By Jill Scibilia

It’s the last gasp of summer…admittedly, I will be headed out on my summer vacation the day this article hits.  When I am back it will soon be Labor Day and the beginning of one of the busiest times of the year.  Well, all seasons are busy now—even the summer as our Chapter Treasurer Craig Shelley pointed out in the last issue.  But let’s just say that fall is special.  

Sometime after Labor Day—the exact day shifts a bit each year—everyone who was gone all summer: volunteers, board members, donors and other friends suddenly come back with a loud “We’re here!”  And those who were here say, “We’re still here!”

I don’t know about you, but my e-mail in-box overflows.  My calendar is filled with board, volunteer and committee meetings and staff planning meetings.  My “to-do” list includes a long list of folks who wanted to reconnect in the fall or with whom I am trying to make a connection.  

You may think I’m crazy, but in the midst of the busiest times of the year, I have learned that adding a meeting or two is helpful to me.  I have found connecting with development colleagues to be even more important in busy times.  It doesn’t have to take as much time as you might think, and like me, you may find that you earn the time back. Whether it is meeting someone for coffee, attending a session or joining a committee meeting, I feel re-charged.  And this means I can give more to the mission and donors I serve.   

Here are some suggestions for your Fall Calendar:

• Take an hour and schedule a coffee or grab a drink with a development colleague from another organization sometime in September.  No agenda: just connect.
• New to the field or to NYC and looking to make connections with colleagues?  There is no better place for doing this than AFP.  If you have not already joined AFP, I encourage you to do so.  It is one of the best investments you can make in yourself and that your organization can make in you.  There are countless ways to get involved and to connect.
• Join one of our committees.  It is a great way to meet and collaborate with other fundraisers, to build your network and to give back to the profession. 
• Attend one of our professional advancement events to learn and exchange best practices.  We have a fabulous line-up this fall.  Check out the next two sessions:
  • October 11th:  Diversity in Fundraising
  • November 8th: Pulling Back the Curtain on Donor-Advised Funds
• Join us on National Philanthropy Day on Monday, November 19th.  Don’t miss this special celebration of a day set aside to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy—and those people active in the philanthropic community—to the enrichment of our world.

Check out our events calendar to learn more.  

Enjoy your last bit of summer and I hope to see you at one of our events this fall.  The work you do and your voice and engagement in our fundraising community matters.  Thank you for all you do to make the world a better place.

By Craig Shelley, CFRE, Chapter Treasurer & Managing Director, Orr Associates, Inc. (OAI)

In the summer of 1991 DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince set the expectation that the summer was the time to sit back and unwind.  They lied to us.

If there ever was a time where the summer slowed down for fundraisers it has been long forgotten.  And I think that’s ok.  The needs we fundraise for don’t shut down in the summer nor does the interest of our donors.  For some causes and donors, I’d actually argue the summer is the time of greatest need and opportunity.  We have an obligation to use the summer to connect with donors and attract philanthropy just like we do the rest of the year.  The challenge is how do we do so while still carving out time for ourselves and our families.

Unlike Will Smith, I don’t want to set any false expectations so let’s be clear I do not have a magic solution that will allow you to hang out at the Jersey Shore all summer yet still actively raise funds.  My only suggestion is to maximize the time you can when you are at work.  Stack up the donor meetings you can during the days you are working.  That prospect with a home in Brick, NJ? Perhaps you can arrange a visit during your drive down to LBI on a Friday killing two birds with one stone.

I know it can be daunting balancing the needs of the missions and donors we serve as well as those of our families and our own internal need to relax and recharge.  My only advice is to relax and as a mentor told me long ago remember that we aren’t doing brain surgery.  By and large our work will always be there tomorrow.  But I’d simultaneously remind us all the urgency of our work.  Every day we don’t raise the funds needed to advance the missions we work on is another day the challenges we face go unsolved.

So, happy summer.  Enjoy it.  But don’t entirely sit back and unwind.

If you have ideas or suggestions for our AFP chapter please always feel free to contact me directly at cshelley@oai-usa.com.  If you’re interested in my thoughts on fundraising and news in the sector, sprinkled with the occasional picture of my kids, please follow me on Twitter @craigshelley.

Thank you for everything you do.

By Gary Laermer, AFP-NYC President

I am often asked about the value proposition of membership in AFP. I hear that it is easier to attend several of our excellent Professional Advancement sessions and Fundraising Day in New York than is to join. And of course, we need to do what works best for us and our organizations. However, I would like to share two points for your consideration.

First and foremost, AFP is a community. A community of philanthropy professionals and partners that support our work. This was on full display at the June 22 Fundraising Day in New York. It was so affirming and refreshing to be with nearly 2,000 others who share common experiences, understand the challenges I face every day, and can serve as friends and mentors to pick me up when I’m down and congratulate me when I succeed.

There is value in being part of something big, part of the AFP community. I also believe that, for the many professionals from small and mid-size development shops, being part of a community provides opportunities to build lasting friendships, hone our skills and best practices as development professionals, and learn about the exciting work that our colleagues are doing across the fundraising world.

It is also a powerful statement by my employer that they value my professional development and want to invest in my growth. When an organization covers the cost of an employee’s AFP membership and activities, it sends a signal that they see that employee as an asset and as an integral part of their philanthropic strategy. Beyond compensation and benefits, there is no greater commitment an organization can make in you than being committed to your continued learning and connecting you with thought leaders in your field.

If you’re engaged with AFP, whether through attending Fundraising Day or other Professional Advancement programs, thank you—and please keep coming! If you’re already a member, thank you for being a vital part of our community. And if you’re just thinking about joining, please know you’ll be welcomed with open arms!

By President-Elect Steve G. Jacobson

Were you one of the 1,777 people who attended Fundraising Day in New York, our chapter’s signature event, on June 22nd?  If you were, you were able to choose from 11 different tracks of superb educational content.  Our speakers represented some of the brightest and innovative thought leaders in our industry.  And they came from such forward thinking development shops as NYU Langone Health, the ACLU, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Human Rights Watch (just to name but a few…).

But perhaps you didn’t come for the 43 stellar educational sessions.  Maybe workshops were your thing – a bit more hands-on training to take back to your organization.  Yes, we had an afternoon chock full of those, too.  Oh, and did I mention career mentoring?  Perhaps you were one of the 80 or so participants who received career advice from some of the top development professionals that New York has to offer.

Or maybe it was something else that led you to come to Fundraising Day?  It certainly could have been the inspiring keynote address given by Kendra Sinclair, the Partnerships Manager for Social Good at Facebook.  Or the Top Ten Tweets of 2018, presented tongue-in-cheek by industry guru John Winkleman. Or was it the to-die-for chocolate mousse dessert that our longtime host and partner, the Marriott Marquis, served to top off an exquisite luncheon?

For me, Fundraising Day is all of this – but it’s a whole lot more.  It’s about being surrounded by people who do what we do.  People who understand what we do and why it’s so important. There’s an incredible energy that you feel.  Whether it’s due to first-timers who are so excited to be a part of a tremendous event or seasoned professionals who are keen to share their vast knowledge and experience, you just feel it. And, I can assure you, as someone who has just experienced his 27th Fundraising Day, it never gets old.

But our chapter’s work doesn’t end with Fundraising Day.  We have some truly great professional advancement programs planned for the second half of this year.  And we know how to have fun, too!  Please join us for AFP NYC’s Summer Happy Hour on Thursday, July 19th at 6:30pm at the Royalton Park Avenue.  And don’t forget to register for our next professional advancement event, Event Hidden Treasures: Mobilizing Your Board and Volunteers Before, During and After the Event on

Thursday, July 26th at Scandinavia House.  See you there!

By Jill Scibilia

Fundrasing Day Matters 

Today is Fundraising Day!  One of my favorite days of the year.  Today, more than 2,000 of us are gathering for what I think is the best one-day conference devoted to our work on the planet.

I have a confession to make.  I attended my first Fundraising Day several years into my fundraising career.  It was much further into my career than it should have been.  There are many reasons for this and excuses I could give you, but the truth is that I did not invest enough in myself and my own career development early in my fundraising career. 

There was always a pressing matter, a reason I told myself it would not possible, mixed with an endless list of to-dos (I have always been good at making lists).  The biggest barrier I felt was the time commitment.  It would mean time away from my endless lists…time away from the “face-time” I felt I needed to put in at the office with my colleagues or with donors and board members.

Then I attended my first Fundraising Day (now several years ago) at the recommendation of a trusted development colleague.  And I realized I had been thinking about it the wrong way.   I realized I needed to invest in myself.  I needed to put the oxygen mask on first, so that I could bring my best self to my mission and the people my organization serves.  I owed it to them and I also owed it to myself.   

I was thinking about the Fundraising Days I have attended over the years and here is a partial list of what this one day has helped me to accomplish:

• I have learned what I do not know
• I have learned what I already know and felt affirmed that I was “on-track” or not the only one.
• I have met development colleagues who “get me.”
• I have identified external resources that could help my organization get to its next level.  Sometimes organizations need outside counsel.  I have found Fundraising Day to be a great place to evaluate multiple options that might match with what my organization needs at the time. Whether it is campaign counsel, communications solutions, direct response options, event firms or new venues to try for events…it is an excellent place to make these connections.   
• I also found a new staff member when we needed additional staff capacity.  Two years ago, I ran into a trusted development colleague at Fundraising Day. She gave me a personal referral and her referral is now a key member of our staff team. 

The biggest takeaway I get from Fundraising Day every year is a sense of pride in our profession and what we collectively do to make the world a better place. Because you do.  For all those attending Fundraising Day today, I hope you walk away with that feeling of pride in all of the ways you make NYC and the world a better place. 

I also encourage you to join me in thanking everyone who made Fundraising Day Possible this year: the incredible Volunteer-Run Fundraising Day Committee, our Speakers, our generous Sponsors, our Partners who run the event and our Hosts at the Marriott Marquis.   

Whether or not you attended Fundraising Day this year, please know that the world you do and your voice and engagement in our fundraising community matters.  Thank you.

By Susan Fields, CFRE

We have all heard stories of highly respected nonprofits—as well as for-profit businesses and corporations—facing the challenge of protecting their reputation during or in the aftermath of a scandal. This abrupt “fall from grace” can take the form of irresponsible, and often illegal, financial practices or questionable behavior of executive leadership, board, or employees. Although a crisis usually occurs suddenly and unexpectedly, these upheavals are most usually a symptom of dysfunction that has been silently brewing for years or possibly decades. This AFP-NYC Panel Discussion discussed the various steps nonprofits can take to minimize their organization’s vulnerability to crisis and avoid such events whenever possible.

Six Strategies for Managing or Avoiding an Organizational Crisis

1. A crisis is often made public before the nonprofit knows it occurred. Have plans and policies in place should your organization be faced with an unexpected public relations emergency.
    
2. Develop tools in advance for releasing communications for social, print, and television media. Target only the audience that has learned of potential crisis as opposed to “advertising” to those who might never learn about it.
    
3. Make sure that your closest supporters hear about the potential problem from your organization first. This allows you to explain what occurred as well as maintain trust should the crisis escalate to a wider audience.
    
4. Rather than answer all the questions asked by the media, explain what your organization is doing to resolve the situation in a timely fashion. Emphasize your nonprofit’s ongoing commitment to its mission and values. 
    
5. Make sure that your nonprofit’s financials are both clear and understandable. Bureaucracy and complexity can sometimes lead to lack of transparency which can erode the trust of your constituency.
    
6. Conflict of interest, breach of ethics, “mission drift”, and failure to keep commitments are the most common causes of a crisis. Once the problem has been abated, hold an intensive review to avoid a recurrence.

By Steve Paster of Alpine Creative Group, Steve Feder of CheckIn Tech, and Reed Baker of Text-To-Pledge

It’s the start of a new event season and you told yourself you wouldn’t overbook your calendar ever again –– but here you are, in a familiar situation needing solutions for event logistics in a flash. Don’t fret or break a sweat. Pulling together resources from within the event planning community is why we’re all in this together. Once you have the date and venue nailed down, it’s time to think about the guest experience. With overwhelming options and technologies, we put this article together to help give a simple 1-2-3 solution for the most common problems when planning an event. 

Step 1 - Design & Printing of Save The Dates & Invitations

Step 2 - Guest Check-In Technology and Services

Step 3 - Mobile Fundraising Technology

Step 1 - Alpine Creative 

Once your event details are confirmed, we all know how important it is to send out a save the date. These are generally done as postcards and can be mailed by themselves or inserted into an envelope. Save the dates do not have to match the theme of the event. They provide information content only and serve as a reminder to your potential attendees. Invitations, however, should match the theme of the event. This will add to the excitement and anticipation of your gala.

Invitations and the process involved around them can be daunting. There is design, paper stock, logos, ink color, etc. The decisions can be exhausting. Using a notable design team is key to ensure your invite speaks directly to the guest. Take this one step further by using a team who offer total vertical integration including all components of the invitation process, from concept to completion … AKA less weight on your shoulders! It is key to use a design team that understands both how to design for these aesthetics and still maintains the economical goals for the project. Alpine Creative Group fits this niche perfectly, because they specialize in custom invitations for non-profits. They produce these quickly and cost-effectively at their store and factory in Manhattan.

While Alpine offers total vertical integration – from concept to completion – they also do not charge a design fee, which saves non-profit organizations up to $5,000 depending on the complexity of the project. All clients are also provided with a fully printed invitation proof at no charge, prior to full production. Since the design department and manufacturing division are located on the same premises, there is total communication and coordination for production specs and timelines. Alpine can also serve as the fulfillment house and mail out the invitations as well. Talk about integration!

Step 2 – CheckIn Tech

Once the invitation plan is set, it’s now time to focus on guest registration. We’ve found that check-in and registration are often overlooked when the final steps are taking place prior to the event date. Do not put yourself or your staff in the position of scrambling to figure out a guest check-in plan. Instead, go with a company that allows clients to focus on the event and not be stuck sitting at the check-in tables. CheckIn Tech brings the iPads along with MiFi hotspots and uses a proprietary software application which checks in guests digitally and seamlessly creating zero inconveniences. Everything is easily installed using Microsoft Excel. A service like this also requires very little lift from your end. Each event package includes a dedicated on-site manager makes sure your volunteers are trained which ensures your guests have a pleasant guest experience. 

Want to create a great first impression for your guests? Skip the traditional 8 ft. registration tables and go for high top cocktail tables. They take up less room and more importantly your team can greet guests at eye level which is more welcoming.

Step 3 - Text-to Pledge

Now that the invites are out and the guest check-in plan is set, it’s time to focus on raising money. With all the technology out there promising to raise more money from your donors, it can certainly be a challenge to find the right fit for your event. Consider a service like Text-to Pledge® which is the top mobile fundraising platform in the nonprofit gala space. Guests are invited to text a number to donate with customized messages displaying live on a screen if desired. An option like this only enhances the overall event experience and maximizes participation and revenue in major donor environments. Text-to Pledge® offers a variety of model customizations to fit your budgetary needs, so that you can really profit from ease.

Keep in mind that many of your event attendees are likely unpaid guests of sponsors, with dramatic ranges in giving capacity. Even if you have used traditional onsite fundraising models (i.e., silent auctions, cash calls) you will likely leave money on the table without adding a platform like Text-to Pledge®, which allows people to give according to their personal preferences – as high or as low as they’d like, as publicly or as privately as they'd like. Offering attendees the choice for the "style" in which they'd like to give only maximizes participation and thereby revenue. 

So when you find yourself knee-deep in the web of logistics for your upcoming events, remember that there are solutions out there for you to utilize which don’t break the bank. Committing to companies who have a trusted model as well as non-profit experience such as Alpine Creative Group, CheckIn Tech, and Text-to Pledge® is the way to go.

Steve Paster is the founder of Alpine Creative Group, www.alpinecreativegroup.com

Steve Feder is the founder of CheckIn Tech, www.checkintech.com

Reed Baker is the founder of Sophist and creator of Text-To-Pledge, www.texttopledge.com

By Ryan Grosso, Orr Associates, Inc.

It can be challenging to stand up and speak in front of a crowd. Knowing what is at stake for your organization ramps the pressure up even more. Here are some tips to help you prepare to speak at any fundraising event, whether large or small. Use these best practices to win over a crowd and make new friends for your organization!

First, Know Your Audience

Make sure to answer these vital questions

• Whoare you addressing? What do they know about your organization? Are they current donors? Are they prospects? Tailor your remarks and your level of detail to the crowd.
• What is your goal? Why is everyone gathered together? What is the goal of the event? Make sure to confirm your expectations and review your talking points with your organization’s leadership or the person responsible for the event, to ensure everyone is one the same page.

Second, Make Sure You’re Prepared

Think about how you will connect with your audience

• Establish credibility and approachability. What is your story? Why is this cause important to you? Making it personal will enhance your audience’s sense of connection.
• How can you connect to your audience emotionally? Think about how your experience with an issue/cause could be similar to someone else’s experience.

Develop your speech’s flow

• Focus on 2-3 main concepts.Group your remarks into 2-3 overarching sections. This will help keep the audience focused and make it easy to follow along. For example: 1) My experience with this organization; 2) How the organization’s work has impacted me; 3) Why the audience’s involvement is important/meaningful.
• Transitions are key. Flowing seamlessly between sections helps keep the audience engaged.
• Include stories. Speak to your story or the story of someone in your life. Including personal references will draw the audience in and help them understand the importance of the cause.
• Avoid common pitfalls. Avoid using overly complex or specific descriptions; stick to the highlights instead. Try and avoid using too many numbers. Facts and figures can be compelling but adding too many can cause the audience to lose attention. Lastly, less is more. Stick to your talking points, as tangents can confuse a crowd and disengage listeners.
• The closing. Speak to why you choose to support this important cause. Communicate why your audience should act now.  

Third, Remember This While You Are Speaking

Commit to your remarks and engage with your audience

• Speak from the heart. Don’t just read your notes. Make eye contact with your audience and speak passionately and with vigor. Stand tall and proud. Body language is key!
• Let your passion flow. Don’t be afraid to show emotion and vulnerability; they help bring the subject to life!
• Take a deep breath and have fun with it!Your audience will be relaxed and engaged if you are.

Following these tips will ensure your public speaking success and help you engage individuals in your organization’s mission. Now go out there and get them!

By Craig Shelley, CFRE

Fundraising Day in New York is right around the corner being held this year on Friday, June 22 at the New York Marriott Marquis.  This annual gathering of nearly 2,000 fundraisers, philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and service providers serves several purposes.  It’s the unofficial kick-off to summer.  It’s a great opportunity to connect with friends and former colleagues.  It is the place to pick up the latest tricks of the trade and trends while reinforcing best practices.  I’ll admit the first two purposes are what makes the event so much fun.  But I think what makes it so special is the opportunity to be reminded just how large our NYC community of fundraisers is.

I’ve had the opportunity to look out from the stage and from the balcony during lunch and it’s a powerful sight.  Nearly 2,000 people that do what I do.  People that are committed to the greater good of our community and work incredibly hard every day to ensure all of us collectively have a better tomorrow.  It’s easy as we toil away in our own corners of the world for this to feel like a lonely profession.  We often hear, “no.”  Many of us work literally alone as development offices of one and increasingly in our connected world are working from home, truly alone minus the occasional interruption from a roommate, partner, spouse or child.  But one day each year our community comes out in force providing an opportunity to learn and for camaraderie.  It’s powerful and I know I go home each year with my head held a bit higher and a bit of a skip in my step proud to be part of such a vibrant community.

As a chapter AFP NYC is proud to put on this special day and eager to infuse the rest of the year with similar opportunities.  Whether it’s a professional advancement session, a young professionals happy hour or one of our myriad other events, our intent is to mirror on a smaller scale the feeling of camaraderie and opportunity to learn and grow professionally that you’ll experience on June 22^nd.  I hope we’ll se you there.

If you have ideas or suggestions please always feel free to contact me directly at cshelley@oai-usa.com.  If you’re interested in my thoughts on fundraising and news in the sector, sprinkled with the occasional picture of my kids, please follow me on Twitter @craigshelley.

Thank you for everything you do.

By Pinky Vincent, Police Athletic League

Cecilia Clarke, President & CEO of Brooklyn Community Foundation, will be presenting at Fundraising Day in New York on a hot-button topic in philanthropy  – “The Double Bottom Line: Diversity, Inclusion and the Future of Grant Funding.”

Last year, Cecilia was also part of AFP-NYC’s panel titled Diversity Deadlock? – where she and other panelists discussed lack of diversity in nonprofits' internal structures and boards as well as ways to promote equity and inclusion.

In a wide-ranging interview with Pinky Vincent of Police Athletic League, Cecilia offered a glimpse of the topics that will be discussed at the FRDNY session on June 22nd.

From your vantage point, why is diversity and inclusion becoming so important to funders such as Brooklyn Community Foundation?

As a community foundation that represents the borough of Brooklyn – where 70 percent of residents are people of color – we need to have an understanding of racial justice in all the ways that it impacts our work. We are taking a holistic view - from staffing to how we write our RFP. It is a long journey and we are just at its beginning. We don’t necessarily have the solutions but we are working towards smarter grantmaking by supporting community groups that are closest to the ground and are closest to the solution. 

How can fundraisers demonstrate that their nonprofit is also beginning a journey towards diversity and inclusion as a core value – either through conversations with a program officer or through an RFP?

Sincerity and honesty always wins the day. I ran a nonprofit (Sadie Nash Leadership Project) and I am also a fundraiser. We are interested to hear that you are willing to have the imagination of what could be different.

Just because we have the money does not mean that we have the knowledge. This is a path that grantmakers and nonprofits can forge together. For example, the foundation’s Spark Prize is an opportunity for nonprofits to start thinking about racial justice and inclusiveness. And this grant is an opportunity for us to represent the values of Brooklyn. But it is a reciprocal relationship – we are also learning. Through this grant, someone out there may share a beautiful story about their journey toward racial justice that then shapes and informs our own work going forward.

One of the reasons often given for the lack of diversity on nonprofit boards is that members primarily have fiduciary and fundraising roles to accomplish. Does this current model need to change?

It’s a great question. That’s why I used the word “journey.” Dismantling power structures is hard work. We have a business model that is functioning but we also have to take ownership of the values we want to have – that’s where you start thinking differently about the board, our fundraising. This binary view that a “white” board is a fundraising board and that a “non-white” board is a non-fundraising board is anachronistic. It also demonstrates a lack of imagination which is astounding in 2018. We need to be questioning and finding solutions when things are not working.

At the AFP-NYC panel last year, tokenism came up several times during discussions. When nonprofits take on diversity and inclusion initiatives, how do they avoid tokenism?

When we are still talking about tokenism then I guess we are quite far away from change. It is not enough to say that a person of color is on a board. It has to be a board that is welcoming to all different viewpoints and welcoming to a person who is representative of a group. In some instances, while doing the work of diversity and inclusion things might superficially look as tokenism but it is actually a road to fairness and integration. Because the alternative could be that we don’t even include a person of color on the board for fear that it will appear as tokenism.

What about diversity and inclusion initiatives within a nonprofit’s staffing structure? How is this influencing foundations such as Brooklyn Community Foundation?

It is incumbent on a nonprofit organization to create a space that is welcoming to all kinds of diversity, and investing in the leadership of people from traditionally marginalized groups. We should question certain structures – such as why are development salaries higher than that of program staff, traditionally staffed by people of color?

Even businesses such as Rent the Runway are questioning such power structures.

As a nonprofit, we are obligated to do more work. If we want to improve the world, let’s start at home.