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!

My team and I are once again faced with the increasingly complex task of creating an event that is not just another “charity chicken dinner” as one of my esteemed fundraising colleagues recently and accurately described the never-ending stream of sit-down dinners littering the New York City social calendar. Early last month my fellow panelists and I discussed the complex challenge of executing exciting events at the AFP-NYC 2020 Annual Meeting at Current at Chelsea Piers, and throughout the lively discussion, there was one common thread and shared frustration – how to make your event stand out among the competition so that new donors will be interested enough to stay for the mission pitch and existing donors will remain engaged year after year.

Whether your gala is your largest annual fundraiser or the event that your board insists on keeping because “we’ve always done it”, there is always an opportunity to make it new and exciting. Consider the following when planning your big event.

• Keep it Fresh. Stay on top of trends and new technologies that can improve upon tried and true fundraising tools, and don’t be afraid to take a chance on trying something new.
• Cater to Your Audience. If you know your attendees love to network, build in the time for them to do that. But be sure to dispatch well-trained staff and volunteers to interact with them.
• Steward on Purpose. You’d be surprised at how many organizations do not have a “play book” when walking into their event. Your entire staff should know all of the key players in the room. Greeting someone by name without having to look it up can go a long way toward making a guest feel special, and that feeling will be remembered. Be sure to provide your staff and board members with talking points and targeted lists and seat locations of donors to cultivate at the event.
• Recap Immediately. Find out what worked and what didn’t, and share information while it’s fresh. Have a staff member compile notes and share them back out to the team for review.
• Survey Your Event Volunteers. They often have great insight and a fresh perspective to share.
• Streamline Your Program. Pay attention to whether or not your guests are leaving before the program ends. Use video to introduce honorees for efficient time management and to change it up. Try not to have the same person on stage for long periods of time, like the Oscars but shorter.

When all is said and done, remember that the gala is the hook. You want to make your guests fall in love with the mission and want to expand giving beyond the event. We all know that a well-diversified revenue stream is the ultimate goal. To that end, I invite you to attend our next professional advancement event30 Ways to Move Your Donors: Cultivation Ideas and Tactics to Move Your Donors to the Next Level of Givingthat the chapter has planned this year where you can learn from industry leaders about corporate social responsibility, capital campaigns, tips for closing the ask and much more.

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. 

Our ability to drive the needle and inspire meaningful philanthropic support depends on a positive image of our institution and its mission.  It also depends on a positive image of our development program.   When I think of brand-building in development, I focus on three areas:  Strategy, Positioning, and Trust.

Strategy. It is important to align our fund development strategies with the mission, values and strategic plan of our respective organizations.  Robust fund development planning that is informed by our respective organizations’ current state and fund development industry practices helps us design fundraising programs, staffing and other resources to achieve the greatest potential for our organizations. 

Positioning.  Demonstrating the importance and strategy behind development activities and how they impact the mission of my institution is critical. Sharing some metrics of fundraising performance—particularly growth—is helpful, but I find storytelling to be the best and most interesting way to engage people.  Earlier in my career, I focused on communicating impact to donors.  I have learned it is just as important to engage colleagues across the institution who are delivering the mission.  It is important they understand the impact.  Every person in the institution can be a champion for philanthropy and help amplify the efforts of the development team.  Colleagues who are particularly passionate about the mission often become the most loyal donors. 

Trust I believe the most critical ingredient to building a strong development brand is trust.  In my experience, trust is earned over time through:

• A well-executed development program.  These include the basics of development operations such as prompt, accurate gift acknowledgement and correspondence, well-written proposals and appeals, and returning calls and emails promptly and appropriately.   
   
• Transparency.  It is our duty to be honest and transparent about the successes of our programs and instances where we fall short. If a program is not meeting its goals, it is important we inform its donors.  It is the right thing to do, and it helps to build stronger relationships with the donors.
   
• Loyalty.  It is important we are loyal to the institution we are serving and its mission while being respectful of the interests of our donors.  It sounds simple, but there will be instances that donors asks us to accept a gift not aligned with our mission or goals.  Most times the donor has worthy intentions and we may be able to re-direct them to another initiative that meets their goals. But sometimes we need to say no to gifts. And sometimes donors have questionable intentions. It is important the institution we are serving has trust that we as development professionals will handle these situations with integrity.
   
• Ethical Fundraising Practice.  Trust also relies on ethical behavior and adhering to both the letter and spirit of the law.  AFP has a Code of Ethical Standards that outlines this and offers courses that help fundraisers learn how to navigate this. 

Building a strong, well-respected development brand is an ongoing exercise.  I believe it is work that is never finished and to be honest, there are some days I think we succeed at this more than others.  Its importance on our ability to engage donors to make a meaningful difference cannot be understated. 

Thank you for all you do to serve our sector and inspire this meaningful difference.

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

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…

This year marks the 60^th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).  Although, back in 1960, the organization wasn’t known as AFP.  It was originally chartered as the “National Society of Fund Raisers” or NSFR.  For those of you who have been in and around fundraising for a while, you may be asking, “Hey, what happened to the ‘E?’  Wasn’t it NSFRE, the National Society of Fund Raising Executives?” Well, yes it was, but that change wasn’t made until 1977, when NSFR(E) moved from New York to Washington, DC and hired its first paid president.

In 1964, the transition of NSFR to a national, chapter-based organization began in (where else?) New York City as what is now NYC AFP became AFP’s “founding chapter.”  And, in the 56 years since, we haven’t looked back.  Our membership and educational programs led a nascent industry, whose professionals yearned for standards that would hold fundraisers to a code of ethics.  AFP offered a way for the fundraising profession to be truly legitimized, something that we, at times, still struggle with today.  Fast forward to today, and AFP is a robust international organization, comprised of more than 240 chapters with over 31,000 members in 8 countries.  AFP’s individual and organizational members collectively raise over $115 billion annually.  Now, that’s impact!

As you’re reading this, we will have likely just concluded our chapter’s 2020 Annual Meeting, graciously hosted by our friends at Abigail Kirsch at Chelsea Piers.  Today, we celebrated the many people that made 2019 so great and those who will make 2020 even better.  As I look forward to working with our many volunteers, staff, colleagues and friends in 2020, I wish everyone a healthy, happy and productive New Year.

As a reminder, don’t forget to join us for our next professional advancement event, 30 Ways to Move Your Donors: Cultivation Ideas and Tactics to Move Your Donors to the Next Level of Giving at Scandinavia House on Thursday, February 20 at 8:00am.  I hope to see you there!

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

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.

So, off I went last Thursday, ready to steel myself with the latest and greatest tools, procedures and methodologies for giving our customers the best treatment.  It didn’t take more than 10 minutes into the presentation for me to figure out that what I was learning was 100% equivalent to how nonprofits should be treating their “customers,” namely their donors.

One of the first points made was that, to be successful, you have to treat your customers with sincerity; they are your partners and you are trying to make things right.  This is no different from how we should strive to treat our donors.  If we mistakenly referred to you by the wrong name or failed to send you an event invitation that you were expecting, the canned response of “sorry for the inconvenience” just doesn’t cut it.  Instead, let’s agree on a way to make things right and make sure this never happen again.

Another tidbit I learned is that, before you can fix a problem, you need to know that you have a problem.  How many days does it take for you to acknowledge a gift?  How many donor visits has your team made this week?  If you don’t know the answers to these questions, chances are that you have a donor service problem.  You have to proactively measure your team’s performance to understand whether your donors are being treated the way they should be.

Another thing that I learned was that customer support is a subset of a larger, more important measure: customer experience.  Let’s think about the donor experience for a minute.  Sure, we want to fix problems that donors have – and that’s your version of customer support.  But, what about those donors you rarely engage?  What’s their experience like?  Are you keeping them informed of the latest developments?  Are you engaging them in your mission through volunteer or educational programs? Building lifelong relationships with your donors is a key component of the donor experience. 

As we head into 2020, I hope that you keep the donor experience top of mind.  I also hope that you’ll join us for our chapter’s Annual Membership Meeting and State of the Industry event on January 17^th at Chelsea Piers.  Early bird pricing is still in effect, but you need to hurry! Click here to register.

By Susan Fields, CFRE

Are you finding it increasingly difficult to acquire new donors and keep the ones you already have? Recent studies show that first-year donors retain at about 25% while donors that have given more than once renew at approximately 60%. Because acquisition is far more costly than retaining repeat donors, the processes of stewardship and cultivation have become increasingly important. With the advent of technology, the rules of the game have changed, with a 25% decline in direct mail appeals over the past eight years. The good news is that the number of channels through which your organization can communicate has increased to include email, social media, your organization’s website, and mobile devices. 

Five Recommendations for Marketing Your Non-Profit Across the Generations 

The Next Generation of Giving Research Series conducted by Blackbaud in 2010, 2013, and 2018 details the multichannel communication preferences and giving habits of individuals based upon their age cohorts. While not everyone fits into a generational mold, there is a lot to be learned from the research regarding how, when, and where to reach out to each group. Matures (born before 1945); Baby Boomers (1946 and 64); Generation X (1965-1980); Millennials (1981-1995); and Generation Z (1996 and beyond). 

1. Focus on the generations that will provide the biggest return on  investment.

Boomers have at least another decade at the top of the giving pyramid. With the average age of a donor at 64 years old, 78% of Boomers contribute a whopping $58 billion annually, representing 43% of all giving. Although the Matures group is dwindling in size, 78% of this cohort are responsible for an impressive $29 billion in annual giving. Keep this in mind when you are feeling pressured to spend a disproportionate amount of time and dollars cultivating younger groups.

2. Keep Generation X in mind when it comes to Bequests and Trusts.

While 55% of Generation X gives a total of $33 billion and $20 billion respectively, their cash gifts are still considerably smaller than that of previous generations. Statistics show, however, that 30% of this group has created an estate plan—with another 25% in the process of doing so. It is important to note that within the next decade this generation will be ready to take their place at the top of the giving pyramid—followed five to ten years later by Millennials.

3. Get back to basics.

Redouble your efforts around creating personalized relationships. Learn your donors’ interests, expectations and the channels where they are most apt to communicate. All generations engage in both online and offline communications and agree that direct mail is an acceptable way to be stewarded. Important to donors of all ages is personal responsibility to give back in a meaningful and personal way. Generation Z gives small gifts spontaneously and values recognition, while more seasoned donors budget for their gifts and are less interested in being outwardly awarded for their generosity.

4. Put your house in order.

The state of affairs in how your organization operates will determine the quality of your communication with donors. Unsupportive work environments, silos, limited resources, and the lack of ability to collect actionable data are all detrimental to relationship building. Although no environment is perfect, if you are in a leadership position, it will be necessary to examine your office culture and make the necessary adjustments. Generating change is often easier in smaller organizations due to less bureaucracy. Change in larger nonprofits often results from more organized planning with top administrators and possibly even a committee of the Board of Directors.

5. Commit to testing new ideas.

If you tried something that didn’t work in the past, it doesn’t mean it won’t work today. Possibly the consumer market has caught up with your ideas or you are more agile in adapting to donor needs in terms of preferred channels of communication. Social Media, moving at a slow and steady pace, is becoming viewed as an extension of philanthropic efforts. The older generations are likely to make a gift through a “peer to peer” online campaign—with younger donors both participating and contributing. Of course, members of younger generations tend to be more open to communicating and giving through mobile apps and text messages.

Five Ideas for Creating a Successful Partnership

by Susan Fields, CFRE

AFP-NYC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, July 18, 2019, Scandinavia House, New York City

	“Recruiting a CEO is a highly instructional process for a Board, especially when an organization seeks to become increasingly donor focused.” Rick Martin, Director of Development Ronald McDonald House
	“Collaborate with the CEO in targeting the hardest working  members of the team and validate them for their efforts. Jennifer Beirne, Chief Development Officer New York Cares
	“The greatest challenge of the Executive Director is  defining  the chain of command within the organizational structure."   Susan Newman, Vice Chair New York Edge
	“The CEO and Director of Development need to be strategic in sharing the institutional knowledge of the organization.” Gary Bagley, Executive Director New York Cares

 

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 partnership, when functioning optimally, will extend to all the organization’s constituencies, create profoundly positive change, and dramatically increase fundraising revenues.  People come to their jobs with distinctly different personalities, skills, and capacities, and there is no one recipe for building and maintaining a successful working relationship. For that reason, it is important to treat the ideas and concepts listed below as guideposts to understanding and avoiding the most common pitfalls and moving toward boundless professional growth.

1.        Accepting and working with imperfect situations. We have all heard about boards that contribute millions to their organizations as well as CEO’s who are eager to spend a lion’s share of their time soliciting major gifts. It is easy to wonder why these things aren’t happening in your organization and you may even accuse yourself of failing in some inexplicable way. Whether you are new at your job or have considerable experience, keep in mind that you do not have control over the culture and structure of your organization. What you can do, however, is define the barriers that stand between your nonprofit and successful fundraising, and take incremental steps in creating change where possible. You might also consider that some organizations are more apt to raise major gifts due to their history, the constituencies they represent, and the appeal of their mission.

2.        The source of conflict between the CEO and Director of Development. The structure of a nonprofit is inherently unique in that it requires leadership to manage and motivate a broad range of constituents and staff members, all with different goals and agendas: program staff, volunteers, board of directors, donors, community, and fundraising staff. While it is the prime responsibility of the CEO to direct the overall functioning of the nonprofit, the role of the Development Director is that of chief revenue generator. The former is the protector of the entire institution, with the latter serving primarily as advocate for the organization’s donors. When the CEO views fundraising as a necessary evil, spends limited time cultivating donors, and is reluctant to ask for money, the Development Director can easily feel unsupported in their role. On the other hand the CEO may justifiably feel torn in terms of priorities.

3.        Dealing with the “miracle worker” syndrome.  Often a Director of Development is hired to “save” an organization in financial distress. This unfortunate state of affairs is most usually a symptom of poor management and neglect of the fundraising process by the CEO and Board of Directors. For this reason it is important for job candidates to ask questions during the hiring process regarding the CEO and Board of Director’s commitment to fundraising. If you find yourself working in such an environment, accept the fact that you will be toiling long hours. At the same time this scenario can prove as a training ground for leadership and an opportunity to create substantial change in a nonprofit’s future. It is likely that during a crisis the CEO and board chair will be more amenable to accept counsel from the new Director of Development as to what needs to change. This can be fertile ground for building a relationship with the CEO in re-harnessing the power of the organization’s constituencies.

4.        The CEO as advocate for fundraising.  As the chief administrative officer, one of the most important roles of the CEO is to integrate the work of development team within in the organizational structure. This means educating the board and staff regarding the importance of fundraising.  As part of this process the CEO encourages the Program Director and Director of Development to work together in supporting one another’s goals. It is also the responsibility of the CEO to work with the Board Chair to create a document which defines the role of the board in fundraising which should include give/get expectations, attendance at events, and establishing a Board Development Committee. In support of the Director of Development the CEO also helps secure funding for the human and material resources needed to fulfill his/her responsibilities. Annual evaluation of the Director of Development allows for feedback and validation regarding performance as well as collaborative goal setting for the coming year.

5.        Personality Traits of the Director of Development. We all come into this life with a unique of combination abilities and a distinct style of relating to others. Because the leader of a fundraising team works with divergently different constituencies it is necessary to have the ability to switch communication styles with each group based upon their unique needs. This means possessing the intuitive skills to read the mindset and expectations of a major donor as opposed to a member of the program staff. A temperament of patience, flexibility, and the proclivity to create a calm and accepting work environment are paramount. This includes the willingness to work behind the scenes while giving others center stage to receive accolades for their achievements. Nothing is more important than bringing these personality traits to bear in working with the CEO in creating and maintaining a partnership that will best serve the mission of the organization that they represent.

Jill Scibilia, CFRE, AFP-NYC Secretary

“Do something every day that scares you,” was the advice of one of my early mentors, a high school teacher.  I am not sure I do something that scares me every day, but I will recount something I did recently that scared me.  

I ran a race last month and invited folks to sponsor me to raise funds for my organization.  

Of course we call this peer-to-peer fundraising in our industry.  There are now a multitude of excellent solutions provided by vendors who serve our industry, many of whom are generous in supporting our AFP chapter.  Their solutions are easy to use and sync with all of the social media platforms.  As fundraisers, we equip those who agree to walk, run, bowl—and yes, even rappel from a building—to raise funds for our worthy causes.  We provide tool kits, messaging, training, swag and pep talks.  All designed to make it easy, right?

Yes, and no. 

During my tenure as a fundraiser, I have helped to position more individuals than I can count who agreed to raise funds for worthy causes by inviting people to make gifts in their honor—individuals who agreed to be honored at a gala, those who agreed to walk or run…and so on… 

Now I found myself in the shoes of these individuals. 

I can recall many pep talks that I have had with these individuals over the years including some prominent figures with names you would recognize.  They asked questions like: Will people support me?  What if I fail to make my goal?  I always had a ready supply of answers for them.  But I had not truly been in their shoes or understood how it felt—until now.  

It is a humbling experience, and I will admit that I wondered who would respond and sponsor me and if I would make the fundraising goal that I set.  

The race was last month; I finished and completed my fundraising campaign, and I did make the fundraising goal I set.  I am deeply grateful to all those who supported me and encouraged me along the way.  And yes, I am grateful for the turnkey solutions provided by those who serve our industry.  Equally gratifying is what I learned from the experience.   

I encourage you to follow the advice of my high school teacher—maybe not every day, but with some regularity. Doing something that scares us (or that is outside of our comfort zone) can teach us so much.  It also allows us to achieve goals we did not think possible.  Think for a moment about the collective impact this makes on the organizations, causes and people that we serve.    

AFP provides the support and network that helps us to think big and to step outside of our comfort zones (and often the much-needed pep talk from a colleague).   

Thank you for the work you do and for the ways you stretch to make the world a better place.  Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season.

Gary Laermer, AFP-NYC President

Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations
Pace University 

While I am beginning the final weeks of serving as the President of our great Chapter, I’ve had the chance to reflect on the role AFP-NYC will play in shaping the future of our profession.  In the process, I came to realize that probably at least one-third, if not half of the positions and titles that will lead development shops beyond the next decade don’t even exist today.

There is great interest today in how philanthropy professionals will significantly move the needle on transforming direct response campaigns into “movement campaigns” that have broad appeal to both current and non-donors to your cause.

How will data analysts and social media experts begin to lead our old-school time-tested annual campaigns and turn them into lower cost funding and advocacy efforts?  How will our research offices write briefings about a potential donor whose first contact from us might be an IM, shared posts, or some other experience, rather than just cold-calling and asking for the chance to meet? Which of our development shops will lead the way in realigning our organizations’ honored giving societies and turn these efforts into community building initiatives around what donors are most passionate about? How will the building of these communities be staffed and led?  Which development shop will find the resources to add a behaviorist to the team and help organizations really understand how their donors behave, give, volunteer – and most importantly, why? 

Of course, we’ll also have to look at the role of development offices in planning new and compelling strategies for using brand positioning and cause and impact reporting to stay relevant in the minds of donors and supporters. 

With all of these potential changes and more coming to our profession, I suspect the role of our AFP chapter will only become more important in helping our sector leaders stay current and well prepared to face the challenges of the future. 

I believe that AFP NYC  is in great hands with the Chapter’s incoming leaders, and I would like to thank Steve Jacobson, Jill Scibilia, Craig Shelley, and Michele Hall-Duncan for commitment to our work and wish them great success in leading the Chapter forward.  I would like also sincerely thank each of the Board members and staff leaders I have had the privilege to work with over the past two years.  Bravo for a job well done!!

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

How Do We LEAD?

Three weeks ago, fellow AFP-NYC board member, Kerry Watterson, and I headed out to Phoenix, where we had the pleasure and honor to represent our chapter at the AFP LEAD conference.  

Steve Jacobson, AFP-NYC President-Elect
CEO, JCA, Inc.

While there were certainly sessions about how to lead and manage a chapter at the LEAD conference, there was quite a bit of programming around how you, as a development professional, can lead at work and in your personal life. Even though Kerry and I did our best to split up and attend as many of the sessions as possible, there were often competing sessions with compelling content that we just couldn’t get to. Yes, the content was that deep and good.

Paul Schmitz, the CEO of Leading Inside Out (https://www.leadinginsideout.org/), delivered a really inspirational opening keynote. Paul has spent much of his professional career helping organizations and communities build their collective leadership to achieve greater social impact. He regaled the audience with true and poignant stories from his 21 years of service at Public Allies (https://publicallies.org/), whose signature program has helped more than 5,000 diverse young leaders turn their passions to make a difference into careers working for community and social change. Paul, himself, was the poster child for this “anything is possible” message. As a teenager, Paul turned his passion to effect social change into a career and now, 25+ years later, he’s become a beacon in the sector for harnessing leadership potential.

There were a number of other LEAD sessions that I found to be incredibly interesting and helpful. One session, led by Karen Dyer, focused on the role of emotional intelligence in a person’s ability to lead effectively. Fun fact: emotional intelligence is twice as important as technical skills or IQ as a factor in effective leadership. Don’t feel that you have a high level of emotional intelligence? You can learn!

If you’d like to find out more about emotional intelligence or any of the other LEAD topics, you can download the conference materials here: http://afplead.org/handouts.

While the LEAD conference was fantastic, AFP outdid itself in presenting the inaugural Women’s Impact Summit immediately following LEAD. The Summit was a tremendous success, as it was completely sold out with 200 registrants. A couple of highlights: our partners at The Ohio State University released the research findings on the prevalence of sexual harassment in our industry – notably from colleagues and donors. The Women's Leadership and Development Program also graduated its first class of participants.  Congratulations!  And, we heard from incredible leaders in our space, including Mpumi Nobiva, Kim Churches, and Teresa Younger.

This may seem like a pitch for each of you to attend next year’s LEAD and/or Women’s Impact Summit. Well, it is! There is so much that AFP offers our members and I urge you to take advantage of these benefits. I hope to see at next year’s LEAD conference October 1-3, 2020 in Indianapolis.

Jill Scibilia, CFRE, AFP-NYC Secretary

Jill Scibilia, CFRE, AFP-NYC Secretary 
VP, Development
Phelps Hospital Northwell Health 

My colleagues have written about the state of the fundraising sector in the last few leadership briefs, reflecting on results from a recent study about low retention rates among fundraisers.  They shared some insightful reasons for this and how we as a profession can work together to address this.

I think it is critical that professional fundraisers work together to ensure that the worthy missions we serve have the well-trained, effective fundraising staff they need and deserve.  The Association of Fundraising Professionals-NYC (AFP-NYC) gives us the platform and resources to do this.   

Training is an important part of the equation. AFP-NYC offers this through our flagship one-day conference:  Fundraising Day in New York, our best-in-class Professional Advancement Series and through a multitude of other continued education offerings. 

We also need to have the heart to do the work of fundraising to be truly effective.  Fundraising is exciting work, but we have tough days.  Our impact as fundraisers is not always apparent and truly transformative gifts can take months and even years to secure.  

So how do we avoid losing the heart we need to do our work effectively and the heart we need to stick with this work?  AFP-NYC is also a convener.  It brings fundraisers together so we can share stories that inspire us and speak to the heart of what we do.  We share best practices, and when needed, support each other on the tough days.  

I thought I would share a recent story of an encounter I had with a donor that spoke to my heart. 

I was speaking with a donor about a gift he intends to make towards a project that has meaning to him. We touched on many topics over the course of the conversation including the uncertain state of the world and his concerns about the future. 

Then he said something I will always remember. He said, “Jill, you know what I find? I find that Americans are generous people.” 

With this simple statement he reminded me that as fundraisers we have the privilege of matching generosity with mission.  This is the heart of what we do and it is why I love the profession.  

It is not every day that I hear this articulated by a donor so clearly—though there is a long tradition in the United States of solving problems through philanthropy.  We know generosity can change our communities and the world.

So that brings me back to our profession as a whole.  Worthy missions and the donors who ache to support them through their generosity need us. They need fundraisers who are effective because of the skills and heart we bring to our work.  

The Association of Fundraising Professionals understands this.  AFP is not just committed to advancing the fundraising profession; AFP is committed to advancing philanthropy to ensure non-profits can achieve their missions and make the world a better place. 

Through my engagement in AFP, I have the opportunity to meet and make connections with more fundraisers than I can count. It has made a huge difference to me and has helped me find heart on the days I needed it the most.

Thank you for your engagement in AFP.  I want to encourage you to attend National Philanthropy Day, our flagship event of the fall, scheduled for November 6, 2019.  This event is all about heart.  It celebrates inspiring leaders and nonprofit trailblazers in New York and throughout the world, and the power of inspirational stories to motivate generosity.

I hope to see you on the evening of November 6^th or at another upcoming AFP event.

Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place.