Mike’s Monday Message: Giving Thanks

With the busiest giving season of the year well underway, and American Thanksgiving coming up later this week, I wanted to take a moment to pause and say THANK YOU! 

Thank you for being involved with the AFP community, supporting one another and this profession. 

Thank you for the work that you do at your organizations, tirelessly working on behalf of the causes and missions that inspire us. 

And thank you for your commitment to ethical fundraising and inclusion, diversity, equity, and access, and all that you’re doing to advance those ideals in our industry. 

As fundraisers you know how valuable gratitude can be, but it is also easy to let saying thank you slip to the bottom of the to-do list. Increasingly, with AI tools like ChatGPT, we’ve begun to automate parts of our creative process, which while saving valuable time, can also take away some of the crucial human-to-human connection that makes philanthropy so special. 

We know from recent industry reports like the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy’s Fundraising Effectiveness Project, many organizations are having trouble retaining new donors. Stewardship is more important now than ever, and saying thank you to our donors is an invaluable piece of building that relationship. 

The same can be said for how we develop relationships with our coworkers and staff. We’ve all seen the data on high turnover rates in fundraising. Taking the time to connect with your colleagues, particularly this time of year, by authentically communicating your appreciation, can go a long way. 

I’m personally looking forward to connecting with the AFP Global staff at our end-of-year get together (also looking forward to a potentially cut-throat white elephant gift exchange!). It will be a great opportunity to reflect on everything that AFP has accomplished this year and express my gratitude for their continued commitment to this organization, and to you, our members, who make all of our work possible as well. 

Despite how busy all of you are this season, try to set aside a little bit of time to express your gratitude towards everyone who has made a difference in your personal and professional life this year. We’re all in this together, and together is how we make the most impact! 

As always, please feel free to email me at mike.geiger@afpglobal.org or connect with me directly on X at @AFPMikeGeiger. I’d love to hear from you.

Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA