AFP Board of Directors Spotlight: Pinky Vincent, CFRE

To help you get to know the members who will be representing you on the 2024 AFP Board of Directors, we asked our 5 new members to share with us background on their career paths, their advice for the profession, and their goals for their time on the board.

In this Member Spotlight, we interviewed Pinky Vincent, CFRE, one of our new board members at large. She shared with us how she got involved in her New York City chapter, her goals for her time on the AFP Global board, and the importance of mentorship in her career journey. 

Q: How did you start your career in the fundraising profession and what led you there? 
A: My career path has not been linear. Instead, my career in the US has touched upon most aspects of managing a nonprofit – from leading citywide coalition campaigns to managing teams in a youth services organization. I have said yes and taken on projects from a place of learning and curiosity. 

I formally started my fundraising career in institutional giving. A former colleague mentioned an opening and said that I would be very good at it. The behind-the-scenes role quickly became a combination of frontline fundraising, marketing, and volunteer engagement – working with the program team to make our mission a success. 

Q: When and why did you decide to become an AFP member and how did you become a volunteer?
A: I joined the New York City chapter of AFP in 2016. Before becoming a member, I did attend workshops and the chapter’s Fundraising Day New York for about two years. I wanted to join AFP sooner but the membership fee was prohibitive for me at that time.

I am so grateful to my then manager, Aldervan Daly, for offering his team the opportunity to join AFP. This investment has opened so many doors for me to grow as a better person and leader.  

I intuitively figured out that to get the best of my membership, I would need to volunteer, learn new things, and be unafraid to make mistakes. 

I immediately joined two committees – the AFP-NYC Membership Engagement Team and the AFP-NYC IDEA Committee. 

I clearly recall my first task as a committee member of the AFP-NYC Membership Engagement Team – it included making calls to check in with current members on how we were doing as a chapter and how we were adding value in their professional growth. As AFP Global board member, I want to reach out to longtime as well as new members for their input on how AFP can continue to serve in a way that positively impacts their lives and the nonprofit sector.

For some reason, then chapter IDEA committee chair, Sunil Oommen, thought I should put in my application for the New York City chapter board back in 2018-19. I knew that day would come someday but not now – I didn’t think I had the job title, the fundraising experience, or the “professional heft” at the time. But I took it as a sign that it’s my time after all. Thank you Sunil and other chapter leaders whose concrete advice propelled me to the board of AFP New York City chapter in 2020. 

I am very grateful to Julianna Weissbein – my one-time fellow board member in New York City who served as a role model for me – sharing her time and talent with emerging leaders in NYC and beyond. I also appreciate her generosity of spirit – sharing her professional journey on her blog. She has inspired me to take risks sooner rather than later. 

And I thank Sarah Wiley – who I literally cold-emailed to ask for advice on volunteering at AFP Global. I had no idea what was required of a chapter member to raise their hand to volunteer. And Sarah jumped on a Zoom to share ideas and walk me through the process. Thank you, Sarah! 

In short, I am where I am at AFP today for three reasons – 

1. The goodwill, faith, and kindness of AFP members and staff who opened doors for me even when I was not looking;
2. Proactively reaching out to fellow AFP members and asking for help and advice; and 
3. Showing up as an active AFP member to learn, connect, mentor, and coach to become the best version of myself.

Q: What is one skill you think is invaluable as a fundraising leader?
A: Give and share credit – it does wonders to break down silos among teams/departments, make people feel appreciated, and leads to the acknowledgement that fundraising is teamwork. 

Q: What is your favorite word? (only one word) How has this word influenced or inspired your career?
A: “Breathe.” This is the space I need to choose on how I show up. 

“Between the stimulus and response, there is a space. And in that space lies our freedom and power to choose our responses. In our response lies our growth and our freedom” - Viktor Frankl

Not everything will go according to plan. People will be fickle. So I breathe, reflect, and appropriately respond.

Q: What professional accomplishment are you most proud of? 
A: I am proud of several accomplishments. I feel especially proud of leading projects where people felt that they belonged and that their contributions mattered – that their roles as a youth participant, staff, volunteer, or donor were much needed to make the campaign a success. 

Q: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the nonprofit fundraising profession today?
A: How do we introduce and initiate new ideas to grow and evolve while embedding IDEA and mental wellbeing?

What fundraising practices that conflict with IDEA or the organization’s mission can wither away?

How do we show up from a place of strength rather than fear and greed when we are building, sustaining, or evolving? When is enough enough?

Q: What is one goal you have for your time on the AFP board?
A: As a new board member, I am still learning and seeking to understand the AFP ecosystem. In the immediate, one of my goals is to embed accessibility to information and process when a member raises their hand to volunteer and is enthusiastic about sharing their time and skills in service of fellow fundraisers. We have more than 26,000 members so applying for committees can be competitive. And that’s a good thing. I want to ensure that we build and energize a pipeline of eager volunteers who want to learn, contribute, and effectively advocate in their communities and globally. 

Q: What advice do you have for other fundraising professionals, or people interested in getting into the field? 
A: For those interested in fundraising – just do it. Fundraising found me and there is a place of for you – the relationship builder, the cheerleader, the researcher, the legal whiz, and the doer.

I wish you much luck and joy throughout your journey. Feel free to contact me with your ideas and feedback. And join AFP.