AFP Member Spotlight: Madi Sutherlin

AFP Member Spotlights are a recurring series of interviews with AFP members, highlighting the unique individuals and career paths that exist within the fundraising profession. If you know an inspiring fundraising professional who deserves to be featured, please email [email protected].

In this member spotlight, we interviewed Madi Sutherlin, community and corporate engagement manager at Volunteers of America Ohio & Indiana. Madi shares how an early passion for service led her to a career in fundraising, where she blends relationship-building with data-driven strategy to better understand and engage donors. She reflects on the importance of professional growth through AFP, the value of mentorship, and the need to rebuild trust through transparency and authenticity in today’s fundraising landscape.

Q: How did you start your career in the fundraising profession and what led you there?
A: I have been in my current role for just over three years but my passion for the nonprofit sector began back in high school. I was involved in a few clubs and each club had a philanthropic component where we learned what our community needed and we were tasked with brainstorming how to fill those needs. I instantly knew this was the type of work I wanted to do for a career and found myself majoring in philanthropic studies in college. I did a few internships with different organizations and once I graduated, I found my current role.

Q: When and why did you decide to become an AFP member?
A: Once I started my career, I chose to become involved in AFP quickly. A lot of my colleagues were members of my local chapter and I heard all the benefits they received from being involved and knew I wanted to be a member. I am now going on three years of membership and the ways I use my membership grow each month.

Q: Are you doing anything innovative at your organization (or a past organization) that you think other fundraisers could benefit from?
A: Fundraising is centered around relationship building and being able to understand your audience and their wants. While it is easy to get lost in the passion and feelings for your organization’s mission, I find it necessary to also structure your work around data points. Ask questions like: What generation does your donor fall into? What is the data saying about how that generation likes to be approached? What is the open rate on your last email send? Does that open rate align with your goal or should you shift the wording next time?

Whenever I attend an AFP event, at least one conversation involves talking through the data someone’s organization is collecting. I find it crucial to not only collect and review data but also to share out with colleagues and gain insight on how your organization might be doing it correctly and areas for improvement.

Q: What is your favorite word? (only one word) How has this word influenced or inspired your career?
A: Identity. It took me a few years to fully develop my sense of self as a professional. I was trying to mimic the style of the leaders I was learning from, but I found the most success happened when I took their tools and made them my own. You are your greatest tool and you are capable of everything you think you are!

Q: What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
A: Each time someone involved in our programming tells me they have been positively impacted. I am humbled to be involved in some of the most difficult moments in someone’s life and to know that my work directly improves their life in some way.

Q: How has being an AFP member and participating in the AFP affinity groups benefited you in your career?
A: AFP at my local chapter level benefits me each week. I can network with other members and learn something new to add to my toolbox. I am also engaged in the AFP Global Emerging Leaders Affinity Group and take pride in participating in the monthly webinars and connecting with AFP members across the globe.

Q: In your opinion, what is the biggest challenge facing the nonprofit fundraising profession today?
A: Trust. I think trust is at an all-time low across many sectors and affects many different groups of people. As fundraisers, we must engage our constituents and let them know we are transparent and our mission is making an impact.  This will be a hard problem to tackle, but with ethics and passion on our side, we can gain more trust.

Q: What advice do you have for other fundraising professionals?
A: Take advantage of any chance to have a mentor! Whether that mentor is in your career field or a professional mentor, they are invaluable. My mentor has helped me navigate my professional goals and organizational culture, and helps me hold myself accountable. I could not recommend a mentor through AFP or a personal connection enough.