Mike’s Monday Message: Getting Ready for National Philanthropy Day

National Philanthropy Day (NPD), November 15, is a day dedicated to celebrating the impact that philanthropy — fundraising, giving, volunteering, and charitable engagement — has on our world. For AFP chapters, NPD is an opportunity to recognize the members of their community who are making a difference and raise awareness about the importance of philanthropy, inspiring others to get involved. 

These events are typically one of the biggest that the chapter plans, which is why the AFP Marketing & Communications Committee has put together resources to help chapters make NPD a success. 

Structuring Your Committee
If you’re planning an event for this November, you’ve likely already put together your planning committee, but if you haven’t, or you’re looking for ideas on how to improve next year, AFP’s NPD resources start from the beginning, with a guide on the best way to structure your NPD committee. The guide reviews some of the common committee responsibilities — publicity, sponsorships, awards, registration — and how to divide these tasks. It also reviews best practices, such as how to document your processes for a smooth chair transition. Plus, your fellow chapters have provided sample documents including committee member job descriptions and a committee charter, giving you an easy starting point to draft your own chapter’s materials. 

Planning Your Event
These guides cover the bread and butter of planning an NPD event. There are some talking points about the history and purpose of NPD that you can use to educate the community. There are also sample documents that you can download, such as a suggested event planning timeline, sponsorship agreement, and sample sponsorship tiers. This section also includes a guide highlighting some logistical best practices for while you’re on site at your event — is your event handicap accessible, where are your board members being seated, does your menu accommodate dietary restrictions? 

Marketing NPD
Your event will only be a success if people actually attend it, which means marketing is one of the most important aspects of the planning process. These guides outline the channels that chapters are commonly using for their marketing, such as email, print, and social media, along with best practices for tailoring your message to target specific audiences. Here you can also download sample social media posts and language that your local government can use to issue a proclamation recognizing NPD. 

NPD Awards
Many chapters use their NPD event as a platform to recognize members of the community who have demonstrated excellence, either in fundraising, or through their philanthropic giving and service. AFP provides resources for chapters planning an awards ceremony including sample nomination forms, programs, and email templates for marketing nominations. Chapters also have the option to use AFP’s awards platform to host their nominations. We provide the form templates, messages, and administration system — all you need to do is fill in the relevant information for your chapter, hit submit, and your chapter's nomination process is ready to go. 

Conclusion
AFP Global is here to serve as a resource for you as you plan your National Philanthropy Day event, as are your fellow members from other chapters. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us, or connect with your counterparts at a nearby chapter, if you need some help or you have a question. Let’s work together to raise awareness about the important work that nonprofits do and the impact we’re able to make through the generosity of our communities. 

As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns. You can reach me via email at mike.geiger@afpglobal.org or on X at @AFPMikeGeiger. 

Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA