Special interest roundtables are an informal but highly informative gathering of fundraising professionals who have challenges in common. To join a roundtable, you must be a current member of AFP and you must agree to attend a majority of the monthly meetings. Structure and requirements vary among groups and AFP members are encouraged to reap the benefits of attending a roundtable in their area of interest. For many of us, it's a relief to find that others have not only experienced some of the same challenges we face, but often times they have suggested solutions!
There is no additional fee to join a roundtable, however, you likely will be asked to cover your own meal charge. Meetings run 60 – 90 minutes to accommodate the busy fundraiser's schedule. The group decides the date/time/place for the meeting (the facilitator organizes the first one).
Roundtables: Major Gifts (contact facilitator Gen Haines: ghaines@cc-md.org)
Major Gifts Roundtable (sample topics):
Gift Strategies, Culture and Fundraising, Planning the Volunteer Visit, Creating a Campaign, The Art of the Cold Call, Raising Major Gifts from Seniors, What’s New in Planned Giving, Who goes on the visit/how to brief them
Small Shop (contact facilitator Karen Griffin: kareng@stambros.org.
Small Shop Roundtable (sample topics):
Memberships in a small shop, Burnout, Major Gifts in a small shop, Setting realistic expectations, Planned Giving in a small shop, Fundraising Evaluation, Media and Publicity, Best Practices working with Boards and Exec. Dirs., Donor Recognition, Donor Communications, Direct Mail Paper management/filing systems, Development Plans, Special Events.
Annual Giving (contact facilitator Valerie Lambert: vlambert@jhu.edu)
Annual Giving Roundtable (sample topics):
Online Giving, Direct Mail, Social Networking (online), Donor Acquisition, Annual Giving & Capital Campaigns, Green Marketing, Donor Recognition, Annual Giving Career/Salary Path, Newsletters, Matching/Challenge Gifts – How best to market them, Phonathons, Best/Worst Annual Fund Experiments, Board Solicitation – Getting board members to do the soliciting.
Annual Giving User Group:
The AGRoundtable User Group is an online community of over 50 people who network as needed via a listserve on matters related to Annual Giving. It is available to AFP-MD members only. In addition, the following reference sections are available with tools and events to further one’s career development: Files, Photos Links, Polls, Database, and a Calendar. For additional information about the User Group and how to join, please contact Valerie Lambert.
Health Care Philanthropy (contact facilitator: Beth Ryan: bryan@umm.edu)
Healthcare Philanthropy Roundtable (sample topics):
Working with Doctors, Grateful Patients, Donor Recognition, Communication, Working within competing interests in a medical system, Ethics-HIPAA, Working with nurses and grateful patients, Stewardship, Annual Diving's connection to Major Gifts.
Management (contact facilitator Ellen Torres: etorres@catholiccharities-md.org)
Management Roundtable (sample topics):
Measuring performance of Planned Giving staff, Receipting gifts changes brought about by new Pension Bill, Balancing management responsibilities with fundraising duties, Development planning compared to marketing plans, Improving program staff’s understanding of the organization’s constituency, Branding your nonprofit, Hiring and keeping development staff, Behavioral interviewing, Recognition ideas – other than financial, Third-Party events Department workload – peaks and valleys
If you are interested in any of the above roundtables and a facilitator is not listed, or if you have questions about roundtables, please contact Valerie Lambert: vlambert@jhu.edu.
