will engage in the conversation at the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  We are stronger when we work together and when more voices representing the deep, incredible diversity of our communities are represented. 

If you have not already done so, I encourage you to join us at our annual meeting on January 28^th.  Click here to register or for more information.

Thank you for your leadership and commitment to professional fundraising—and for all you do to help people make a difference, one moment at-a-time.

With gratitude and hope,

Jill

By Margaret Holman, President of Holman Consulting, Inc.; AFP-NYC Board Member
 

Our long time AFP-NYC board member and my friend Penny Stoil passed way the morning of December 26, 2020 after a short battle with cancer.  Penny’s talents and contributions have been felt for decades and will continue to be felt for decades to come.

She co-founded Projects Plus Inc. in 1972 with Fran Liner after 15 years each as Vice President of Berend Associates.  During her long and stellar career in the field – aided by her background in writing and public relations – Penny has helped manage hundreds of fundraising galas and raised nearly $1 billion for a wide variety of charities.

Penny was actively involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) since its founding, and was a member of AFP-NYC’s Board of Directors, on which she has served proudly for more than 45 continuous years.  She is one of only three persons to have been elected as an Honorary Member of its Board.

She taught Special Events at the New School and NYU for the Chapter’s fundraising courses for a decade and is one of the Founders of Fundraising Day in New York.  She has been part of FRDNY’s Executive Committee since its beginning and generously donated the Projects Plus staff’s talents to manage each FRDNY since its founding. 

She was the recipient of the Woman of Achievement Award, presented to her by Women in Development (WID), and was AFP’s prestigious Ralph Chamberlain Awardee. In addition to the Board of AFP-NYC, she served on the Board of Directors of the Veteran Feminists of America.  In her spare time, she mentored many fundraisers and wrote books and articles.

Penny will be greatly missed by her companion, daughter and granddaughter, as well as by hundreds of friends and members of AFP New York City.