Welcome to the AFP Chicago August Newsletter

• Upcoming Programs
• Chapter News
• Spotlight
• New Members
• Community Links
  

The AFP Chicago Latinx Affinity Group strengthens the nonprofit community by creating a space where Latinx fundraisers can develop relationships, provide support, and share resources.

Join us at our summer social and make new connections during your lunch hour!  RSVP

The AFP Chicago African American Affinity Group seeks to create a cohort of like-minded fundraisers to discuss strategies, turn obstacles into successes, and build a strong sense of community.

Special guest Cheryl Hamilton-Hill, CEO of Covenant House Illinois, will be joining us. RSVP

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Porter, Major Gifts and Planned Giving Officer, The Shriver Center on Poverty Law
Jason James Shuba, JD, Director of Gift Planning, University of Illinois Foundation
Kristin Carlson Vogen, Senior Director of Philanthropic Services, The Chicago Community Trust

Engaging with your organization’s major donors has never been more important. Between shifting charitable giving legislation, rapid economic changes, and the ever-increasing need for non-profit organizations to champion their missions, now is the time to communicate with major gift donors on the many ways they can support your charitable organization. However, understanding gift-planning vehicles – estates, trusts, donor-advised funds, bequests, stock, annuities, retirement assets and other vehicles for giving – can be daunting if it is not your primary development responsibility or your organization is accepting these types of gifts for the very first time.

This session will focus on the different solicitation strategies and giving vehicles that can help a major gift donor create an enduring legacy, meet personal and family financial and estate-planning goals – and ultimately make a difference to your organization today and for years to come. Our panel of experts will reflect on current philanthropic trends and major gift successes during COVID-19, including the ways in which these gifts were cultivated and secured. Whether you run a one-person shop or you are a major gift officer crafting a custom-built or a blended gift, you will come away from this program with stewardship, solicitation, and gift planning techniques and best practices that meet the needs of your organization and major gift donors.

REGISTRATION FEE:
Members: $10
       Members can register ONE non-member for $15 at the time of registration
Non-Members: $20

Join us for the September Third Thursday Virtual Networking event! On September 17 at 5:00 PM, we’ll engage in some lively conversation about fundraising challenges and triumphs. Keeping the focus on fundraising, we’ll shift to “Fundraising Jeopardy,” a fun, but educational Q&A game that includes Major Gifts, Ethics, Donor and Prospective Research and other topics. If you’re planning to take the CFRE exam, here’s your chance for a quick review. RSVP today and put on your thinking caps.

Judith Coleman, Major Gifts Officer, Covenant House Illinois, "Using Humor as a Way to Navigate these Challenging Times as a Development Professional"

Lisa Williamson Barker, Manager, Special Events, Ingalls Development Foundation, "Take the Time to Stop and Talk to Donors"

Sue Rescigno, President, Rescigno’s, "Key to Surviving this Pandemic"

The AFP Chicago Committee on Directorship invites the development community to consider future service on the Board of Directors. We encourage highly motivated and committed members to consider volunteering for board service. Directors are committed to ethical practice, donor rights, and other tenets of AFP International. AFP Chicago is strongly committed to embracing the diversity that makes up our greater Chicagoland community. To learn more and access the application, please click here. 

AFP Chicago's Peer Mentoring Program matches new and seasoned development professionals for the opportunity to learn from each other. Each spring and fall, we launch a new class of mentors and proteges, and we hope you will participate as a mentor. The application deadline is September 25th.

Click here for more information and to complete an application.

Ashley is a dedicated bilingual professional with extensive growth in nonprofit marketing and development strategy through community outreach, direct public service, campaign development, and program support. She has a degree in Vocal Performance from the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University and was a recipient of their 2016 Social Justice Seed Grant - the impetus of her career in Development.

What have been some of the challenges and opportunities you’ve faced since the onset of COVID-19?  I’ve been trying to view all of what has happened since COVID-19 as an opportunity. Everything is so new and different. So, our responses have had to be unique and diverse as well. What may seem like a challenge is an opportunity for us to learn how to do something in a way we may have never done before.  read more

As a professional fundraiser in the early stages of my career, I can say that my experiences as an AFP Fellow and as a Protégé in the AFP Peer Mentoring Program have been foundational to my growth. The structure of these programs, with their regularly scheduled meetings, occasional worksheets, outlined benchmarks, and supportive committees, provided me with numerous resources and outlets to maintain a formal connection to AFP Chicago and get just about any question I had answered by a more experienced fundraiser.

But what happens after the 12 months of your time as a protégé or fellow?

Luckily, I have found that the more formal structure of these programs has easily given way to a more informal but no less valuable form of mentorship and guidance. learn more

We're happy to have you!

Evan Brown, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Sarah Finnegan, Thrive Counseling Center
Rosemary Griffin, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Beth Gunzel
Charity Haines
Nancy Haws, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Margaret A. Hughes, Catholic Charities of the Archdioceses of Chicago
Nina Iliza, CommunityHealth
Marta Janur, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Julie Jordan
Ashley Lugo, Tree House Humane Society
Patrick Lynch, Archdiocese of Chicago
Debra L. Marillo, Sertoma Centre, Inc.
Holly McCaffrey, Safer Foundation
Heidi Merritt
Denise Samulis, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Annie Scully Tumpis, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Laura Warren, Family Service of Glencoe

New members as of JULY 2020
If your name is not included, please contact Becky Gilbert at [email protected].