Mike’s Monday Message Takeover: A New Year and a New Chair: An Update from Roger D. Ali, MBA, C. Dir., CFRE

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a successful end-of-year giving season and are now taking some time to rest and recharge for the year ahead. As we kick off 2025, I’m excited and honored to step into my new role as the chair of the AFP Global Board of Directors. I am deeply grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me, and I look forward to working alongside all of you on behalf of the fundraising profession. 

My Key Goals
In my time as chair, I have a few key goals I’d like to share with you. First and foremost, I want to build upon the work of my predecessors, to continue to foster a culture of inclusion and belonging here at AFP. We have an excellent foundation to build upon, but there is still more that can be done to ensure every voice is heard and recognized within the fundraising profession and everyone feels that they belong. In fact, one of the things that I’m most looking forward to in my new role is the opportunity to meet with more of you, hear your stories, and share with you my own AFP journey and the expertise I’ve gained from 20+ years as a fundraising practitioner. 

I want to extend an open invitation to all of our chapters. If you’re planning an event or need support in any way, I’d be honored to come speak with your members on topics related to governance, major gifts, or capital campaigns. These are areas I am passionate about, and I believe my experience can provide valuable insights as we all continue to navigate the challenges and opportunities in the fundraising field. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly if you’d like to explore this opportunity.

CEO Search Update:
Upon the announcement of Mike Geiger’s retirement earlier this year, the AFP board put out a request for proposal and ultimately selected the executive search firm, DRiWaterstone, to assist our executive search committee in identifying AFP’s next president/CEO. We also ensured that the AFP membership would have a voice in this decision, by putting out a survey asking you what qualities and expertise you wanted to see moving forward in this position. Thank you to everyone who completed this survey. The feedback you provided was helpful in determining our priorities, as we review and meet with the qualified candidates presented by DRiWaterstone. 

We’ll keep you updated as we move closer to finalizing the process and selecting the right person to lead AFP into the future. In the meantime, Mike Geiger, MBA, CPA has agreed to stay on through April, while we navigate this transition.  
Thank you for your dedication to the fundraising profession. I’m excited for what we’ll accomplish together in the coming year!

Roger Ali, MBA, C. Dir., CFRE
AFPChair@afpglobal.org
Chair, AFP Global Board of Directors