Professional Advancement
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals has developed a wide offering of professional advancement opportunities. Targeting both members, not-yet-members and used-to-be members was an important consideration in developing our programming structure. This article examines the programs that our chapter offers in the area of professional advancement and development.
Member & Not-Yet-Member Research
Each year, the Chapter uses SurveyMonkey to poll both members and not-yet-members to determine the educational topics that the chapter will present during the coming year. We poll not-yet-members because we have discovered that one reason people were not joining was because we were not offering broad enough workshops to draw in new members. We also discovered that the level of experience potential attendees was in the 5-years and up range.
We inform all presenters that they are speaking to fundraisers with intermediate to advanced experience, and to leave the ‘basics’ to a very short portion of the program. Because of the handful of new fundraisers in our region, our mentoring program allows us to encourage new fundraisers to do some preparation with their mentor before attending an advanced workshop.
Ethics Education Programming
The mission of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of AFP is to advance effective and ethical fundraising and promote philanthropy. Therefore, ethics education is one of key pillars. As part of every AFP professional advancement program, a focus on ethics is presented. We do this through several channels:
- The AFP Code of Ethics and the Donor Bill of Rights is distributed at every program.
- At every group-based training, presenters are asked to cover ethics as part of their discussion topic, tying the discussion back to a specific part of the Code of Ethics.
- In the instance that a presenter does not cover ethics as a key part of his/her presentation, attendees will read and discuss an “Ethics” article that appeared in a past issue of Advancing Philanthropy.
Group-based Trainings/Programs
The Chapter has four key types of group based programming.
1. Quarter Day Workshops
Developed with the ‘busy advancement officer’ in mind, these workshops last approximately 1.5 hours. A sample schedule is:
11:30 to 11:45 a.m. Registration and Networking Time
11:45 a.m. to 12 p.m. Announcements & Welcome
12:00 p.m. to 12:15 p.m. Lunch Served
12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m Guest Speaker
1:00 to 1:10 p.m. Ethics Education Discussion (if needed)
Presenters are chapter members with a specific area of expertise. Price is $25 for members and $35 for not-yet members.
2. Half-Day Workshops
Given the large geography of the NEPA chapter, it often was difficult to attract members when circumstances did not allow for a central meeting point. We heard the phrase, “I’m going to drive an hour to sit in a 90 minute workshop and drive an hour back!”
Workshop Schedule is therefore a longer program with added networking time:
8:30 to 9:00 Registration & Hot Breakfast Buffet
9:00 to 9:15 Introductions, Announcements & Welcome
9:15 to 10:45 Workshop (Part A)
10:45 to 11:00 Break
11:00 to 11:40 Workshop (Part B)
Workshop Ends about 11:45 with a 15 minute break, followed by an optional lunch at a nearby restaurant with the presenter. Cost for the lunch is “on your own.”
In response to member needs, we developed half-day workshops. The key difference between these workshops and the quarter day workshops is the half-day workshops are most often presented by a CFRE, ACFRE, AFP Master Teacher, or expert trainer/facilitator. Price is $30-$35 for members and $45-$50 for not-yet-members.
3. Philanthropy Forum
For many years, the AFP Chapter built up a significant reserve of revenue, thanks to a very successful sponsorship program surrounding our National Philanthropy Day Awards celebration. In order to give back to the community, AFP NEPA created a Philanthropy Forum – a one-day, intense fundraising conference that mirrors the level of educational programming available at the AFP International Conference on Fundraising. The Forum is funded by the chapter’s reserve fund and vendor and exhibitor space rentals.
In 2011, the Forum will combine forces with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber’s Annual Professional Development Day – providing three tracks for fundraisers. The cost for attendance at the forum is capped at the cost of meals. (Usually about $30.)
All presenter fees, audio-visual needs, room rentals, and other expenses are covered by the Chapter. The Chapter has been successful in securing a hotel sponsor for presenter’s stays.
The Forum brings in presenters who have presented at the International Conference and/or are AFP Master Teachers as headliners. The chapter has been fortunate that many of these presenters have special, discounted rates for AFP Chapters. For each Forum, we bring in three to five presenters.
4. Fundraising Boot Camp
Aimed at providing a core fundraising understanding for new fundraisers, nonprofit executives, and employees – the chapter is planning a “Fundraising Boot Camp” for April 2011. Capped at about 25 attendees, this one-day workshop will parallel the Philanthropy Forum and provide a crash course in fundraising with 25-30 minute segments focusing on:
o Getting Started
o Board and Staff Roles in Fundraising
o Marketing and Communications for Fundraising
o Corporate Relations
o Foundation Relations
o Direct Mail
o Special Events
o Major Gifts and Planned Giving
o Cultivation and Stewardship
o Ethics
The target audience for this event is the individual who is either new to fundraising professionally, is a volunteer fundraiser, works as a support staff to fundraising, is a board member, or a community advocate. He/She is probably not a member of AFP and may not fit the traditional AFP member model, but needs to understand the basics of fundraising for one reason or another.
Cost of attending the bootcamp is (probably going to be) around $50, with our local community foundation providing scholarships for up to those organizations who they have identified over the past year as “needing fundraising training” based on interactions and grant applications.
Roundtable Discussion Groups
1. Senior Development Roundtable
In an effort to engage our senior fundraisers, the chapter holds a Senior Development Roundtable twice annually. Typically hosted by a senior member’s institution, there is usually no charge for attendees at this program which is followed by a cocktail hour. While any fundraiser may attend, it is made clear that this is for Advanced Fundraisers – no basics will be covered. The Chapter encourages membership for both not-yet members and used-to-be members. It also encourages this group of senior development officers to serve as mentors to a new fundraiser in our chapter mentoring program.
2. Development Directors, Drinks and Dinner
In order to provide a networking event in a social environment, the chapter hosts at least two “DDD&D” events, often tied to an afternoon half-day workshop or a visit by an AFP IHQ representative/chapter services director. The cost of these events is “on your own” so it’s accessible to anyone. There is no formal agenda for these events, aside from a welcome from a chapter leader and a call for any news or announcements.
Chapter Mentor-Protégé Program
The AFP Chapter Mentoring program pairs fundraisers seeking to grow their skills with an experienced mentor fundraiser. The Chapter facilitates up to eight pairings in a year. Mentor-Protégé pairings attend AFP Chapter events together, network together within and outside AFP, define career goals and develop a professional advancement plan, problem solve together, and teach each other. AFP Membership is required to participate.
Chapter CFRE Mentor-Scholar Program
To encourage fundraisers in Northeastern Pennsylvania with 5 or more years of experience in the fundraising profession to pursue and attain the CFRE credential from CFRE International, the AFP NEPA Chapter established a Mentor-Scholarship program. Here’s how it works:
1. Program participant who wishes to takes the CFRE exam must first inform the AFP Chapter board of their intent to take the CFRE exam within the next two years.
2. The participant is then paired with a CFRE mentor who has participated in the CFRE Scholarship & Mentoring Program or who has received the CFRE credential within the past 5 years and has volunteered to serve as a mentor.
3. It is encouraged that the participant enrolls in the CFRE Review Course offered through AFP International. (No financial assistance is offered for this preparation course).
4. During years where several chapter members have expressed interest in certification, an informal study group will be convened. While the chapter will not facilitate this group, it will serve as a connector for participants.
5. Upon passing the CFRE exam the AFP NEPA Chapter will reimburse 50% of the exam fee, provided the program will agree to serve as a CFRE mentor for at least one additional program participant.
Once a chapter member who has enrolled in the CFRE Scholarship & Mentoring Program successfully passes the CFRE exam, he or she should submit to the Chapter Professional Advancement Chair:
- A letter informing the chapter board that s/he has received the CFRE credential and information as to whom the reimbursement check should be made.
- A copy of her/his certification confirmation letter
- A copy of the test exam receipt (showing transaction amount)
- A completed Chapter “Mentoring Program Enrollment Form” denoting “CFRE Mentor”
A reimbursement check will be sent within 30 days for exactly 50% of the examination fee.
Organizational Partnerships
The AFP Chapter has developed strategic partnerships with several institutions including:
- The Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit Committee
- The Northeastern Pennsylvania Nonprofit & Community Assistance Center
By leveraging partnerships with organizations serving the larger nonprofit sector (beyond fundraising) and the business and professional community, we are able to expand and further influence the promotion of philanthropy.
Part of the organizational partners program includes:
- AFP and Organizational Partners receive the Member Rate at some (not all) programs and events.
- AFP and Organizational Partners may send occasional eNewsletters to the partner’s list. The actual list is never exchanged, rather the eNewsletter is forwarded by the owner organization.
- AFP and Organizational Partners receive one-for-one trades on exhibit space at partner events and programs.
Job Postings
The Chapter regularly posts jobs on both our e-mail list and website. The criteria for job posting is as follows. Listing requests that are not for fundraising or nonprofit leadership position are not posted.
1. Is the position a nonprofit leadership position from one of an AFP Member Institution? (It does not have to be a member of the AFP NEPA Chapter, but it must be an AFP member.)
a. If Yes, then post it
2. Is the position a nonprofit leadership position from a non-member institution?
a. If Yes, then charge a $15.00 posting fee and post it.
Additional resources including sample documents, in depth procedures, and copies of programs/plans are available upon request.