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.

By Jill M. Scibilia, CFRE Chapter Secretary & Vice President, Development, Phelps Hospital Northwell Health

I have been giving a lot of thought to team-building lately. I am just over 90 days into a new job and so building my formal and informal teams has been especially important to me. I work for an acute-care community hospital that depends on strong and effective teams to fulfill our mission. Because of the critical importance of coordination and communication between the teams that are providing care to our patients, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, and the host of details they manage critical to patient care and safety, the team-work process is systematized and is constantly being evaluated and refined.

Getting to know our clinical and support teams, the high standards they set for themselves and how they support one another has been inspirational to me. It has also helped me to think about teamwork and team-building in a new way.

As fundraisers, we are charged with interpreting how those charged with delivering our organization’s mission do their work and why they do their work. Understanding the how and the why is key to our ability to tell the story, so we can raise money to support our missions.

We can also learn from them and adapt some of the techniques they use in our own work and on our own teams.

Here are some of the team-building lessons I have learned or that have been reinforced for me from my colleagues who serve patients:

1. Be transparent about successes and challenges; encourage and reward team members for sharing challenges and treat them as learning opportunities.
2. Give feedback immediately and in the moment.
3. A team should be a safe space where each team member supports one another.
4. The value of holding a 15-minute standing meeting every day and a team “huddle” when a situation develops.
5. Ensure you have coverage and a back-up plan.
6. The importance of “face-time” and being present.
7. The need for team members to hold each other accountable and to a high standard—and not just relying on the formal leader of the team to do so.
8. The role of gratitude cannot be overstated.
9. Every one of these points has been helpful to our development operations and team-building at my new job.

Ask yourself…are there practices your program/mission delivery teams follow that you can adapt and use on your team or in your own work? Think about it. And if there are, let your program/mission delivery teams know and use it as an opportunity to express gratitude for the work they do every day for your mission.

Gratitude cannot be overstated.

AFP-NYC’s job board has been a hugely popular resource for people seeking to hire fundraising professionals in New York City for almost ten years. As popular as it is, there is always room for improvement. And today we are very happy to announce the launch of the new AFP-NYC Career Center, an upgrade that dramatically improves functionality for employers and recruiters AND brings a host of new services to job seekers as well. 

AFP-NYC Career Center takes your recruiting to a new level! Employers are now able to include open positions in a semi-monthly email sent to all AFP-NYC members and registered job seekers, allowing you to reach both active and passive job seekers by putting open jobs directly into inboxes. Plus, employers are now able to search the anonymous resume bank of qualified candidates. 

And NEW!! Our new AFP-NYC Career Center provides great value to job-seeking industry professionals. Job-seekers can now search the jobs database with robust filters, and set up email alerts for notifications when a job matching the specified interests becomes available. 

And more! Jobhunters are able to post multiple resumes and cover letters for employers to access. When a resume is set as “public,” employers have the ability to view the candidate’s resume with the personal details hidden. When an employer is interested in reaching out to a candidate, the employer completes a contact request form. If the candidate is interested in the company, their contact information is released to the employer. If not, the jobseeker rejects the request and the candidate's anonymity of the candidate.

And last but not least, the new mobile-responsive platform makes accessing the AFP-NYC Career Center effortless across all internet-enabled devices.

We are thrilled to offer these new and robust career services to the fundraising community in New York City! Visit the AFP-NYC Career Center at https://jobs.nycafp.org/ and register your employer or job-seeker account today!

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

The recent Inside Philanthropy article “Ambitious and Risk Taking.” Explaining The Shed’s Startling Fundraising Success got me thinking about the elements of effective fundraising and if the success of the new cultural center’s fundraising was truly, “startling.”

The simple answer is yes, it is startling that a brand-new organization that has yet to open its doors has raised $488 million against a $550 million goal.  But if you start to peel back what they did, The Shed’s campaign contained all the key elements we all need for successful fundraising growth.

• Their campaign is built on a big idea.  To attract big money, we can never simply articulate to a donor we want to do more of the same.  It is tempting to think that’s what we want or need, but even if essentially, we want our organization to continue to do the same thing, we want the money because we want something in the world to be transformed.  Telling that story and capturing the imagination of donors is imperative and The Shed has done it impressively.  Consistently it is described as new, unlike anything we’ve seen before and transformative for the New York City cultural scene.  I’m actually not even sure what it is but I know it’s those things.
   
• Their campaign has dynamic leadership.  Names like Dan Doctoroff, Jonathan Tisch, Frank McCourt, Diane von Furstenberg populate The Shed’s board list.  A virtual dream team if ever there was one assembled for New York City fundraising.  And even better they are mixed in with new names that while perhaps not as recognizable represent the next generation of New York City wealth and philanthropy.  The leadership of an organization and its campaign communicates the market and sets the tone.  The Shed set a very big tone.
   
• Access to leadership level gifts.  See above.  For a campaign to succeed you need access to prospects with the ability and affinity to make a gift (or gifts) that total 10-20% of the campaign total.  With the aforementioned board and the people these board members can access, this is a campaign built on access to such individuals.

The Shed’s success has been startling, or I might say remarkable, but it contains lessons for any and all fundraising campaigns.  Whether raising $100,000 or $1 billion the elements The Shed’s campaign contained and activated are the same we need to replicate, which is obviously the result of a lot of hard work and coalition building before the campaign was ever launched.

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.

AFP-NYC recently sat down with the Emerging Leaders Committee Co-Chairs, Juliana Weissbein and Jace Prokupek, to learn more about their motivation to rebrand.

AFP-NYC: What was the main motivation behind renaming your 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.

AFP-NYC: Great point. So what type of AFP members do you hope to attract to your events? Is there any age limit to who can attend your events or join the Emerging Leaders Committee?

Jace: The goal of the Emerging Leaders committee is to steward and create content geared towards those who are new to the fundraising industry. The mission and activities of our committee have not changed. The purpose of the Emerging Leaders Committee is to create a strong community of individuals new to the fundraising industry within the NYC Chapter of AFP and the philanthropic and non-profit community in the greater New York City area by providing professional development opportunities, networking events and cultivating a deeper sense of engagement within the Chapter and its activities. We feel that ‘Emerging Leaders’ still signifies our committee’s purpose but takes the emphasis off chronological age.

AFP-NYC: What is your committee looking forward to in 2019?

Juliana: There is so much to look forward to! Each year we host three networking happy hours and three professional development events. This year we are excited to be collaborating with other AFP-NYC committees to increase our impact and diversify our content. Specifically, we have a Spring Happy Hour coming up on April 4th where attendees will be able to meet our committee members!

Most importantly, the Emerging Leaders committee is thrilled to be formally working with the IDEA Committee to ensure we are setting the gold standard for how professional membership associations welcome, embrace, and engage people of all backgrounds and perspectives into the association and in the fundraising field as a whole, thus making the fundraising community better equipped to fund social-good works, ultimately, fully serve our country’s and our world’s needs.

AFP-NYC: How can AFP-NYC members learn more about what your committee is up to?

Jace: The best way to stay up to date on our activities is by signing up for the emails at AFP-NYC as we routinely blast out invites. Our chapter calendar, Facebook or Twitter are great places to follow as well. 

And of course, we are always happy to answer questions too! Feel free to reach out to us at jace.prok@gmail.com or juliana.weissbein@gmail.com

By Gary Laermer, AFP-NYC Chapter President

January is officially National Mentoring Month, a campaign to promote youth mentoring in the United States. It was inaugurated in 2002, and is spearheaded by the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR, and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Many leading nonprofit organizations hold local campaign activities in communities across the country, including media outreach and volunteer recruitment.  

A major feature of the special designation is the Thank Your Mentor Day, in which you’re reminded to thank and honor your mentors. The National Mentoring Month campaign encourages you to contact your mentors directly to express appreciation and reminds you to pay it forward yourself by becoming a mentor. 

While the National Mentoring Month designation is primarily focused on mentoring youth, I think it has some very valuable lessons for people of all ages.  I did take the time to contact four individuals who were great mentors in my life.  We had a great time catching up, reminiscing about the past, and talking about the future.  The conversations left me and my mentors feeling energized and uplifted.  I would encourage you to do the same.

I would also encourage our AFP Chapter members to be sure to reach out and find great mentors for themselves.  You’re never too experienced or new to the profession to not have a great mentor or mentors.  I believe the network available to you is one of the most impactful benefits of AFP. 

You are exposed to great leaders who you can learn from, enjoy being with, celebrate success with, and share stories. I encourage you to come to our events, professional advancement sessions, Fundraising Day in New York, and leave having met a person who could be your great next mentor.

Click here to learn more about AFP-NYC's Menotring Progam.