NORTH CENTRAL OHIO CHAPTER

Serving members from Summit, Stark, Medina, Portage, Wayne, Holmes, Ashland, Tuscarawas, and Cuyahoga Counties

330-329-2472 | 330-315-0399 Fax | info@afpncoh.org

Focus on Sustainability

Today, with economic crises, the environment and disasters in developing countries blanketing the nightly news, the word sustainability has almost become an everyday utterance. As fundraisers, we know that sustainability is key to both the survival and the significance of our organizations.

Sustainability is literally the capacity to endure. As fundraisers and nonprofit professionals we know that our mission is to raise money not just to endure but to fund the vision of our organizations. We must accept that our jobs typically involve raising funds to both “keep the lights on” and to advance strategic priorities.

With this in mind, AFPNCOH has chosen “Sustainability” as the overarching theme for the year’s educational programs. The programs will highlight best practices in fundraising, building a donor base and engaging the community as well as “nuts and bolts” fundraising practices for members with all levels of experience.

Our chapter strives to provide quality educational options for all of our members throughout our nine county region. We encourage our members and prospective members to take advantage of these opportunities to help your organization create its own sustainable development program. We look forward to seeing you at our programs and events. As always feel free to contact us with suggestions and feedback to info@afpncoh.org. 

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Chapter Wins National Donor Participation Award

For the third straight year AFPNCOH had the highest percent member participation in the Every Member Campaign for midsize chapters. Last year, 57 of 121 members (47%)made a gift to the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy which supports scholarships, education, research, strategic initiatives, and chapter partnerships at an international level.

The Chapter’s achievement will be recognized at the 47th International Conference on Fundraising in Baltimore during the Chapter Presidents' Council meeting on Sunday, April 11, 2010. President - Elect Suzanne Allen will accept the award on behalf of our chapter.

Congratulations to the membership and thank you to all of the donors who supported this important effort.

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Community Engagement to Build Your Donor Base

April 22, 2010 • 7:45 - 10:15 AM
Hilton Garden Inn at the Akron Canton Airport  directions

$15 members • $22 non-members
Reservations Required • Deadline: April 15th, noon

A panel presentation featuring development professionals and board members from their nonprofit organizations will be followed by a Q&A session and a roundtable discussion period.

• Laura Tinney, CFRE
  Vice President, Fund Development, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

• Susan Flowers
  Board Member, Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank

• Susan Van Vorst
  Vice President of Fund Development, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

• Deborah Selden
  Secretary, Board of Directors/Chair, Fund Development Committee, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens

• Rochelle Fisher, CFRM
  Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity of Summit County

• Amy DeGennaro
  Board Member & President and Owner of Diamond Title Company

• Jefferey Poulos
  Fund Development Director, Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health

• Nancy Pryce
  Community Advocate and President Elect of the Board of Directors

• 7:45 – 8:15 a.m. Registration & Continental Breakfast
• 8:15 – 9:15 a.m. Panel presentation
• 9:15 – 9:25 a.m. Break
• 9:25 – 9:45 a.m. General Q&A with panel
• 9:45 – 10:15 a.m. Roundtable discussion period
• 10:15 a.m. Adjourn

Click here to register

A panel of four area nonprofit development leaders and their equally experienced board members will share how their organizations have successfully engaged the community as a mechanism of developing their donor base.

They will identify the key concepts and operational steps that need to be put in place for the Board and staff to continue to successfully engage the community over time.

Following the presentation there will be an open question & answer period with the panel, then each team from the panel will meet with a small group to discuss this issue in more depth.

Click here to register

2010 Career Success Institute Free Registration Winner

Joe Chevraux of Canton was the lucky winner of the drawing for the free registration for the 2010 Career Success Institute!  CONGRATULATIONS Joe! 
 

Survey Results

The Professional Development Committee conducted a survey through the chapter’s mailing list. 96 people responded, nearly 50% of whom were AFP members. The responses provided essential information on interest in program topics, reasons for participation, and location preferences. We will continue to plan informational and thought-provoking programs for 2010 based on these results. 
 

Scheduled Programs – SAVE THE DATES! 

May 18 – Are Poor Database Practices Costing You Money? 

Registration/continental breakfast - 7:45 – 8:15 a.m.
Program  - 8:15 –9:45 a.m.; small group discussion 9:45 – 10:15 a.m.
Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Akron Canton Airport 

Garbage In…Garbage Out – it’s true for all databases. So do you know how to avoid the GIGO trap and utilize best practices in the ethical management of your fundraising database?  Do you know what fundraising database to choose for your organization? If not, join us as two experts in the fields of fundraising and technology present on this important but complex and sometimes confusing topic of fundraising and database management. 

Following the presentation there will be an open question & answer period with the panel, and then there will be small group discussions.  

Panelists:

Karen Owens, CFRE, President of Resource Development Network, Inc. will address accessing donor information, maintaining donor records, and ethical issues related to database management.  

Jeffrey Forster, Senior Consultant, Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management, Robert Morris University, will share his expertise and experience on how not to make mistakes when choosing fundraising software that’s right for your organization. He will help you figure out what you really need, what you can do without, and then point you in a direction that won’t break the bank or your database.
 

June 17 – If it Walks Like a Duck...Recognizing Ethical Challenges for Fundraisers

Registration/continental breakfast - 7:45 – 8:15 a.m.
Program  - 8:15 –9:45 a.m.; small group discussion 9:45 – 10:15 a.m.
Location: Hilton Garden Inn, Akron Canton Airport 

Most nonprofit organizations face ethical dilemmas at some point in their work, and often times those dilemmas are related to fundraising issues. 

The Presenter:

Janis Purdy, local nonprofit consultant and fundraising professional will discuss the grey area between positions on ethical issues, the line in the middle where there might be a law that governs conduct, and how “ethics” goes beyond the law. This workshop will also review the AFP Code of Ethics and Donor Bill of Rights as part of the framework in which ethical dilemmas can be addressed.  

Following Jan’s short presentation, small groups will take an in-depth look at several case studies of actual nonprofit dilemmas, to discuss the options available for resolution in these situations, including resources available beyond AFP.  The entire group will then reconvene to share their conclusions.  
 

Career Development Training Programs     

AFP, the Center for Nonprofit Excellence and the Akron-Summit County Public Library will present this Fundraising Development Series.  

 All programs are held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Akron-Summit County Public Library, Main Library. Attendees are welcome to bring lunch. Programs are FREE, but registration is required as space is limited. Register at www.cfnpe.org or call 330-996-5327 for more information and assistance.

This same Fundraising Development Series will be held in Canton, in collaboration with the Stark County Public Library.  

All programs are held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Main Branch of the Stark County Library. Attendees are welcome to bring lunch. Programs are FREE, but registration is required as space is limited. Register at www.cfnpe.org or call 330-996-5327 for more information and assistance.

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Membership Scholarships

Congratulations to Larry Becker, Jennee Garlando and Nancy Lupi on receiving AFP Membership Scholarships.  We realize there are individuals who would like to be members of the AFP North Central Ohio Chapter but whose organizations may have difficulty paying the annual membership fees. The Chapter awards scholarships for those with a demonstrated need and an interest in being active in the Chapter.  To apply, fill out a Membership Scholarship application online at www.afpnco.org.  The next round of scholarships will be announced in June. Please contact Molly Barnwell, at 330-535-3179 for more information.
 

Mentoring Program 

“We can teach from our experience, but we cannot teach experience.”  

AFPNCOH enjoys a diverse membership of seasoned fundraising professionals and energetic young talent new to the field. Informal mentoring and networking are an oft sited benefit to membership. To enhance this process, the Chapter is creating a formalized mentoring program for our members. The program will feature one-on-one mentoring relationships where both the mentor and mentee can benefit and learn from each other. Program activities will kick off in 2010 and the formalized program will begin at our next orientation class. More information to come in future issues of the newsletter.

Update Your Information

Please check your member information on our website http://www.afpncoh.org/membership.asp for accuracy. If your information is incorrect, please send an email to info@afpncoh.org and we will correct our records. Thank you.

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Susan Van Vorst Receives 2010 Chamberlain Scholarship

Susan Van Vorst is the recipient of the 2010 AFPNCOH Chamberlain Scholarship. Susan is Vice President, Fund Development at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens. She will attend the AFP International Conference in Baltimore, MD on April 11-14.

It's early in the year, but not too early to start planning to apply for the 2011 Chamberlain Scholarship. The Chamberlain Scholarship is sponsored by the AFP Foundation on Philanthropy, and the scholarship pays the registration fee for one person to attend the AFP International Conference on Fundraising. In addition, the AFPNCOH chapter provides up to $1,000 to reimburse the attendee for expenses incurred while attending the conference.

Applicants must be active members of AFPNCOH and have never attended an AFP international conference. Starting this year, applicants must also meet additional requirements. They must participate in the Every Member Campaign; they must have actively served on at least one committee this year; they must have attended CSI (not necessarily this year); and have participated in at least two other member activities.

The application process begins in September, so there is plenty of time to join a committee and attend breakfast meetings this year to meet the new requirements. The conference in 2011 will be held in Chicago on March 20-23.

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CSI Institute - A World Series Fundraising Event

Friday, October 1, 2010
8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
KSU Stark Campus 

This year’s Career Success Institute (CSI) is being designed to help fundraising professionals - from rookies to hall-of-famers - score big with their fundraising efforts.  Tentative topics to be addressed:

•  The Game Plan—Fund development planning
•  Major League Fundraising—Donor cultivation and solicitation
•  Out-of-the-Park Annual Campaigns
•  Engaging Your Most Valuable Players (Trustees) in Fundraising
•  Stories from the Dugout:  Best Practices in Planned Giving 

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National Philanthropy Day

National Philanthropy Day is our Chapter's opportunity to collectively recognize the individuals, foundations, organizations, and companies who do so much to make the greater Akron area a community we can be proud of. 

This year’s luncheon event is scheduled for Friday, November 12 at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn. Historically, more than 300 individuals representing approximately 90 local organizations will attend this signature event. This is truly an event not to be missed! 

Is your interest piqued? Good…we need committee members to make this event an even greater success.  

On Thursday, April 29 we are hosting a NPD Prospective Committee Member meeting at the Hilton Akron/Fairlawn. This will be your opportunity to meet the chairs of the various committees and sign up for the committee of your choice. 

Please RSVP with your plans to attend the committee meeting by Monday, April 26 to Ashley at Ashley@jaofnco.org.
 

Stay Involved, Stay Informed

We want you to keep on top of what’s happening with AFPNCO, so please be sure that your contact information is current.  

Visit www.afpncoh.org TODAY for valuable information on upcoming events, professional development opportunities, and local job openings in the development field.

Thank you to all of our members for helping us to continue to be an active and growing professional development organization in the North Central Ohio region! Our goal is provide you with quality professional development opportunities.

Do you want to:

• Expand Your Network?
• Add Value To Your AFP Membership?
• Build A Sounding Board For Ideas?
• Broaden Knowledge of Your Community?
• Or just make new friends?

Then we need YOU! AFPNCOH has the opportunity for you to get involved with an AFP Committee.

Members are needed for the following committees. If you are interested, just send an email to the committee chair(s):

• Career Success Institute – Shelley Koch shelleykoch@victimassistanceprogram.org  or Barb Greene banngreene@aol.com
• Membership – Shelly Durbin shelly.durbin@iiakron.org  or Belinda Richardson Bmrichards2004@aol.com
• National Philanthropy Day – Ashley Kellicker ashley@jaofnco.org
• Professional Development – Susan Griffin griffin@cfnpe.org

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