Mike’s Monday Message: Maximizing Your AFP Membership in 2024

Whether you’re new to AFP membership this year, or you have been a member of our community for a long time (maybe even since before we were AFP), you may not be familiar with all of the opportunities that are available to members. 

Everything that AFP offers is designed to help you in your fundraising career in some way, whether that is leadership training that earns you a promotion, fundraising education that amplifies your impact, or connections that make you feel at home in your profession. 

Some of the benefits of membership are well known, like the $700 discount members get on AFP ICON registration (coming up in Toronto, April 7-9!) or the $100 professional development credit that members can apply to online learning opportunities. 

Others, like the 20% discount members get on initial CFRE certification and recertification fees, you may not have been aware of. 

Here are just a few of the unique benefits, only available to AFP members, that you won’t want to miss in 2024: 

AFP Connect
Let’s say you are contemplating switching CRMs, but you would like to know which ones fit your organization’s needs. Or maybe, you’ve hit a wall with your outreach attempts and you’re wondering whether you should stop contacting a prospect. These types of questions are best answered by a fellow fundraiser who has had a similar experience. AFP Connect is AFP’s members-only discussion forum where you can go to post questions and seek advice from the AFP community of 26,000 fundraisers. In January alone, there were 455 discussion threads started on topics that you might be interested in. Be on the lookout for featured discussions on Wednesday in the AFP daily newsletter, sign up for the AFP Connect digest to get email summaries of recent discussions, or login anytime to join the conversation. 

Advancing Philanthropy  
With how busy our everyday schedules are, it can be hard to find time to seek out new ideas. Advancing Philanthropy is a members-only online and print magazine publication, curated to provide you with a one-stop-shop for cutting-edge articles by fundraising experts. The January issue, for example, is focused on new tools and techniques, including several articles on the positives and negatives of AI use in fundraising. You can find featured articles from the most recent issue in the AFP daily newsletter or browse the entire online library at any time. 

AFP360° Career Tool
There are plenty of job opportunities for fundraising professionals right now, but how do you make your resume stand out from the crowd? AFP360° is an online career builder and management tool provided to all AFP members through our partnership with Korn Ferry and its Advance program. Included are complimentary resources such as digital resume analysis, artificial intelligence coaching, and feedback on meeting and interview preparation. Combine these insights with easy access to job listings through AFP’s career center, and you’re ready to find your dream job! 

These are just a few of the ways that AFP membership can connect you with your professional community, inspire innovative fundraising campaigns that drive donations, and advance your career potential. 

Thank you for being a member! I hope you’ll get a chance to take advantage of these and other AFP benefits this year! 

In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email at Mike.Geiger@afpglobal.org or on X at @AFPMikeGeiger. I’d love to hear from you.

Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA