Mayor Buckhorn’s Proclamation

(L-R) Judy Anderson, Leana Lopez, Mayor Buckhorn and Sue Levitt

Mayor Buckhorn Declares November 16 National Philanthropy Day in the City of Tampa

By Mayoral Proclamation, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn recently declared Wednesday, November 16 as “National Philanthropy Day” in the City of Tampa.

During a recent ceremony at City Hall, the Mayor presented a proclamation to Sue Levitt, President of the Florida Suncoast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Leana Lopez, Chair and Judy Anderson, Co-Chair of the National Philanthropy Day Committee.  He urged all residents to join him in saluting the AFP Suncoast Chapter and especially the recipients whose contributions will be honored next month.

Philanthropists from the Tampa Bay area will be recognized for their dedication to community service and giving at a luncheon on National Philanthropy Day, November 16, presented the Florida Suncoast Chapter of AFP and our Presenting Sponsor, Community Foundation of Tampa Bay.

“National Philanthropy Day recognizes and salutes the great contribution that philanthropy, and those people active in the philanthropic community in the Tampa Bay area, have made to our lives, our communities, our nation and our world,” said Sue Levitt.

  Click for more Sponsorship Info

Click to Sponsor or Purchase Ticket Right Now!

There is still time to purchase an individual ticket or a table for the event.  Single seats are $50 and table sponsorships are $500-$2,500 Please see website for sponsorship details or email Bryn Warner at brynwarner@thehospice.org for additional sponsorship information.  To register online, visit www.afpsuncoast.org by November 11, 2011.

For more information, contact Leana Lopez at the University of South Florida, (813) 974-1894 or Llopez@usf.edu.

Welcome AFP Suncoast 2012 Board of Directors!

On October 18, 2011, the AFP Suncoast members in attendance at the annual meeting voted in our board for 2012. Starting in January please welcome:

Person	Position
Marion Yongue	President
Nora Gunn	Vice Chair & EMC Chair
Beth Fonte	Secretary
Deborah Wagner	Treasurer
Sue Levitt	Immediate Past President
Maggie Ciadella	Communications
Leana Lopez	Diversity
Bill Faucett, CFRE	Ethics – Lead
Nina Berkheiser, CFRE	Ethics Co-Lead
Sara Leonard	Member Retention
Tammy Leventis	Membership
Judy Anderson	NPD
Ruth Bannhard	Planet Philanthropy
Joanne Sullivan, CFRE	President’s Council
David Bryant, CFRE	Programs Lead
Paul Dietrich, CFRE	Programs
Debbie Gavalas	Scholarships
Bryn Warner	Technology
Bart Cobb	Youth In Philanthropy
Janet Ware

 

Affecting Change, Achieving Impact

by Kim Payne.

The AFP Suncoast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) had the distinct privilege of hosting Andrew Watt, President & CEO of AFP at their September meeting.  He had some very complimentary comments for attendees about the host chapter.

With the theme “Affecting Change, Achieving Impact,” Watt said we’re one large family. While personally not a fundraiser himself, he has worked with professional fundraisers for 20 years.  “There’s no community or people like fundraisers. Working together, we can create positive change,” said Watt.

He was effusive in his comments concerning the contributions made by the Suncoast Chapter.  “Since 2000, you have contributed over $13,000 to AFP which is extraordinary,” stated Watt. “This money is used for developing research and resources, conducting training, advocacy and education,” he continued.

He advocated professionalism as the hallmark of fundraising and a continuing commitment to the community as a critical component. He also recommended developing philanthropic partnerships by thinking creatively.

He also suggested organizations’ value statements should be unique and crystal clear to make your case for funding. The impact a donors’ dollars are making need to be constantly reinforced.  “In order to facilitate change, you need to engage people on their own level,” he remarked.  “As part of your outreach in making connections, it’s important to listen. We don’t listen enough,” he commented.

In conclusion, Watt again told the group to think outside the normal boundaries. “Engage people and keep them; retention is absolutely critical,” said Watt. “Create a relationship and maintain it.  Constantly emphasize  to your donors the key impact their contributions have made towards achieving your mission,” concluded Watt.

How to Go from Info Overload to Opportunity

Monday morning 5:35AM logging into your email for the first time after taking the weekend off can be a traumatic event for you and your server. Clichés like information overload and 24 hour news cycle coupled with too many preset and/or suddenly hot topic email news alerts have led to the demise of many email servers and “last nerve”. While waiting for the last of 3876 emails to download I finished my XL triple shot espresso dark roasted coffee – my version of multitasking (i.e. to do more stupid things faster).

One news report was “US poverty highest level in 50 years”  the following week (9/30/2011)  Marian Wright Edelman founder of the Children’s Defense Fund  wrote a piece for the Huffington Post “National and State Safety Nets Fail to Catch Millions of Children”.  Dr. Edelman’s article not only covered additional statistical data and commentary about the Census Bureaus’ report on poverty but also proactive steps her organization is taking. As professional fundraisers we have to go from information overload to opportunity.

Twenty-first Century informational age fundraising requires strategic communication skills.  Nonprofits successfully fundraising in this dynamic fast paced fluid environment have as linear an organizational structure as possible. A linear or flattened structure instead of a hierarchical chain of command allows for a faster more responsive communication process.

Many successful nonprofits use a secondary Action-Reflection-Revision-Action Funding Model based on institutional positioning – in addition to a long-term, campaign-based fundraising strategy.

The Action-Reflection-Revision-Action Model enables rapid response to fundraising opportunities (not exploitation) of breaking news and events guided by Social Media Strategy. Additional research and information on Action-Reflection can be found at CaseFoundation.org.

An outstanding book to read on this matter is The Age of Responsibility: CSR 2.0 and the new DNA of Business by Wayne Visser PhD.

Sustainably Yours,
Tracey

8 Reasons to love AFP!

by Kim Payne.

8 Good Reasons to Love your AFP Membership:

1. Professional Development
2. Involvement/Networking
3. Information/Research
4. Certification/Designation
5. Ethics
6. Employment Assistance
7. Scholarships
8. Advocacy/Public Service

Did you know that AFP represents over 30,000 individual fundraisers in more than 198 chapters throughout North America and the world? Your AFP Suncoast Chapter serves over 250 members in the Greater Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg area – that includes Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Do you want to be a member of AFP Suncoast? First you must be a member of AFP International to be eligible for Chapter membership and its associated rights and privileges. AFP membership is on an individual basis and is not transferable. That means that if you change your employment, your AFP International membership transfers with you, NOT with the organization.

Membership in the Association of Fundraising Professionals offers many benefits including access to customized research; news, trends and expert advice; the ability to demonstrate to donors and colleagues your commitment to ethical and effective fundraising. It also provides access to the support and strategies needed to supply critical fundraising to your organization.

For more information about Membership, contact Tammy Leventis at tammy@mailcofla.com or 727-460-3149.

Tracey Crocker Joins the Team!

As the new member to the communications committee – I guess the best place to start is by introducing myself: my name is Tracey Crocker.  I spent most of my adult life in Alabama working as a small business owner (ranging from home repair to automotive sales and service) and a pastor.

My fundraising was like most pastors’ “pass the plate and pray”.  A bake sale, car wash, or raffling off the ladies quilting bees latest work was about the extent of my fundraising. While these are all good ways of raising funds, they don’t raise the amounts that are needed to truly help those in the community: the least, the last, the lost, and the forgotten.

After moving to Tampa, I took a position with AmeriCorps Vista. Working for both the National Coalition for the Homeless and the Homeless Coalition of Hillsborough County. Part of my position was to find sustainable funding for the “Unexpected Faces Unexpected Places” Speakers Bureau. What I found was a great deal more.  I found out there was a real profession and a real skill call fedundraising and development.  While online searching for information on a funding model called Benevon, I came across the AFP web-site.   This was a group of fundraising professionals that offered amazing educational tools and training for members, even a code of ethics. The very next day Jen Filla called and invited me to the local Suncoast chapter luncheon.

From the first l moment I walked into the room I was hooked.  There was so much energy and so many people willing to help me grow.  I was amazed. One of the people I met was Beth Eppley, Director of Development for Bay Area Legal Services.  She has become my mentor and friend.

I am now the Coordinator of Leadership Giving at the Homeless Coalition and have started my own business called TDC Consulting Concepts, Inc.

There you have it, my introduction and my introduction to AFP.  I will be providing a blog post at least once a month on various fundraising topics such as interviews, the newest in best practice models and other information on fundraising and AFP.  Please let me know if there is something you are interested in and would like to see posted.   Until, next time.

Sustainably Yours,

Tracey

Relationships are one of the keys to success

Sara Leonard

by Sara Leonard.

I’d like to express my deepest thanks to the Suncoast Chapter for providing me with a scholarship to attend the AFP Planet Philanthropy Conference in Jacksonville this year. The application process was easy to complete and I received notification very quickly. I found Planet Philanthropy to be a valuable conference. Our chapter participated in the creation of this conference and since that time it has remained affordable and convenient.

The benefits I received from the conference include:

-Networking – this conference provided an opportunity to catch up with some old friends and meet some new people, all of whom enhanced the educational value because they shared so much useful information. The exhibitors provided a great chance to see what is out there to help us with the challenges we face.

-Education – the conference sessions were relevant and presented by experts.  From tried and true fundraising methods like bequests to the latest technology like social media, I brought home a long list of practical ideas to implement immediately.

-Inspiration – the keynote speakers left me energized and inspired to take on new challenges  Carla Harris, a Jacksonville native and Wall Street executive, shared peals of wisdom from her book Expect to Win. I thought the following were especially applicable to the great networking AFP provides us:

“Relationships are one of the keys to success…Your network gives you power and is one of the most important competitive advantages you can have in business.  Be willing to offer your assistance and also to receive it from others. Networking is a two-way street.”

Thanks to my chapter for this opportunity and for the great network you are to me!

__________________

Presented by Sara Leonard of MOSI at the July 19, 2011, AFP Suncoast chapter meeting.

15-Step Social Media Plan

by Kim Payne.

Bernie Borges

Bernie Borges shared a 15-step social media plan with the AFP Suncoast chapter in July. Social Media is ubiquitous. From Facebook and Twitter to Linkedin and YouTube, social media dominates a significant part of the Internet landscape.

During the AFP Suncoast Chapter lunch meeting, local Internet marketing entrepreneur Bernie Borges, Chief Find Officer of Find & Convert, educated members and guests what sites should be used and why, how to use them to their fullest advantage and if they should be used at all.

Borges advised that social media is still a new frontier and it shouldn’t be thought of as merely a marketing tactic. He indicated there are three strategies of the Social Media ROI Cycle. They include: Launching, Management and Optimization.

He offered a couple of important take-aways:
1. New marketing paradigm – a mindset shift using Content Strategy and Relationship/Engagement
2. You want to be a magnet – attract the right people to your site using Content as your Foundation/Platform

In his closing, he provided a 15-Step Plan to develop a Social Media Marketing Strategy:
1. Persona – identify someone to map out a plan
2. Identify sources of content in your organization
3. Develop content that speaks to the needs of your target audience
4. Develop content for all stages of your customer life cycle
5. Create an editorial calendar of content plan
6. Assign content to as many people as possible (sales, marketing, customer service, etc.)
7. Marketing Department is the traffic coordinator, not the content producer
8. Develop diversified portfolio of content across various media
9. Leverage social media as a Communications & Engagement channel
10. Define many success metrics and measure them
11. Obtaining C-Level support is a MUST
12. Produce content that has a measurable support on sales
13. Focus on educational content; enlighten and entertain
14. Be willing to experiment with content
15, Study content management examples in and outside your industry new ideas

For more information, visit www.findandconvert.com or you can follow Bernie on Twitter:@berniebay

_______________

Kim Payne is the Roving Reporter for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Suncoast Chapter. Contact him for story ideas via email.

Fundraising Pro Says Future’s Bright for AFP

by Kim Payne.

Robert “Bob” Carter

It’s the best of times; it’s the worst of times – but it is the time.  Charles Dickens?  No, Bob Carter.

With more than 40 years of experience in development and capital/endowment campaigning, Robert Carter, CFRE, knows from whence he speaks.  Presently the Principal at Of Counsel Philanthropy and Senior Advisor to Omnicom NFP Group and Changing Our World, he spoke to the AFP Suncoast Chapter at their May monthly meeting.   He previously worked with Ketchum, one of the largest firms in the fundraising industry for 26 years, 15 as CEO.

As the Chair-elect of AFP International, his presentation focused on the future of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.  He’s optimistic about what lies ahead and sees the glass as half full.  “There’s money being given away all around us every day,” said Carter.   “An organization that will thrive is one that can reinvent itself in the reality that we live in,” continued Carter.

He offered some helpful hints to the assembled development pros:

• Be energetic and get your clients to be energized.
• Use creative writing – think in opposites.
• Do an interruption – stop what you’re doing for 1 ½ days – think new.
• Integrate the best thinking with best practices.
• Reinvent our models – be more interactive.
• Keep your donors actively involved.
• Use your donor’s sphere of influence.

In closing, Carter stated that collaboration is driving the world and that organizations can’t do it alone.  “There will be a big switch in the future for AFP to evolve from fundraising to philanthropy,” he said.

“I’m confident that as an organization we can part of the new global enterprise.  It’s a beautiful day; I can see it,” concluded Carter.

Learning from a fundraising icon – Jerold Panas

by Victor Teschel

Victor Teschel

I am very thankful to AFP for giving me the opportunity to learn from one of the icons in the fundraising industry – Jerold Panas.

I was honored to receive a scholarship to attend an Institute for Charitable Giving conference titled: “The Art of Successful Fundraising.” This conference was facilitated by Jerold Panas, a 40-year veteran of fundraising who now provides workshops and conferences to share his knowledge, create dialogue on the current trends happening in our profession and to help attendees reflect on the impact they are having on their organizations and communities.

Being fairly new to fundraising, I am constantly searching for ways to learn from the successes of others and to build my network of fellow fundraising professionals. This conference allowed me to accomplish both of these missions to the fullest extent.

I feel like I am constantly receiving great benefits from AFP and the Suncoast Chapter Scholarship Program is no different. Thanks for making the scholarship program a quick and easy process with immediate feedback and results. I encourage every AFP member to get involved in a committee, give to the “Every Member Campaign” and take advantage of this great professional development opportunity.