Chapter Leadership Brief 6.08.18
By Craig Shelley, CFRE
Fundraising Day in New York is right around the corner being held this year on Friday, June 22 at the New York Marriott Marquis. This annual gathering of nearly 2,000 fundraisers, philanthropists, nonprofit leaders and service providers serves several purposes. It’s the unofficial kick-off to summer. It’s a great opportunity to connect with friends and former colleagues. It is the place to pick up the latest tricks of the trade and trends while reinforcing best practices. I’ll admit the first two purposes are what makes the event so much fun. But I think what makes it so special is the opportunity to be reminded just how large our NYC community of fundraisers is.
I’ve had the opportunity to look out from the stage and from the balcony during lunch and it’s a powerful sight. Nearly 2,000 people that do what I do. People that are committed to the greater good of our community and work incredibly hard every day to ensure all of us collectively have a better tomorrow. It’s easy as we toil away in our own corners of the world for this to feel like a lonely profession. We often hear, “no.” Many of us work literally alone as development offices of one and increasingly in our connected world are working from home, truly alone minus the occasional interruption from a roommate, partner, spouse or child. But one day each year our community comes out in force providing an opportunity to learn and for camaraderie. It’s powerful and I know I go home each year with my head held a bit higher and a bit of a skip in my step proud to be part of such a vibrant community.
As a chapter AFP NYC is proud to put on this special day and eager to infuse the rest of the year with similar opportunities. Whether it’s a professional advancement session, a young professionals happy hour or one of our myriad other events, our intent is to mirror on a smaller scale the feeling of camaraderie and opportunity to learn and grow professionally that you’ll experience on June 22nd. I hope we’ll se you there.
If you have ideas or suggestions please always feel free to contact me directly at cshelley@oai-usa.com. If you’re interested in my thoughts on fundraising and news in the sector, sprinkled with the occasional picture of my kids, please follow me on Twitter @craigshelley.
Thank you for everything you do.