AFP New Member Chronicles: Wonderful Gifts from AFP that Keep on Giving

Installment 3 of "Ann’s and Amy’s New Member Chronicles"

by Amy Blumenthal, Principal, Amy Blumenthal Consulting, LLC

Did you race to the end-of-year finish line, scrambling to close as many gifts as possible to support your amazing organization during the season of giving? Of course you did!  

As we begin a new year, take a break for a few minutes, please. Make yourself a cup of hot tea or cocoa and think about the big picture: the incredible impact of philanthropy on our community and our world, and the role of fundraisers (including you!) in making it happen. Ours is a noble and honorable profession.

Did you know that AFP works throughout the year to share that message on a local, national, and global scale? I didn’t either, until I joined AFP and discovered many benefits of membership I hadn’t even imagined – which fellow AFP rookie Ann Sebald and I are writing about in this ongoing “New Member Chronicles” blog.  Let me tell you more…

Local Impact

AFP of Southeastern Wisconsin educates the public about the importance of philanthropy and the fundraising profession on a community-wide level. Two notable examples: our monthly column in the Milwaukee Business Journal, and the annual National Philanthropy Day event, which brings together leaders from the business, political, nonprofit, and education sectors to honor exceptional donors and fundraisers. The message is clear: philanthropy unites and lifts up our entire community, and it’s also an integral part of what makes Milwaukee a vibrant and attractive place to live and work.

National and Global Impact

AFP Global, the largest association of charitable fundraisers in the world, provides us with invaluable tools that add distinction and regard to our career choice and advance our profession as a whole.

The AFP Code of Ethical Principles and Standards (https://afpglobal.org/ethicsmain/code-ethical-standards) empowers you to assure your donors and colleagues that your work meets or exceeds the fundraising profession’s highest standard of conduct in the world.

Gain the trust and respect of your donors by sharing with them the AFP Donor Bill of Rights (https://afpglobal.org/donor-bill-rights), which was written to ensure that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the nonprofit organizations and causes they are asked to support.

But wait – there’s more! AFP Global’s public policy program engages in advocacy to protect the interests of donors, fundraisers and charities on a national and international level, identifying and taking positions on major legislative issues and regulations that directly impact fundraising writ large and drive donor behavior.

One current legislative priority is achieving passage of the Universal Charitable Giving Act, which would allow taxpayers, whether or not they itemize their taxes, to take a deduction for their giving. Passage of this act is estimated to increase giving by billions of dollars.

AFP has also released a position paper (https://afpglobal.org/afp-position-repeal-johnson-amendment) opposing the current administration’s proposal to repeal the Johnson Amendment, which bars churches and nonprofit organizations from engaging in partisan politics by endorsing and raising money for political candidates and parties.

OK – back to you, enjoying your well-deserved tea and cocoa break, with a new appreciation for all the ways AFP helps each one of us by highlighting the ethics, values, ideals and impact of our noble profession. 

Wishing you a successful 2020!