I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you about the many resources available through AFP Greater Madison.  The best way to make the most of your membership is through participation.  In addition to being involved in our monthly luncheons, quarterly breakfast meetings, one day workshops, as well as the Fundamentals Class and CFRE Review Course, one of the best ways to broaden your skill set is by joining a committee.  Certainly, when I joined the National Philanthropy Day Committee, I had no idea how much I would grow both professionally and personally.  Professionally, I have come away with a network of colleagues to whom I could turn to with questions in my own work.  The committee also put me in direct contact with many community leaders and philanthropists, corporate sponsors, and deepened my relationships with the media. And personally, I have come away with many colleagues who have turned into great friends.

I encourage you to contact a committee chair so you may further develop professionally.  Perhaps consider a committee that may be different than your current skill set - you'll learn a lot.

The chapter also provides scholarships to members for conferences - including those conferences in your specific industries and professional associations. These scholarships could pay up to half of the expenses you incur. For more information, go to Scholarships. 

Finally, as you are aware, AFP International and chapter leaders take seriously the need for us all to maintain the highest ethical standards.  As members we have all agreed to The Donor Bill of Rights.  It is worth your time to occasionally review this document.  When one of us does not follow the ethical standards set forth by The Donor Bill of Rights, it has the ability to color all of our work in the non-profit community.

Very best,

Dan Plummer - President, Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Madison

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By request, we are providing a copy the presentation shared by Val Lay, Director of Chapter Services from AFP International, at the monthly luncheon on April 16^th.  To download a copy of the presentation, simply click here.

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A reminder - the nomination deadline for the 2013 National Philanthropy Day Awards is July 12th, 2013.  The awards will be presented at the 26th annual awards luncheon, scheduled for Friday, November 1st at Overture Center for the Arts. 

For more information on the nomination process & 2013 categories, please click here.

For sponsorship details for the 26th Annual National Philanthropy Day Awards Luncheon click here.

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AFP Greater Madison Chapter will be offering the Fundamentals in Fundraising course this year on Friday, September 27^th and Saturday, September 28^th at Madison College.  Fundamentals in Fundraising is designed for professionals with 0 to 4 years of fundraising experience.  The course is composed of 7 modules that were designed by experienced fundraising professionals to meet the real-world needs and challenges nonprofit organizations face every day.  This 16-hour program includes case studies and projects for groups and individuals to make the learning experience both substantive and enjoyable. 

Fundamentals in Fundraising offers a complete overview of the development function, featuring the most current information and techniques.  Topics include:

-          Overview of Fundraising

-          Developing an Integrated Fundraising Program

-          Marketing for Ongoing Success

-          Building and Sustaining Relationships

-          Securing the Gift

-          Volunteers - Partners in Fundraising

-          Management and Accountability

We are pleased to have chapter members Marcy Heim and Boris Frank as two of our instructors.  Both are highly sought speakers with a wealth of experience in fundraising for nonprofits.

Cost is $390 for AFP members; $490 for non-members. Scholarships will be available. Stay tuned for more details.

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The Madison Chapter is pleased to announce several upcoming scholarship opportunities for chapter members to consider:

The Chamberlain Scholarship - awarded to a first-time attendee to the AFP International Conference on Fundraising.  Scholarship covers the full cost of conference registration (approx. $625 which is paid by International Chapter) PLUS a $500 scholarship from the local chapter to assist with travel and lodging expenses.  The conference will be held March 23-25, 2014 in San Antonio, TX. 

Apply between July 1 and September 1, 2013 using the Chamberlain Scholar application form on the chapter website.   The Chamberlain Scholar will be announced by September 15 so that those who apply but are not selected still have time to register for the conference at the early bird rate in October.  Plan ahead!

Fundamentals in Fundraising hosted by the Madison Chapter on September 27-28, 2013 at Madison College.  Four $200 scholarships will be offered to chapter members.  Apply between July 1 and August 15 using the application on the chapter website.  Winners will be announced by August 26.

Additional scholarship funds are available for two scholarships of up to $350 each to attend a professional conference or webinar of the applicant's choice.  Scholarship amount requested must be for no more than half the total cost of attending the conference.  Use the general scholarship application on our website.

Scholarship applications are found at:  http://afpmadison.afpnet.org.  Look for Scholarship information under the Member Resources tab.

Questions:  Contact Judy Brannstrom, Scholarship Chair via email:  scholarships@madisonafp.com or phone 608-662-8901.

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Five of our members received chapter scholarships to attend conferences in the first half of 2013.  Our Chamberlain Scholar, Leah Nell Adams of Community Shares, attended the April 2013 AFP International Conference on Fundraising in San Diego.  The chapter also granted scholarships to cover registration at the International Conference for Michele Traband of American Players Theater and Jen Davie of Badgerland Girl Scout Council. 

Our scholarship awardees for the May 2013 UW Fundraising and Development Conference in Madison were Bob Miller of Overture Center and Meghan Gaugher of No Stomach for Cancer. 

Our scholars have returned with enthusiastic reviews and continue to express their gratitude to the chapter for these outstanding professional learning experiences!  Watch for updates from some of the scholars at chapter meetings and/or in chapter newsletters where they will share nuggets of wisdom from the conferences they attended.

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Thanks to a scholarship from the AFP Greater Madison Chapter, I was able to attend the Fundraising and Development for Nonprofits Conference in May at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Aside from the great networking opportunities and the chance to meet a numerous other professionals who work as part of small organizations (or even as sole employees, like me) the conference offered a great variety of sessions. Woven though the conference was the theme that as development professionals, we seek to create joyful givers, make artful asks, and show that we are grateful recipients. Here are a few brief "take-aways" that illustrate that theme.  Although these ideas may not be new to many of us, it is always good to remind ourselves of why we are able to carry out our work - it is all due to our donors.

• Listen more - to donors, constituents and volunteers
• Strive to be a donor-centered organization. Focus on offering donors the opportunity to fulfill THEIR dreams through a gift to your organization.
• Practice what Don Gray called "aggressive patience" - don't rush donors, but build a relationship with them that will lead to that chance to fulfill their dreams
• Make time in your schedule for your donors. Have you thanked a donor today?

Meghan Gauger

Executive Director

No Stomach For Cancer

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Martha Taylor received the 2013 CCS Award for Outstanding Fundraising Professional presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).  The award is presented to the fundraiser who has practiced his or her profession in an exemplary manner for at least 15 years while generating significant revenue for his or her organizations. He or she must have demonstrated effective, creative and stimulating leadership and practiced and promoted ethical fundraising. Taylor received the honor on April 6, 2013, at the Celebration of Philanthropy award ceremony during AFP's 50th International Conference on Fundraising in San Diego.

Martha is a vice president of the University of Wisconsin Foundation and has held almost every type of development position since she started there in 1975-one of nine employees! Her work at the University has focused on major and principal gifts. She has secured many significant gifts including the largest gift in the UW's history for one academic department. In 1988 she established the Women's Philanthropy Council at the Foundation, dedicated to securing more gifts from women for the University. The Council was the first major gift organization for a university and became a model for others across the country.

In 1989 she met Sondra Shaw-Hardy at an AFP meeting in Madison. Their friendship and mutual interest in women's philanthropy flourished with the encouragement of AFP colleagues and Madison women philanthropists. Martha and Sondra dedicated the next twenty years to advancing women as philanthropists-volunteering one or more days per week and contributing consulting fees and gifts to cofound Women's Philanthropy Institute--now at the School of Philanthropy, Indiana University. WPI is dedicated to education for donors and development officers and research on women's philanthropy. Martha has given more than 90 presentations and keynotes nationally and been quoted in newspapers and magazines around the nation.

Martha is also well known for her publications, co-authored with Sondra. Their first was an article in the AFP Journal (then NSFRE) that focused on the results of focus groups with career women donors by age cohort - held at the Madison Club. These results were reported in their first major book, called the "field's bible." One of the best quotes from those focus groups relates to what women want from their philanthropy: "I want to see the human face my gifts affect." Martha and Sondra wrote two more award winning books-the latest in 2010. All were the first major publications on women's philanthropy and established the field of women's philanthropy.

"Martha Taylor has been a trailblazer and pioneer in fundraising all of her life," said Andrew Watt, president and CEO of AFP. "She's not only been an exemplary fundraiser, working tireless to create a culture of philanthropy with staff and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin, but has been one of the leading forces in the women's philanthropy movement. Our profession-and all of philanthropy-would look very different without her work and inspiration, and AFP is proud to honor her as our 2013 Outstanding Fundraising Professional."

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"It has been great to have the opportunity to practice an aspect of my future career and know that in the future it won't be seen as something I HAVE to do for WORK, but something I GET to do to make someone's life BETTER."

That's how Jennifer Blatz describes her experience as a member of the UW-Madison Collegiate AFP Chapter. The senior with a double major in Community and Nonprofit Leadership and Sociology from Kiel, Wisconsin, is one of the student leaders. The collegians are part of their own AFP chapter, not a "junior chapter" of the Greater Madison Chapter and received their charter at the International AFP Conference in Chicago in 2011. 

Our professional chapter endorsed the collegiate members as part of the charter application, however, and continues to be an important partner in their development. This past spring five members of the professional chapter joined the collegians for a panel discussion; the students have appreciated the opportunity to intern with local organizations; and they enjoy attending the monthly chapter meetings and volunteering at the National Philanthropy Day celebration.

Collegiate members annually seek project proposals for hands-on involvement with a local non-profit. For the 2012-13 academic year, the students selected Tri 4 Schools and coordinated a silent auction which raised about $2,300. They solicited items, staffed the May 18 event, acknowledged donors...and learned much throughout the year! Later this summer the RFP will be sent for 2013-14 opportunities-the fifth year of the collegiate chapter's fundraising work.

Collegiate chapter members Laura Peterson (left) and Jennifer Blatz (right) at this spring's panel discussion with professional members

While Jennifer came to AFP interested in a nonprofit career, Laura Jacobson has a different connection to the group. "I am a senior, majoring in Biology, from New Berlin, WI, and I joined AFP to get a deeper understanding about nonprofits and how they function," she explains. "I had very basic knowledge about nonprofits from volunteering, but AFP has really expanded that and I've been able to get hands-on experience in many different areas of the nonprofit sector." Laura has expressed an interest in a nonprofit health-related career and credits AFP for expanding her horizons.

Each year the group changes as students graduate or move on, and new students hear about the organization. In addition to the fundraising opportunity, the students learn about volunteer recruitment and management, project management and donor relations. The student leaders are grateful for opportunities to interact with our professional chapter members, and it's rewarding for the professional members, too.