News

Worldwide health pandemics have an uncanny habit of interrupting the best laid plans.  The AFP Mentoring Program and the fall 2019 cohort of philanthropy professionals were not immune.

Our long-awaited website is an instant asset for member value! Unveiled today, the new website is specifically designed to address our members’ number one challenge:  to better navigate the benefits of AFP membership.

Sitting down at my computer after a digital-free ‘holiday’ weekend resulted in some surprises. Emails to several fellow nonprofit professionals were followed by auto-replies, not due to vacations but as a result of furloughs and layoffs.

Giving USA webinar recommends how to fundraise in the “new normal”: Giving USA is the longest running annual report on charitable giving that provides estimates for sources of giving and amounts received by type of organization. On June 18, 2020, over 70 fundraisers joined this year’s data presentation and panel discussion virtually.

As fundraisers for nonprofits, we all work towards building a stronger and better community. Whether we are addressing poverty, homelessness, health, quality of life or any other cause, our common goal is to create a better tomorrow for those we serve. Today we must all take a stand and say Black Lives Matter.

Each one of us has a moral responsibility to fight for justice. Who will lead that fight? Grassroots nonprofit organizations! Here’s one example.

Fundraisers in Southeastern Wisconsin are still feeling the impacts of COVID-19, although there seems to be some light at the end of tunnel, according to May survey results from AFPSEWI members.

There was a surprise embedded in the results of the May survey of AFPSEWI members, and the chapter has responded with a new initiative that provides a creative new angle on AFP member benefit.

As our world faces current challenges it is important to know that, due to thoughtful partnerships, our community is “Greater Together”.

You don’t need to have a health-care related mission to succeed in fundraising during this time of pandemic, shut-down, and fear. Detailed in this article is a template for an e-mail or direct mail piece which can produce significant revenue for your organization right now.

Fundraisers in Southeastern Wisconsin may be too gloomy about the effects of COVID-19 on donor behavior.

Working in the wee hours (when my daughter’s asleep so there are no mouths to feed, no diapers to change, no zoom meetings to attend), I gaze out the window to see a star shining through the foggy twilight, and it reminds me: in the darkest skies we find the brightest stars.

Some days I am ready to throw my computer out the window if I see one more grant application ask me to provide my organization’s mission, history, and goals in 500 characters or less...

The new federal CARES Act contains COVID-19 relief and assistance for nonprofit organizations. Here's a quick guide and where to go for more information...

Discover AFP's comprehensive, fundraiser-curated COVID-19 Resource Guide. All the information you need on how to adapt to development in a social distancing world...

This On Philanthropy column has historically written about the virtues of the nonprofit world. But we have to admit that the nonprofit sector has a dark side.

Hi y'all. Can I ask you -- my fellow southeastern Wisconsin fundraising friends – how you’re dealing with the uncharted changes we’re all experiencing at the moment?

Just as real estate’s motto is “location, location, location” it would seem a good motto for the small shop should be “balance, balance, balance.”

In a recent survey of Milwaukee area nonprofits, 50% of the 250 responding organizations said that volunteers were either essential or very important to their mission. That’s not surprising, given that 52% of the responding organizations had fewer than 10 paid staff – and fully 25% had only one staff member, or none.

It’s as much about saying “no” as it is about saying “yes”. Members who attended January’s AFP Educational Luncheon heard from experts in the field on marketing strategies to make the most of their limited time and resources.

As Chapter President, it is always interesting when I get asked how I got to be President. The easy answer, I was asked.

Why did the bank want to return all the government bailout money ASAP?... Because it was upset at all the hidden fees!

Each year, philanthropic donors bring enlightenment, health, and opportunity to area residents through charitable gifts to nonprofit organizations. But those of us who genuinely care about community-building must support one more mission: restoring the ability of troubled and at-risk neighbors to thrive as community members.

This month new members Amy and Ann discovered a surprising member benefit: how AFP's fundraising advocacy -- both locally and nationally -- strengthens the philanthropic environment in which we all raise funds.

Back by popular demand, AFPSEWI’s annual round table event brought opportunity for our members to ask questions on the trending topics of the fundraising profession. Nine Seasoned Professionals led round table discussions and when asked after the event: What is one rule to live by/important piece of advice you have to offer on your topic? What challenges/themes did you notice amongst your guests? What advice can you offer? Here’s what some of our experts had to say:

Our October educational luncheon speakers affirmed the importance of sharing our organization's mission impact with funders and other stakeholders. The panel offered sound advice on the question of how best to report impact...

By serving fundraisers, AFP also serves our community. Because every fundraiser shares one mission: as we secure the resources that allow area nonprofits to do good, we also help generous community members act on hopes for a better world.

More than 450 community leaders gathered at AFPSEWI’s National Philanthropy Day celebration at the Pfister Hotel on November 12, hoping to be inspired by this year’s honorees. Those receiving the six awards did not disappoint, as affirmed by some of the outstanding quotes from their words of thanks:

To create an inspiring work, an artist translates a beautiful vision into reality. It’s the same for a philanthropist: starting with their vision of a better world, they wield brushstrokes of passion, creativity, insight and generosity. Their works don’t just inspire us – they lift our whole community’s quality of life.

What a good investment you made! That was what I told myself when I discovered there are not just one but two major pathways to getting value from my new AFP membership: local and global. If you’re like me, you probably joined without realizing how robust the resources are on both sides of that line. So I knew I had to share my findings as part of this ongoing “New Member Chronicles” blog I’m writing with fellow AFP rookie Ann Sebald. Ready? Here we go!