Joined an organization, discovered a community - Meet AFP member Katerina Herder

Meet Katerina Herder

We were able to catch up with Katerina Herder recently, Director of Development for Healthy Minds Innovations.  Katerina has been a member of AFP for the past year or so and has recently discovered one of AFP’s special interest groups.  Prior to joining AFP, Katerina had dipped her toes into the world of AFP by attending an event here and there but according to Katerina she soon realized that she wanted and needed more.  “To get the full impact of what AFP has to offer I realized that I really needed to have full membership. As a non-member I attended a number of AFP sponsored events but didn’t have that full value of what membership offered. Once I joined AFP I really became a member of the community and I was incentivized to participate in even more,” explains Katerina.

It wasn’t long after joining AFP that Katerina received an email about attending the “Emerging Professional Group,” a special interest group offered by AFP & she decided to give it a go. The group is fairly new and meets monthly. Participants come to the monthly gatherings for discussions on a variety of topics and it’s something new each time -- Perhaps a recent challenge at work, or idea sharing on various fundraising topics.  It’s a time to get feedback from others in the field as well as professionals who have valuable perspective to share.  The group is open to any AFP members.

When asked what she has found to be most valuable about her involvement in the group, Katerina says, “I work each day in fundraising and I am also on the board of a small non-profit. I can put on both of my hats. The two organizations that I am involved in are very different and they have different challenges.  I can take whatever topic we are talking about, ask for advice, and walk away with ideas from both perspectives. I always get something out of our meetings. It’s also great to get to know other fundraising professionals in a small group setting. It’s a safe space. You are open to share your job challenges and it is kept confidential within the group as you share and receive feedback from others. It has been a great experience”