AFP-NYC Educational Program

May 9, 2019 , Scandinavia House, New York City

By Susan Fields, CFRE

Technology has provided an ever-increasing number of tools for nonprofits to expand awareness and raise funds. Through combining traditional methods with website giving, email solicitations, and social media, your organization can optimize its ability to acquire new donors, obtain additional information on existing donors, and promote the impact of its mission. Check out the five strategies listed below for improving your organization’s online fundraising and communications:

1. Create a Social Media Plan. Nonprofits often shy away from creating a presence on social media because they have the impression that most of their constituents are not technology-savvy. Keep in mind that over the past decade baby boomers have become far more active on social media—with 40% of all Facebook users over the age of 55. Because social media marketing is a powerful means of expanding awareness, your initial steps will be to determine your target market and what you are seeking to accomplish—fundraising, connection to the community, volunteer recruitment, or brand and reputation-building. Based upon these decisions, you will choose one or several of the major platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, UTube and LinkedIn) on which to post updates, pictures, information on your organization’s activities, as well as a link to your website where supporters can make a contribution. 

2. Keep it Simple. Once you have attracted a potential donor to your website, the worst thing you can do is complicate your message with too much sharing or require that they travel through a labyrinth of steps. The Donate Now button should be large, at the top of the website, and carried over to all pages to avoid the necessity to backtrack. Allow the donor to make a gift within a few seconds. Do not ask the prospect to fill out extensive lists of personal information, or require them to create an account on your website in order to make a gift. If your website is quirky and difficult to use, consider updating it as soon as possible or risk sabotaging the giving process. Keep in mind that creating a nonprofit blog can provide content that you can share on other social media channels which will attract people back to your website. 

3. Launch your online program with Giving Tuesday’s free online platform. This global day of charitable giving during the holiday season provides your organization with a vehicle to test the waters of promoting online giving via social media. Started in 2012 by the NYC 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation, this event takes place annually on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving.  Driven primarily by online contributions, most nonprofits focus on utilizing email and social media for this event. It’s never to early to begin planning by first determining the audience you will be targeting, which will most probably be your existing database. By logging onto GivingTuesday.org your organization will be provided with the resources necessary to get started, including a toolkit of branding materials, videos, logos, best practices as well as examples from organizations that have participated in past years. 

4. Use traditional fundraising methods to boost online giving. Statistics show that about one-third of donors will respond to direct mail with an online contribution. Direct mail is still a highly effective method of soliciting a gift. It is far easier to delete an email than it is to ignore an envelope with a compelling image and tagline. Personalized letters that impart a sense of urgency are not as readily discarded. In order to take advantage of donors who shy away from writing checks, include the URL to your website or online donation page as well as directions for making a text message contribution. All online contributions should be followed immediately with a thank you email and receipt—and, of course, donations sent through the mail should receive a prompt acknowledgement letter. 

5. Begin by focusing on social media as a cultivation and stewardship tool. There’s a great deal of pressure lately to make these platforms an exclusive channel for fundraising when they are most effective at creating awareness of the impact of the work of nonprofits through the posting of videos, pictures, and compelling information about programs. It has been shown that if a potential donor is exposed to the posts of an organization eleven times, a gift will most likely result. So utilizing these tools will not only enhance relationships, but also ultimately attract contributions as a by-product of frequent communication with constituents. Social media presence also provides adds variety to an organizations efforts to market of special events, recruit volunteers, and attract ambassadors.

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

It’s that time of year again when I have mixed emotions.  On the one hand, I look forward to spring cleaning and the cathartic ritual of throwing out my old unwanted stuff. But, conversely, being a sentimentalist, I sometimes dread having to throw out my old unwanted stuff.  In the end, it’s all about my need to have my house in order.  In fact, you may be using something like the KonMari method to clean and reorganize your home, but what are you doing to improve your workspace?

When I say “workspace,” I’m not referring to your physical desk. Between inboxes, databases, and spreadsheets, technology has become so pervasive that it requires more time and energy to clean than our homes.  And, the challenge is so daunting, we often don’t know where to start.

The consequences of not performing routine maintenance on your donor management CRM system are far more serious than, for example, not cleaning out your closet. After all, what harm are those Bugle Boy jeans really causing?  Consider this, though: if an organization continues to put off removing duplicates in its donor CRM, and continues to run direct mail campaigns, that organization has current and prospective donors receiving duplicate mail.  Not only do our constituents not appreciate receiving multiple pieces in the mail, there’s a real cost to your organization in wasteful spending on materials, postage and labor.  Taking the time to “spring clean” your database this year is an investment that will pay off in years to come.

So, where do you start? Consider these short- and long-term fixes for improving data quality.

Do Now: Short-Term Fixes
Bring these action items up at your next team meeting.

• Clearly define what your database’s terms/codes mean.
• Identify, remap and consolidate obsolete codes.
• Set expectations for what steps should be taken to create a new code.
• Stick to a naming convention, especially for appeals and campaigns.
• Establish rules for data entry and document them.
• Use a data overlay service to provide enhanced data on your constituents.
• Train your users to enter data correctly.
• Get rid of exports, queries, and report layouts that people don’t use.

Make a Difference: Long-Term Fixes
Begin these processes to dramatically improve and filter your unhelpful data.

• Speak to your leadership; get buy-in from the top down. Help your leadership understand that poor data quality leads to poor return on investment (ROI). Point to the nitty-gritty: show the mess, and let them visualize your process.
• Get help where you need it! Whether it’s an assessment, the development of a clean-up plan, or some key data overlays (like NCOA, deceased identification, or email/phone appends), reach out for professional advice.
• Review the database and take note of its capabilities. Evaluate the issues within your database, either on your own or with a professional. Once you’ve explored the data, come up with a plan for tackling quick-wins with your team—and a timeline for the bigger projects.
• Create and enforce policies and procedures. The hardest part shouldn’t be keeping the database clean. Once you’ve done the work, implement policies to prevent the same issues from reoccurring. Don’t let your hard work go to waste.

I wish you luck with your spring cleaning.  Remember: when in doubt, throw it out!

By Susan Shattuck, Chapter Immediate Past President & President, Special Events Unlimited

On April 30^th AFP NYC Co-Chair Vikki Jones and members of the Government Relations committee, myself and AFP chapter members of Western, Finger Lakes, Hudson-Mohawk, and Mid- Hudson joined us in Albany to meet with our respective Senators, Assembly members and representatives. 

The AFP NYC chapter’s first advocacy day was four years ago.  We invited the NYS chapters to join us going forward.  Their addition adds strength and scope to our mission, and our elected officials appreciate hearing from their constituents.

Our mission is to share what AFP stands for: its scope in New York State, in the country and internationally, and its pledge of ethical and effective fundraising.

Our objective is to provide knowledge and resources on issues related to laws and regulations about giving, and pointing out non-ethical entities not aligned with legitimate fundraising.

We were well received in Albany and our discussions and feedback helpful to both sides.  One case of particular concern we met about is a pending bill requiring fundraising employees of charitable organizations to complete a course of instruction in the ethics of fundraising.  While it is a legitimate topic, its particulars and its execution are flawed. One example is the assumption that 75% of nonprofit staffers are fundraisers.  We had good meetings with the bill’s leaders, will continue our dialogue and provide feedback to Assemblywoman Galef and Senator Comrie who are overseeing the bill.

Our great thanks go to our colleagues at Bolton St. Johns for their help and expertise in setting up the eighteen meetings we had that day!

By Susan Fields, CFRE

AFP-NYC Educational Program
April 18, 2019 , Scandinavia House, New York City

In order to govern effectively nonprofit Boards must work collaboratively with development staff and major donors. The most challenging task of CEO’s and fundraising leadership is motivating and supporting their Board in its most important responsibilities: finance, planning for growth, acting as advocates, dealing with crisis and change, evaluating its performance, and ensuring the nonprofit has the resources to fulfill its mission. Review the following strategies and ideas for transforming your board into a dynamic leadership team.

1. Culture Counts– One of the most important components in setting the groundwork for building a highly-functioning Board is establishing a culture of congeniality and respect. This begins with trust and confidence in the CEO’s skills, expertise, and commitment to the organization’s wellbeing. Once this is established, an environment of “good intentions” and enthusiasm will filter down to its members. Creating a positive Board culture includes setting high expectations, promoting honest communications, and allowing debate free of politics and underlying agendas.

2. Create clear and detailed job descriptions.People tend to do best when they know exactly what is expected of them. This is true with paid employees as well as volunteers at all levels of an organization as it defines exactly what they will be held responsible for prior to making a commitment. Job descriptions should include information regarding meeting attendance, committee assignments, financial contributions, and fundraising. It’s best to create a special agreement for members who will be providing a special skill or function.

3. Everything begins and ends with the budget. The most important role of a nonprofit board is to serve as fiduciaries. Without prudent financial management, even the most successful nonprofit can fall into financial difficulty which can tarnish its reputation and threaten its existence. For this reason it is important to recruit an experienced financial expert to chair the finance committee. Duties of the committee include working with the organization’s comptroller and auditors in financial planning and budgeting, preparation of financial reports, oversight of internal controls, and setting long-term financial plans and goals.

4. Establish clear “give and get” expectations. In order to raise funds from foundations and other major donors an organization must demonstrate 100% participation of the Board in the annual fund and capital campaigns. It is considered best practice for nonprofits to have a minimum combined annual requirement for “giving and getting.” This should be made clear during recruitment, with members receiving a reminder phone call toward the end of the fiscal year. It is the role of staff to provide tools and training to members who are inexperienced in this area. Many boards specifically recruit lawyers and investment bankers who are adept at bringing in funds.

5. Board Roles vs Staff Roles. Part of the role of development staff is to provide the Board with whatever it needs to fulfill its responsibilities. Avoid the horrors of Board micromanagement by creating a document which clearly delineates the roles and responsibility of staff versus those of the Board. The CEO should be the only employee recruited and evaluated by the Board. All other staff members report to their direct superiors as stated in their job description. Because the CEO owns the relationship with the board, members of the development team need to inform the CEO when contacting board members directly unless this is pre-defined as part of their responsibilities.

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

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Association of Fundraising Professionals International Conference (ICON).  It was a remarkable opportunity to connect with old friends, meet new ones who share a passion for improving the world via philanthropy, be reminded about some best practices I’d forgotten and be exposed to lots of new ideas and approaches.  It was good for my brain.  More importantly, it was good for my spirit.

I’ve only attended ICON once before and the most impressive part of the experience is the enormity of it.  It is a unique opportunity to be surrounded by that many (3,000+) people who do the same work as you.  Fundraising is often a lonely and misunderstood profession.  To essentially have a group of us take over a large part of San Antonio for the better part of a week was inspiring.  Trading war stories, commiserating about successes and failures and gaining advice from true experts in the field inspires and is already benefiting my work now that I’ve returned home.

Next year’s ICON will be held March 29 – 31, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland.  I’d strongly encourage chapter members to take advantage of it being on the east coast and planning to attend.  But why wait to learn and be inspired?  Nearly 2,000 fundraisers will gather at the Marriott Marquis on Friday, June 14 for Fundraising Day in New York, which is equally inspiring.  I hope to see you there!

If you have ideas or suggestions for our AFP chapter please always feel free to contact me directly at cshelley@orrgroup.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 Susan Fields, CFRE

AFP-NYC Educational Program Recap

Notes from the AFP-NYC Educational Program, March 2019

There has never been a more optimal time for nonprofits to embark upon a grant writing program or step up what they are already doing. Over the past seven years, the number of grant making organizations as well as the funds available to them has shown considerable growth. In 2017 alone 86,726 foundations contributed approximately 66,900 billion dollars to charitable causes—representing 16 percent of all philanthropy. In addition to providing funding for your nonprofit’s programs, support from foundations will enhance its reputation and credibility. Check out the ideas and strategies below to maximize your organization’s success in obtaining both one-time and recurring funding through this lucrative source:

1.        It’s more than writing a proposal. Whether you have one person assigned to this task or an entire team, the grant seeking process requires more than just writing a traditional proposal or filling out an online application. With the possible exception of the CEO, the grant writing staff should know more about the nonprofit than anyone else. Spend time with your program staff in learning what they are trying to achieve and how they measure success. Detailed program information, impact data, and budgeting charts all factor into writing a winning proposal.

2.        It all begins with research. The more you know about a potential funder, the greater the chance of getting the grant. Resources for identifying and researching foundations include The Foundation Center, Foundation Directory Online, Philanthropy News Digest, GrantScape, and State Associations of Nonprofits. Learning as much as possible about a foundation will set the stage for a positive relationship going forward. Once you have determined that the funders goals align with those of your organization, the next step is to learn the application protocols and deadlines.

3.        Make it personal. If at all possible, avoid sending a “cold” proposal. Communicating with the program officer of a foundation that you are approaching for the first time increases your chances of getting the grant. Making a phone call to ask a question about information on their website can open the door just enough to draw attention to your application. If a conversation isn’t possible, try an email with a subject line reading “meeting request” or the name of a person on your board or program staff who has agreed to serve as a contact. The simplest of communications can go a long way in establishing the groundwork for a relationship.

4.        Technology, technology, and more technology.One of the most significant changes in the world of grant seeking is the transition to online applications. Lengthy explanations regarding your organization’s programs are often discouraged, with character and space limits as well as an emphasis on metrics and outcomes. Some foundations have short turn-around times with the opportunity for submitting a new proposal every few weeks. Don’t be surprised if you are asked to provide a “elevator pitch” in the form of a video. Some foundation websites erase what you have already written if you backtrack to make changes. It’s always best to map out your proposal in a word document and cut and paste the various sections once it is complete.

5.        Maximize space considerations. One of the challenges grant writers face in the age of tech is describing a complex program within the limited number of characters allowed in the application. In these situations is sometimes possible to include outcome matrixes and timelines along with the budget which is most usually uploaded in an attachment which has no restrictions. A follow-up email with a cover letter to the program officer can also be used as a tool for including material that couldn’t be squeezed into online the application. Keep in mind that attachments draw the reader away from the application text and can sometimes be passed over.             

6.        Put your best foot forward. Your proposal will tell a great deal about your organization and its commitment to excellence as well as its reliability in fulfilling its promises. Fill out the application in a manner that scrupulously follows directions and makes it easy to understand the information provided. Approach your narrative based upon how your nonprofit is going to serve as opposed to what it does. Accurate and compelling data with an emphasis on impact maximizes the chance of getting funded. It is also important to make certain that your proposal is proofread by one or more staff members to avoid errors that will undermine your efforts.

7.        Keep up with trends. Take a step back from your busy schedule to learn more about what’s happening with foundations you are already working with as well as potential funders. Talk to the program staff who know the landscape and can keep you abreast of possible strategic changes in their priorities. Google alerts can be an excellent tool in learning how foundations are branching out into areas that might include your organization. Sign up for foundation newsletters, read annual reports, review websites, and use your board to provide inside information regarding funders with whom members may have contacts.

By Gary Laermer, AFP-NYC President

Qualities vs. Experience

I recently attended a CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) conference and there was no shortage of development department leaders saying they are spending more and more of their time in interviewing and holding searches for open positions, in particular front line fundraisers.  These conversations gave me pause to think about how many hours I spent in hiring new staff. I thought about how many times I was right-on in my choices and when I realized I didn’t make the best choice. 

Over my career I have interviewed maybe a few hundred candidates for positions.  My experiences have afforded me the opportunity to consider the qualities that help make a great fundraiser and the balance of those qualities with actual experience.  When interviewing a candidate, one of the most important qualities that I consider is resilience -- can the candidate keep finding a way forward, when prospects won’t meet with you or your donors have just said no?  I also try to look for signs of a strong team player with the capacity to manage 360 degrees (horizontally and vertically) within our organization.  Candidates should demonstrate the ability to get along with peers and managers.  Recently I have come to appreciate candidates that can demonstrate a sense of cultural awareness; an ability to connect with a very diverse group of donors and potential donors with sincerity and honesty. Lastly, as there is an ever-increasing dependence on technology in our work, strong candidates show a keen understanding of how to employ its use in carrying out their responsibilities. 

I try to balance identifying these qualities in a candidate with exactly how much experience is enough to succeed.  I still see most job postings with a criteria of either 5-7, 7-10 or more than 10-years of experience required. In recent years, however, I have had a harder time in identifying those who have had 10 years of experience from those who just have 1-year of experience 10-times.  I find that I am starting to fall into the camp of demonstrated qualities over experience. 

With so many great organizations searching for high quality frontline fundraisers, I think those who can come to the table and demonstrate their ability to show strong skills in cultural awareness, highly effective team-work, grit and the ability to adapt to new technology will win the day and deliver great results for their organization.  Given the high turnover rates in frontline fundraisers, I think it’s going to get more difficult in securing fundraisers who have developed their skills based on years of experience. As we hire new fundraisers, we have to be willing to take a chance on candidates new to the field, and look more closely at the qualities our candidate’s possess.

By Steve Jacobson, AFP-NYC President-Elect

As we head into spring, many a development director (and their boards!) may be turning attention to thoughts of a new campaign.  It could be a large, multi-year capital campaign or a smaller, but critical, annual fund campaign.  Regardless, behind every fundraising campaign, the key factors to success are lots of research, planning, and… internal persuasion(!). If you want to see results, remember to ask yourself and your colleagues the following questions before you start:

1. What do we want to achieve? Have we set specific goals that are centered around our supporters or potential supporters?

First of all, agree on your goals and objectives. Make sure they are supporter-focused, specific, and measurable. But remember to keep the bigger picture in mind: does your plan fit with the wider strategic goals and the mission of your organization?

2. Are we ready to do this as an organization?

Make sure you have all the time and resources you need to execute your campaign properly. There’s no point in planning one-on-one meetings with major gift prospects if the right people on your team don’t have time in their schedules to attend. And, you won’t want to collect reams of data if you don’t have a robust system in which to store and analyze it.

3. Do we have all the necessary systems in place to measure success?

You might decide to run an email campaign to migrate one-off donors into a recurring gift program, for example. Have you identified your target segments and set up a way to measure conversions? Will your email marketing platform and CRM work together to allow you to import metrics back into your donor records?

4. Are the right people onboard?

You’ve identified everyone who will need to give their time and expertise to the project. Have you told them exactly what you’re planning, what you’ll need from them and when you’ll need it? Make sure the proper deadlines and meetings have been set in place.

5. Do we have the budget approved to complete the project in its entirety?

This might sound obvious, but are you sure you’ve budgeted for the entire project? If you’re conducting donor/prospect research or audience segmentation, for example, remember you’ll need money to implement any changes to the way you fundraise when you have your results.

6.Have we set a realistic timeframe?

Have you planned your schedule and made sure that it’s realistic? Have you checked for holidays in your calendar or for other big projects that might consume a significant amount of time? Make sure your timeframe includes these factors, as well as buffer time to account for the inevitable hiccups.

7. Have we agreed how we’ll measure success?

Did you determine the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that you will use to accurately track the success of your campaign? It’s also essential to assign an individual or group to regularly report on the metrics you need to be tracking throughout the campaign. Simply reporting on everything once the campaign is finished won’t be enough.

8. Have we collected, or set up a way to collect, the data we need to measure our achievements?

Once you have determined the metrics, did you set up processes to track the data needed for those metrics? Is everyone on the same page with how this data will need to be tracked and where this data will be recorded? It’s crucial to clarify these processes from the beginning, so you’re not scrambling to extract the data from multiple different systems at the end of your campaign.

As you can see, a successful campaign takes a lot of planning and great teamwork.  Speaking of “working” together, I hope that you will join us at our next chapter event: “AFP-NYC Emerging Leaders Spring Happy Hour” on April 4th from 6pm to 8pm at The Liberty NYC.  See you there!

Susan Fields, CFRE

One of the most powerful methods of connecting donors to your organization is though expressing heartfelt gratitude for their generosity. Your nonprofit’s relationship with a donor begins with the very first gift. If you value your supporters and wish to retain them, it is vital that your nonprofit commit to an ongoing stewardship program. The strategies listed below will go a long way in motivating donors to maintain and increase their giving. 

1. Make a plan. Lay the foundation for a strategy that makes the donor feel valued, inspires camaraderie in working toward a common goal, and builds loyalty. This will require mapping a calendar of personalized expressions of appreciation tailored to various segments of your donor base. Consistency and frequency is important in keeping donors engaged and motivated to increase the number and amount of their gifts. 
    
2. Know your donors! Personalizing your communications with donors will require that you know something about them--their interests, preferred channels of communication, level and habits of giving as well as family and community connections. Much of this information can be found in your database; however, an online or mail survey can be an excellent tool in pinpointing more nuanced and detailed information that will prove invaluable in engagement efforts. 
    
3. Tell a compelling story. Partner with Story Corps to record, preserve, and share oral histories of donors—why they give, what is important to them, and how being part of your organization has enhanced their lives. Also engage donors by telling heartfelt stories of people whose lives have been impacted through your organization’s work. Provide intriguing images with designs that draw in the donor. Be passionate and avoid statistics. People give from the heart, not the brain. 
    
4. Express gratitude. The “thank you” letter is one of the most important communications you will have with your donors. If you view acknowledgement letters as only an obligation or record for donor tax purposes, then you are missing the mark. This is a golden opportunity to impart to donors how their gift has assisted your nonprofit in fulfilling its mission. Make the donor the hero. Report where the money will go/or has gone and the people who have benefited. 
    
5. Impress with special communications and meetings. A phone call from the CEO, Board, or Leadership Team is one of the most effective means of communicating as it allows the caller to learn more about the donor and his/her interests. Hand written letters are also sure-fire methods of imparting to supporters that their generosity is highly valued. Of course, a luncheon or dinner with the Board Chair or CEO is an excellent way to thank a major donor for a large contribution. 
    
6. Methods of engagement. Newsletters and Customized Impact Reports, are excellent tools for keeping donors abreast of what’s happening in your organization. Special newsletters and correspondences can be tailored specifically to planned giving or major donor clubs. Special events such as Volunteer Appreciation nights, Major Donor Dinners, and site visiting opportunities are highly effective in making contributors feel valued and connected. 
    
7. Encourage monthly giving. Offer this option on every general appeal. Give your program a creative name that fits your organization—Sustainers, Circle of Friends, Guardians, etc. An effective method of attracting monthly donors is through a targeted mailing to supporters that make small gifts at least twice a year. Monthly donors can be asked to upgrade after six months, and may be solicited for an occasional extra contribution--thanking them for their recurring gift and enclosing a reply envelope. 
    
8. Love your donors and members. Greeting cards on birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries are a big hit! Calendars with pictures of volunteers and service recipients will remind donors of your organization every day of the week. Books, buttons, magnets, tee shirts, and lapel pins make excellent tokens of appreciation to Sustainers, mid-level, and major donors. Bond alumni to your school through regional groups, reunions, affiliate groups, membership certificates, and special discount programs for books, movies, dinners.  
    
9. Engage NextGen Donors – Although Boomers dominate in terms of amount given, millennials are highly motivated to volunteer, participate, and get involved—with 84% of this generation making a gift to charity. Millennials tend to be impact–oriented and attracted to “Peer-to-Peer” fundraising such as walkathons, marathons, cycling events, and cocktail parties. The best way to engage with this group is through social media with consistent posting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  
    
10. Acquire from those who already know you. If you are looking to attract new donors to your organization, look no further than the people that you already know. These are the individuals who already care about you. They are your volunteers, event attendees, vendors, local small businesses and foundations, banks, or corporations in your area. Board members can often provide linkage to communitarians. Also try networking at your local Chamber of Commerce.
    

By Nicole Carrea, Senior Director of Development, National Kidney Foundation

Juliana M. Weissbein, Associate Director of Development Operations at Planned Parenthood Federation of America and AFP-NYC Emerging Leaders Committee Chair, was recently named AFP's 2019 Outstanding Young Professional and will accept her award at AFP ICON later this month. We sat down with her to learn more about her career in the fundraising industry.

 

By Nicole Carrea, Senior Director of Development, National Kidney Foundation

March, 2019
New York, NY

Nicole: Congratulations on your recognition, what an exciting accomplishment! First off, what attracted you to the nonprofit sector and, more specifically, the fundraising profession?

Juliana: I’ve always known that I was committed to a life of work in the nonprofit sector, though I have not always known how I could best use my skills to serve my community. Whether I was volunteering at my local youth group, serving on student government, leading extra-curricular clubs, or on the front lines of a demonstration, I knew that I was destined to give back. To help refine my strengths, in my sophomore year of college I completed The Center for Progressive Leadership’s New Leader Fellowship. I spent my summer in our nation’s capital attending professional development trainings, interning at a national nonprofit, brainstorming with political leaders, and working with a mentor to lay the foundation for a life-long career in public interest. Here, I was provided with tools and techniques which I’m still using in my career today. I credit my time in this program for truly jumpstarting my nonprofit career.

Nicole: Your career path is quite impressive and I see that you have experience in both frontline fundraising and development operations. How has exposure to both job functions helped you be a stronger fundraiser overall?

Juliana: Thank you! I’ve been very intentional about each career pivot I make, ensuring that I’ll continue to diversify my skillset each time I move. My first position was within a larger organization where I was able to focus exclusively on development operations. When assessing my next move, I specifically sought out a smaller organization where I could cross-collaborate and learn more about the other aspects of a successful fundraising shop. This shift allowed me to more holistically understand why a gift is made and not just the how. In this role, I was able to gain an understanding of the lifecycle of a gift from the donor’s perspective. Building off this exposure, in my next role I served as a  frontline fundraiser and interacted with donors directly. Now, at Planned Parenthood, I am back to focusing on development operations. Having experience with frontline work helps me to strategically implement processes that not only ensure our staff is working effectively, but that a donor will be satisfied with our operations as well.  

Nicole: I really respect the strategic approach you’ve taken in your career. What do you consider when making a career change?

Juliana: First and foremost, I have to have a strong affinity for the mission. Working in the nonprofit sector is deeply personal to me. The other unifying thread in all my roles has been serving at organizations which recognize the value of using data and analytics to grow its bottom line. Understanding the trends and patterns of your constituency is key to raising more dollars to support the crucial work our organizations conduct.

Nicole: About half way through your time at the Ms. Foundation for Women you shifted roles within the organization and moved from operations to frontline work. Can you tell me more about that?

Juliana: I was initially hired to focus on optimizing and streamlining their donor database. Eventually, I was able to put systems in place and automated many of their processes. I was eager to take on additional projects to help push the foundation forward. I spoke to my supervisor about the possibility of creating and managing a new mid-level donor program based on the metrics we were uncovering in our analytics. It was because we focused on data that we were able to predict the true value of creating a new donor program. I am proud to report it is a very successful program and outperformed goal in its first year!

Nicole: How did you get involved in working with young professionals?

Juliana: One of the aspects of my frontline role at the Ms. Foundation for Women included overseeing the activities of our Young Professional Advisory Committee (YPAC). It was a new initiative for the foundation and I had the pleasure of working with an enthusiastic group of volunteer fundraisers. Working with YPAC fueled me to get more involved with young professional efforts and I’m now serving as Chair of AFP-NYC’s newly rebranded Emerging Leaders Committee.

Nicole: Would you say AFP has served as a spring board for your career?

Juliana: Absolutely! Working with AFP-NYC has been paramount to my professional development and they truly are setting the gold standard for fundraisers in New York City.  It’s an honor to support the chapter as the Emerging Leaders Committee Chair. I’ve been fortunate enough to seek support through their mentor portal and am now giving back by serving as a mentor myself. I am also excited to see their recently revamped Career Center. This is an invaluable resource for job seekers and employers alike. AFP-NYC has it all!

Nicole: You were instrumental in the recent rebrand of our chapter’s young professionals committee. What was the main motivation behind renaming the committee from the ‘Young Professionals Committee’ to the ‘Emerging Leaders Committee’ and what do you hope to convey with the new name?

Juliana: We constantly got questions from AFP members about age criteria to attend our events. Of course, all AFP-NYC events are open to everyone and we never have any types of attendance requirements. Nonetheless, we understood the confusion. Simply put, including ‘Young Professional’ in our committee name was confounding. ‘Young Professionals’ signifies a very specific type of fundraiser. We commonly heard feedback from people that using this term causes our network to think that serving on the YP Committee or attending our events are only possibilities for folks who are ‘young’. Additionally, this term does not include fundraisers who may be older in age but new to the industry. While our committee constantly communicates that we want to attract fundraisers of all ages and stages in their career, we felt keeping our YP name caused an unnecessary battle that would be eradicated with a name change. Additionally, we hope this name change will increase membership at our programming and attract a more diverse crowd. Heads up, The Emerging Leaders is hosting our Spring Happy Hour on April 4^th. I hope to see you there!

Nicole: In hopes of inspiring other young professionals in our industry, is there one theme for success that you want to highlight?

Juliana: The north star to my career has always been mentorship. Nothing in my career would have been possible without the mentorship I have received from my colleagues, for whom I have the deepest appreciation, and from whom I have derived the ambition to challenge myself at each stage of my career. My mentors have helped me realize the true potential of our profession to make a difference and I’m grateful to be reaching a place in my career where I can pay it forward to the next generation.

Nicole: Congratulations again on being named the 2019 AFP Outstanding Young Professional! What are you most looking forward to at ICON?

Juliana: Thank you so much! I’m humbled to have been nominated by Jethro Miller, Planned Parenthood’s Chief Development Officer, and am thankful to AFP for the recognition. I’m excited to have the opportunity to network with colleagues and friends from across the country and the track of workshops is terrific! It will be my first time attending the conference and I’m looking forward to bringing knowledge back to our local AFP chapter.