Chapter Leadership Brief 11.4.2022

By Derrick Denzell Spencer
Fundraising Consultant

I was raised by a single woman. My mother is tough, and I’d often joke as a child that she was a man when it came to emotions. She doesn’t cry often, but when she does, it is usually because of death or something equally as serious.

Nonetheless, my mother is an OG, which worked to my advantage growing up without a present father. And because I understand that the world we live in - the society that we fundraise in - thrives under the protection and financial security of father-led families, I am particularly invested in exploring the betterment of matriarchal families. I also understand so many families like mine were forced into matriarchal ones for a myriad of reasons.

I am a Black American who was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. I am the descendant of enslaved people, though my grandmother has told me she can’t recall where those ancestral lines fall. And I know she’s being honest. The truth is easily lost between my people's vaguely documented history and the over-compensating pride we’ve had to create to survive. (I haven’t even factored in the re-envisioned remembrance of our past that some traditional philanthropists prefer to share.)

Professionally, I am a non-profit fundraiser. And contrary to popular belief, I do not beg for money but I do ask for it. While I understand the necessity of asking for help, I think that’s the part of my job that gets far too much attention though.

“The Ask” can be empowering - especially when you’re a person who is used to being treated as a charity - I have learned that fundraising allows me something else. It allows me to share my story with people who wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise.

In our everyday lives, we’d have no reason to talk. We wouldn’t go to the same grocery stores or religious services. We wouldn’t even sit together at school or work. Thus, the chances that we’d interact are slimmer.

However, donors do have to talk to me when they donate their families’ legacies to improve the world - or get a tax break. Either way, they get to interact with the descendants of an African whose American experience has been tainted by enslavement. I can have an intentional conversation with the descendants of the people who captured, humiliated, and tortured my ancestors. And rather than simply ask them for money, I get to engage with them about the ills of the world in the aftermath of their families’ reign.

My being male in this patriarchal society means a lot to me. I get to wear it as a badge of honor and strength. As a five foot-five-inch man weighing a record-breaking one-hundred forty pounds and living not only the Black experience in the United States but the queer one, I am holding on to that status. And I’m doing everything I can to protect people like my mother and others of the femme and non-male experience. And when I consider the traumatic racial history of the nation that I live in and love, I feel compelled to put on an armor of patriotism that allows me to peel back all of the flaws that hold my country in a chokehold.

What has been healing for me as a Black gay male fundraising professional has been a connection to other Black men in the sector. My classmates, friends, manager, and mentor have all understood my responsibilities as a Black person and as a man. (Some even understood the weight of being a same-gender loving person.) And all of them have poured into me in a way that has fueled my effort to address the trauma within philanthropy. If not for them, I would not have had the fortitude to continue working in public service. I certainly would not have reframed the purpose of fundraising in a way that makes sense for me as a professional fundraiser.

"What has been healing for me as a Black gay male fundraising professional has been a connection to other Black men in the sector."

My Black male colleagues and friends in this work are David, Daryl, Razak, Denzel, and Joshua. They helped me gain a sense of dignity while making a case for “charities” that help people who have been pushed aside because of racism, sexism, and classism, people who have been silenced because too many fathers have been stolen from us, and people who have been labeled desperate because of the color of their skin.

All of the men I named deserve to be recognized as leaders in the philanthropic space. I am not suggesting that maleness is the reason for this respect, though it would help level the playing fields for their respective families. I recommend that they be given their honor as leaders because philanthropy in this country depends on the leadership of its most villainized, victimized citizens: Black men.

Black men bring a level of empathy to the social sector that can only be gained through lived experience. We grow up in a world where, to some, we evolve from pitied victims of suffering and transform into disregarded members of society deemed unworthy of executive roles with salaries that actually commensurate with our experience. We experience all these things while we have been tasked with protecting and providing for our spouses, children, and mothers - ones like mine who raised boys without fathers in the face of an unfortunately patriarchal landscape.

Chapter Leadership Brief 11.4.2022

By Adam M. Doyno, MPA, CFRE
Executive Director, CUNY SPH Foundation
Director of Development, CUNY SPH Graduate School

As our profession emerges from the pandemic and its consequences to both nonprofits and many of the constituents we serve, it is time to rethink the wartime moniker of the “frontline fundraiser” in favor of a more equitable and accurate term.

For one thing, it implies that the lead fundraiser is a swashbuckling rainmaker enabling all the other functions of an organization - from researchers and grant writers to program managers – to exist.  This creates a hierarchy that runs counter to the culture many nonprofits seek to build as we work towards common goals.

Having myself toiled over strategy and preparation materials for major fundraising meetings earlier in my career, I can attest that the folks working exclusively in front of a screen, going cross-eyed over a spreadsheet or database, are as critical to the overall success of the “ask” as is the person making it.

For another, the term conveys a combative, conquering approach that I believe is outdated, and possibly offensive, to the donors who are considering partnering with us. Those relationships are best realized when we cull our resources creatively to achieve better outcomes for the people and communities we serve.

So where did this term come from and why is it so prevalent? To try to get answers, I turned to the Internet, with predictable and unsatisfying results. Consultants trying to transform you or your fundraising staff into a frontline fundraiser. Books and classes about how to evolve into a frontline. Webinars through an affinity network to become “frontline” ready.

I next reached out to fellow fundraisers, friends that I have made or worked with or for over the course of 16 years. Amongst all the feedback I got from very respected individuals throughout our field in different domains and sectors, there was one mystifying common thread:  there was no common definition.

When I dug deeper, I could see that the term – which seems to have emerged to prominence in the early to mid 2000s – is used haphazardly to describe those individuals making the “ask.” Some were ambivalent to the term but felt younger fundraisers saw meaning or value in it. Some wore it like a badge of honor. Some went so far as to say that its meaning has evolved over time and now implies anyone who works in advancement and not just those who are meeting prospects. Others felt it evoked an allure for the fundraising role – and a great deal of responsibility.   

What this told me is that the term has no real definition - but does have a major impact on our profession’s ability to hire and cultivate fundraisers and staff.

So, let’s take a fresh look at the role and its part in our organizations – and begin to reimagine how we describe it.

Some organizations do need rainmakers: fearless individuals who exude passion for mission and charisma in a way that wallets explode in their mere presence. But not every nonprofit needs this type of fundraiser and not every fundraiser should be expected to be this person.

In fact, we as the Association of Fundraising Professionals can redefine what “frontline fundraiser” – and indeed “frontline” itself, means.

I’m not sure that these phrases need to exist, but they are not going away anytime soon. That is why we as an organization should take a leadership role in this discussion. Much like a Donor Bill of Rights, or Code of Ethics, our group is uniquely positioned to spark this conversation.  

We must ensure that these words are not being misused or misunderstood by fundraisers, executives, or volunteers. This includes articulating and elevating what it means to be part of the advancement team, even if they do not sit at the table where the "ask" is made. While many fundraisers take great pride in the term, we should carefully consider how it lands with our colleagues whose skill sets lie in grant writing or prospect research, and how it shapes an organization’s culture.

Much like in a restaurant, in our industry there is the front of the house and the back of the house. Without those behind the scenes who prepare the food and orchestrate the logistics, those in the front have nothing to offer our guests.  

In particular, when what is being offered are strategies for greater equality and commonality, we must hold ourselves and our terminology accountable. 

Chapter Leadership Brief 10.20.2022

By Marilyn Alexander
Development Officer, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

Over the course of the last three years, in the wake of George Floyd and other ongoing current events, I have participated in a number of conversations about why diversity in philanthropy and fundraising is important. Time and time again, it has been established that diversity and inclusion create access to new networks, broaden an organization’s reach and increase their chances of success in donor engagement and retention. Diversifying fundraising teams leads to more understanding and better and broader perspectives in donor engagement strategies. But has anyone thought of how it can also help promote fundraising as a valid career choice to the next generation of philanthropists while in an attempt to attract a more diverse and inclusive talent pool?

Having grown up as a first-generation American in an immigrant household, the only career options I knew of were the “traditional” ones of doctor, lawyer, or nurse, as these were the professions that were most popular with others who “looked like me.” Part of their popularity status was due to the promises of job security and financial stability, two things that were highly valued amongst members of my ethnic community. The thought of “When I grow up, I want to become a professional fundraiser” never crossed my mind because I did not even know it was a career option, especially since I did not see or know of anyone who “looks like me” sitting at that table. A career in philanthropy only became an option after I dropped out of law school to pursue my master’s degree in International Affairs/Global Economic Development in New York City. To afford having a social life in the city, I was forced to juggle two part-time jobs, one of them as a student caller for my university’s Annual Fund Phonathon. It was a very rewarding part-time position, and I looked forward to each and every single shift when I could connect with alumni of my program, and get advice with regards to career options post-graduation, but I never thought it would be what lead me to my career today. In the middle of the third semester of my program, during one of my shifts, my supervisor and I were talking about career aspirations. She asked me if I had ever considered entering into a career in fundraising. When I replied no, she asked me “Why not?” I simply replied “No one told me it was a career option, especially for someone who ‘looks like me.’”

Throughout middle and high schools, as well as in college, I attended various career fairs and informationals, some of which were specifically targeted at women and BIPOCs. There were panelists who hailed from professions such as engineering, law, and the health sciences, but never was there an individual to speak to targeted audiences about the wonderful field that we all belong to. No one to present the idea of embarking on a career in fundraising and philanthropy and how rewarding and fulfilling it would be on so many levels as well as present another option for all those individuals who “looks like me” – one that provides also plenty of job opportunities and career growth, which also leads to financial stability. Perhaps if there had been a fundraising professional at one of those career fairs I attended, maybe I would have been able to save myself the time, energy and money spent stressing and agonizing over the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and embarked on a career path that I am excited to be on. While I cannot go back in time and change history, instead of focusing on the perhaps of what could have been, maybe I can help the next generation by being one of those people who paves the ways for the other individuals who “look like me” to pursue a “non-traditional” career that is just as important and just as meaningful as a “traditional” one. This in turn can lead to an even wider, more talented and more diversified pool of fundraisers and philanthropists who all share the same mission at the end of the day – to make the world around us better for future generations to come.

Now is the time for us to take a stance to “do better, be better” and spread the word of what a career in fundraising and philanthropy is to those who “look like me” and may not even know of it as an option. Let’s not just focus on diversity and inclusion when it comes to how we can better engage and retain a broader donor base, but let’s also place importance on what we could potentially be doing for the future of our field.

Chapter Leadership Brief 10.20.2022

By Jennifer Moore, AFP-NYC Treasurer
Vice President of Development, DoSomething.org

 “We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.” —Stephen King

This time of year can be a scary season; not only because Halloween is upon us, but we also have the midterm elections looming in less than three weeks, we’re putting the final touches on our end of the year giving campaigns and we’re all trying to understand what is our new normal in a post-pandemic world. 

As the Fundraising Community has shown time and time again, a little fear can’t and won’t hold us back. It is together that we derive our strength to truly create change and have an impact on the world around us. While it seems that we are busier than ever before and schedules are tighter than we remember in 2019, I encourage you to create space to leverage all that your AFP NYC Community offers to get through the next ten weeks until year-end! 

I will highlight three small ways that AFP-NYC is here to support our Fundraising colleagues and I challenge you to take advantage of at least one:

2023 Mentorship Cohort Program
We are currently accepting applications, until October 31st, for our 2023 Mentorship program. You can apply to be a mentor, a mentee or a member of the Committee. This 12 month program pairs mentees with a seasoned fundraising mentor and the opportunity to work on self-selected professional development goals. More details and application materials can be found on our website. 

National Philanthropy Day Celebration on November 10th
Embracing I.D.E.A. in Your Year End Fundraising, a National Philanthropy Day Celebration - Virtual Event

This event is co-produced by our Emerging Leaders and IDEA Committees. Join this great lineup of panelists for a candid conversation as we discuss how organizations can embrace inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (I.D.E.A.) in year-end fundraising efforts. Learn how your organization can stand out in the end-of-year crowd by showing your constituents that you reflect their voice and values. From storytelling to prospecting to communication techniques, we all must truly embody I.D.E.A. to succeed. Learn more and Register Now for this event. 

Save the Date: Fundraising Symposium on December 6th
In person at the Scandinavia House

This half-day symposium will provide workshops and conversations around Fundraising Planning & Strategy; Stewardship & Individual Giving; Grant Writing & Research and an AMA on Career Development. Keep an eye out here for speaker announcements and more information coming soon!

Chapter Leadership Brief 10.7.2022

Deb Brown, CFRE  (She/Her)
AFP NYC Emerging Leaders Co-Chair 
Senior Major Gifts Officer, The Ali Forney Center 

Live in the now. Advice I’m sure we’ve all heard before, but as a fundraiser I don’t think I’ve ever truly allowed myself to take it. There’s always a campaign, event, budget season on the horizon. The calendar says October but my brain is currently trying to jump to December. And this year, I think I’ve felt that more than ever. Year end is looming and, like all of us, we have big plans for it. 

My charge to you, fellow fundraisers, is how can we undo that thinking? How can we live in the now? Because fast forwarding through our campaign calendar will only get us so far. Your supporters are looking to engage with you and your organization right now. They don’t want to wait for exciting things that are happening in three months. They want to know what exciting things are happening next week. And my team, and my organization as a whole, deserve to have our right now wins celebrated as they happen. Meaningful fundraising work can happen between Labor Day and Giving Tuesday. We do not have to wait in limbo. 

So as I head into my year end fundraising efforts I’m practicing living in the now. It’s hard. As fundraisers we are good at pressing the fast forward button. Here are things I’m practicing and I hope they’ll be helpful for you. I’m engaging in timely volunteer opportunities within my agency with our donors. I’m opening my office window and smelling the crisp fall air to remind myself it is, in fact, still fall. I’m working on taking the phrase “let’s wait until” out of my vocabulary. I’m no longer keeping a mental countdown clock of the number of days until the next campaign. I’m asking myself, how can I engage with my team, with my mission, and with supporters today, not tomorrow. 

And if you need a reminder, engage with our AFP Chapter. We are all in the trenches together. When you see me at the next event, ask me what I’m doing to stay present and please share any tips you’ve found helpful. We are each other’s support system and accountability partners - how lucky are we.

Chapter Leadership Brief 9.23.2022

By Erica Joy West
Co-Vice Chair Communications Committee, Transformational Coach, and Consultant

At the start of the pandemic, like many professional women, I left the workforce. At the time, I was a full-time caretaker for an elderly family. Although I’m not a parent, caretaking is caretaking, just replace online classrooms with telehealth appointments and everything else is pretty much the same-- including the days when ice cream for dinner is good enough.  Caretaking was a second full-time job, so taking a break from fundraising seemed like the right decision.

In those tough times, I reprised my clinical background in mental health and started a coaching business to help women and girls navigate their emotional health and the uncertain future of their professional development.  Over the past couple of years, I noticed a pattern among the professional women that I coach. An alarming 90% of them cited their greatest challenge to advancement as a lack of confidence. Jaw drop.

When I spoke to these women it was clear that they were smart, engaging, and insightful with innovative ideas to solve serious social issues in desperate need of solving. From the outside looking in, no one would describe them as lacking confidence.  Yet these women often underestimated their abilities and felt they needed more experience before they would take a chance in leveling up their careers. And this is not exclusive to the nonprofit sector. The 2020 KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit Report noted that 75% of female executives experience Imposter Syndrome. 

This does not negate the very real systemic barriers for women in nonprofit leadership, but it does speak to how many women view themselves. As women, we are very visible in the nonprofit world, yet there is a big hill to climb when it comes to our presence in leadership.

Women’s self-confidence impacts the sector and the systemic barriers and dysfunction within nonprofits can greatly impact women’s confidence. The environment does matter and can have implications on our confidence, no matter how many superwoman leadership webinars we take.

Here are two things you can do today to create change within yourself and the sector to shift the leadership gap.

Find Your Tribe

I have a group of professional female colleagues that I call my “Board of Directors.” We give each other career advice, share ideas, make referrals and networking introductions, and provide emotional support when times are hard. A strong network of women that you can trust is essential to career development. We often don’t prioritize this enough, because we are stuck at our computers working late making such everything is perfect before we sign off for the day. Close the laptop. Go out and find a tribe of professional women that you vibe with-- women of diverse ages, backgrounds, and professional experience.

Build Self-Awareness

Our thoughts and emotions are like a secret language and once you learn it, it can become your greatest ally. Understanding your own thoughts and emotions can help you combat fear and other emotions that are crushing your confidence and paralyzing you from moving forward. I keep a journal on my iPhone notepad. I write down any time I am “triggered”. If an emotion pops up that is disrupting my peace, productivity, and connection with others, I write it down----thought, emotion, and behavior (what I did). Whenever I am self-doubting or questioning my decisions, this can be a powerful tool for factual self-reflection to put things back in perspective.  

75% of United States nonprofit leaders are planning to leave their positions in the next 5-10 years.  You are ready for this.

Chapter Leadership Brief 9.9.2022

Why You Should Apply for AFP-NYC’s Mentorship Program
By Victoria Shadle Williams

Last fall I was excited to see that AFP-NYC was once again hosting a mentorship program for members. When I applied to be a mentee the previous year I was not selected, so I was thrilled to be invited to join the program for 2022. While I’ve been working in development for a handful of years and had informal mentors before, this would be my first time in a structured mentorship program and it came at the perfect time in my career.

After two and a half years in an individual and corporate giving management role at a mid-sized nonprofit, in January 2022 I started in my first truly senior-level position at a small nonprofit. I went from a mid-level role on a large team to a senior-level position reporting to the Executive Director and leading all development and communications with the support of consultants and one direct report. 

It was an exciting but stressful jump with lots to prove, and just as that new chapter was starting I joined AFP-NYC’s mentorship program as a mentee. The mentorship planning team learned about my experience and ambitions through my application and thoughtfully paired me with Adrienne Cea, an experienced fundraiser who made a similar career leap herself years earlier. 

I met with Adrienne for the first time the week before starting my new job and she immediately put me at ease, reminding me that yes, this senior position is going to be challenging – but starting a new leadership position is difficult for anyone! Adrienne helped me feel more confident going into my new role. This job was a big and risky step for me, but having a mentor who had already been through that jump successfully helped me feel assured in my skills and what I was bringing to the table. 

Adrienne and I started meeting over coffee every other month or so and while we had wide-ranging conversations, she also pushed me to articulate my professional goals for the year and what I needed to do to achieve those goals. She was there as I navigated challenges big and small with volunteer leadership, hiring my direct report, and the stress and anxiety of applying for a giant government contract. Adrienne could relate to what I was going through and give advice based on her years of experience. 

At first, when I got into the program I thought the mentee/mentor relationship would be fairly tactical and the mentor would share their best practices for fundraising, but for us, it ended up being so much more – something that I truly couldn’t get from reading articles or attending a professional development event. Over time, Adrienne became a sounding board, confidant, and cheerleader. Her support was unique and valuable as fundraising careers can feel lonely at times, both out in the world where there are many misconceptions about what we do and even within our own organizations. Adrienne reminded me of the community I have here at AFP. 

As I close out my first year as a Director of Development and Communications, I’m so thankful for Adrienne and the AFP-NYC Mentorship Program. I highly recommend anyone who is eligible consider applying, even if you’ve applied in the past and were not selected. If you are lucky enough to join the program and get paired with a mentor like Adrienne, it will be well worth the time and effort.

Chapter Leadership Brief 8.26.2022

By Craig Shelley, CFRE
President-elect, AFP-NYC Chapter; Partner + Chief Growth Officer, Orr Group

It’s hot.  It’s humid.  I’m tired of showing up during my rare in office days looking like I took a shower.  I’m ready for the Fall.

That’s sort of a weird thing for me to say out loud.  As kids, the Fall meant carefree summers became a memory and you were back to the grind of school and activities.  As fundraisers, it means the busiest of times is coming, which is saying a lot now that all times seem busy.  That said, I think I’ve come to look at the Fall as, yes, a time where I will be at my busiest, but also as a time where people will have unprecedented opportunities to give and contribute to the things they care about.  And, lucky us, we get to help them do it!

Never lose sight of that.  As thankless as this work can be at times, it really is a privilege.  Your efforts improve the world.  Not too many people can say that.  So, as you get into putting the final touches on those year-end appeals, try and close those major pledges donors have been considering for months, squeeze in that last event, design the most creative Giving Tuesday campaign ever, work on next year’s budget, AND be sure to spend time with your friends and family as the Holidays approach, take some time to reflect on the difference you’re making.  You might be exhausted, but you matter.

Oh, and also, make time this Fall to engage in our chapter!  I know professional development, networking, and just being with your community of peers are the easiest things to deprioritize, but we all know the rest of the days get easier when we make time for stuff like this.  You can always see what we’ve got upcoming on the Chapter calendar here.

Chapter Leadership Brief 8.12.2022

By M. Angel Flores
Co-Vice Chair, Communications Committee

Our Existing Systems are Failing

The colonizing principles that defined our now-dying systems have been exposed as deeply flawed. The pandemic and civil unrest following George Floyd’s murder uncovered deep fault lines in our society disproportionally impacting Black and Brown people. We have seen a measure of justice recently for Mr. Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, but too many remain vulnerable. Simultaneously, many elected officials actively seek to rewrite history and sow doubt in our elections. We are dangerously close to seeing democracy die in favor of minority rule.

Most importantly, our planet is dying. The most marginalized populations globally are bearing the brunt of our collective overuse of natural resources, and many powerful leaders are ignoring the truth: that her survival is our survival.

Fundraisers must actively determine whether we are upholding or dismantling colonizer values in our practices; philanthropy is not immune to the effects of colonization. We can leverage our position at the intersection of humanity and money to shift binary thinking (either / or; us / them) to a growth mindset (“yes and”) by our approach.

Philanthropy and our Role as Wealth Stewards

Philanthropy is ripe for innovation. Several factors have converged to create a new paradigm, shifting our identity from fundraisers to wealth stewards. When we guide wealth with intention and care, we establish a two-way relationship, benefiting humanity as we enable our organizations to do their essential work.

As wealth stewards, we play a special role of connecting people with money to charities that use that money to achieve their missions. But what do we offer in exchange? Are our intentions equally concerned with the donor’s financial situation as our organization’s? Or do we often remain singularly focused on how our organization and, by extension, we can benefit?

The Soul of Money by activist and philanthropist Lynne Twist changed how I understood money. Twist describes money as a source of energy. The way in which money is requested and given will carry energetic intent: good, bad, or neutral. Edward Villanueva spoke similarly about money as medicine in Decolonizing Wealth. Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International, was the closing keynote speaker at AFP ICON 2022. Salbi concluded by imploring the assembled wealth stewards to harness this people-powered movement to address collectively our most pressing societal challenges.

All three draw from their experiences in fundraising to reveal how philanthropy upholds colonizer values while also highlighting the incredible potential inherent in our work if we are brave enough to change how we work. Have we internalized these messages and acted accordingly? How can we show our love for humanity as wealth stewards?

One Specific Solution: The Benefits of Gift Planning Culture

Innovating philanthropy will take time. Leaning into gift planning culture allows any charity to evolve into an expression of our undeniable interconnection. This fundraising method requires the entire institution, including leadership, to commit to shifting organizational culture by offering creative giving options that allow donors of all income levels to give truly meaningful gifts. Over 90% of wealth in the U.S. is held in assets other than cash; think real estate, retirement assets, appreciated assets, other tangible property. As wealth stewards expanding leadership’s focus to solicit noncash assets, we will create a deeper connection to more community members and secure the funds needed to realize our missions.

Giving USA’s Leaving a Legacy report [https://givingusa.org/just-released-special-report-leaving-a-legacy-a-new-look-at-planned-giving-donors/] confirmed that over 40% of donors first learned from their charity that making a gift could benefit them financially. This role is a significant responsibility and opportunity for charities. Ultimately, wealth stewards and their leadership must focus on what their charities can do FOR their donors, not just want they want FROM their donors.

Here's How to Begin

1. Engage organizational leadership by sharing the benefits of deepening gift planning culture for the organization, your mission, and your donors
2. Assess your wealth stewardship program for areas of growth and deeper donor engagement
3. Review and qualify current and prospective donors who have been giving consistently for many years (5-10+) at relatively modest levels for deferred gift conversations
4. Create opportunities for donors to build financial health through educational sessions hosted by local financial professionals

I am eager to find accomplices in this work, to “get caught trying...” Who’s with me?!

BIO
M. Angel Flores (she/her,) is thrilled to serve as Co-Vice Chair of AFP-NYC’s Communications Committee. She is a Senior Vice President with CCS Fundraising, currently leading the firm’s Gift Planning Practice Group, an international team focused on identifying new ways to diversify and increase revenue for CCS’s nonprofit partners. Angel is a highly motivated, results-oriented, and compassionate executive with nearly two decades of experience working with and within organizations in the health, education, cultural, and human services sectors. She has advised organizations and planned and managed campaigns ranging from $20 million to $2.8 billion with extensive expertise managing strategic operations, planning and directing large-scale campaigns, refining major gift programs, and fostering gift planning culture. Angel currently resides on the historic lands of the Munsee Lenape, Schaghticoke, and Wappinger Peoples with her family. She draws on her dance, yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic training to maintain her flexibility and strength in mind, body, and spirit. You can connect with Angel via email [aflores@ccsfundraising.com] or on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryangelflores].

Chapter Leadership Brief 7.29.2022

By Steve Jacobson

AFP-NYC Immediate Past President and CEO, JCA, Inc.

Is there such a thing as a Fundraiser Bill of Rights? Well, no, but hopefully there will be one soon. While AFP has a code of ethics and has worked with other nonprofit advocacy organizations to create a Donor Bill of Rights, there has been a noticeable void in protections for all of you, the fundraisers on the frontlines. It’s time to change that!

The Donor Bill of Rights will address key issues in our sector, including bias, sexual harassment, inequity, and racism. These are real and impactful problems. According to AFP’s recent report, “Speaking Truth to Power in Fundraising: A Toolkit,” 23% of fundraisers have been subject to sexual coercion during their career. In this study, sexual coercion was defined as fundraisers who have been asked or pressured by their employers to put themselves in a position where they would be vulnerable to sexual harassment in order to secure gifts. Some respondents indicated that they were asked to dress in a particular way to garner inappropriate attention. Others were strongly encouraged or flat out told to meet prospects in compromising places, such as a prospect’s hotel room.

AFP Global has created a task force to draft a comprehensive Fundraiser Bill of Rights. I had the good fortune to attend a working meeting, in which the task force co-chairs, Rebecca Lamb and Liz LeClair, presented an update and sought input from those on both the AFP Global and AFP Foundation for Philanthropy boards. It was clear that, while much work and thought has gone into drafting protections for fundraisers, there is still a lot more work to be done, including how such protections can be enforced.

AFP is committed to hearing from you, the fundraisers, who have endured first-hand the unjust actions, behaviors and expectations suffered at the hands of those in power. The time is now to get involved to empower and protect not only current fundraisers but the next generation of fundraisers as well. You can find more information here at AFP’s Fundraiser Bill of Rights project webpage.