The Value of Volunteering

FRANÇAIS

HOW VOLUNTEERING FOR AFP HELPS YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYER

At the age of 19, Evan Maydaniuk, CFRE, (he/him) was a volunteer with the Manitoba Association for Rights & Liberties (MARL). After a contentious provincial election, the newly elected government significantly reduced its funding for the nonprofit sector. At MARL a fundraising committee became necessary. No one stepped forward to be on this committee.

“When no one volunteered for the fundraising committee, I thought okay, I’ll try it. We did the things you might expect, like bake sales and trivia nights.” And through this experience, Maydaniuk discovered his passion for fundraising. He also recognized there must be a more effective way to fundraise.

“While I was volunteering with MARL, I was studying business at the University of Winnipeg, so I had the opportunity to tweak my courses and I began to focus on not-for-profit management, and nonprofits became the focus of my career. I was then able to take that knowledge and apply it to my first professional fundraising role at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and my continued involvement in MARL.”

Even now, while working for Rainbow Resource Centre in Winnipeg, Maydaniuk currently serves on the School Board at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet and is president-elect at the AFP Manitoba chapter.

“When I was hired by Rainbow Resource Centre as director of development, my boss was very supportive of AFP. They pointed out the networking opportunities, the options for professional development, and even the resources on the website, which are huge.”

Chelsey Lemke, CFRE, had already established a career in marketing when she first joined a nonprofit organization as a paid employee.

“When I started my first paid fundraising job about a decade ago, the membership coordinator of the AFP South Saskatchewan chapter called me to see if I had any questions about fundraising, and I did have many questions,” she said. “I knew that I wanted to join a professional association. To be able to say I was a member of a professional association was important to me, and I wanted to meet others doing the same work and build a network of colleagues. In that initial phone call, we talked about AFP Canada and AFP Global. I ended up joining the South Saskatchewan chapter. I am past chair of the education committee and have been chapter president for the past five years.”

Lemke is also currently wrapping up a $70 million campaign for a homeless shelter and community hub in Regina.

Emilie Lamoureux is the president-elect of the AFP Quebec chapter. Her route to fundraising was also circuitous. With a graduate degree in literature, she found herself job hunting and ended up running the Montreal’s Kettle Campaign for the Salvation Army, achieving the best net results in Montreal up to that time. That experience eventually propelled her into a fundraising position with École de technologie supérieure.

“I first heard about AFP when I was trying to secure a position with my current employer,” says Lamoureux. “A colleague mentioned that being part of AFP could give me an edge in the eyes of my former boss. In 2021, I got involved with the local chapter of AFP to help expand my network and gain some experience on a board of directors. Now I am president-elect of our Quebec chapter.”

“The options for professional development at AFP for me, personally, have been huge,” says Maydaniuk.

“I took the online Fundamentals of Fundraising course offered through AFP Global.  I also wanted to develop my leadership skills, and so applied for the AFP Diverse Communities Scholarship to attend AFP LEAD 2021 in Indianapolis,” he said. “The following year, I took a CFRE preparation course, a two-day session taught by AFP Global instructors, both Canadian and American, at AFP ICON in Las Vegas. Because of the intensive learning in the two-day course, I was able to write and pass the CFRE exam six weeks later. It was an incredible opportunity for me.”

Lamoureux agrees.

“AFP regularly offers me opportunities for professional development. I have attended several conferences, including the AFP Toronto Congress twice and AFP ICON twice. And simply being involved on the chapter board helps to develop my leadership skills.”

“Having staff as members of AFP also brings a lot of value to employers,” says Lemke.

“Many of our chapter members practice in solo shops, where there’s no resources for professional development,” she adds. “So, employers are often happy to pay AFP’s membership fee because they know it will provide professional development opportunities.”

AFP also offers access to other fundraisers locally and the broader network internationally to facilitate practical assistance for problems that pop up every day.

“There’s a treasure trove of resources on the website—templates for pledge letters and contracts, for example, that are hugely helpful,” says Lemke.

“When my employer sees me going to a session where the heads of foundations are present or presenting and they know that I am gaining access to the people who can make funding decisions about our organization, they definitely value that,” says Maydaniuk. “They have been very supportive of my volunteer service at AFP since the beginning of my work with them. They understand we need to know best practices to be the best, and that’s what AFP offers.”

Lamoureux says she’s convinced that her involvement with AFP is beneficial to her employer.

“The university where I work, the École de technologie supérieure, is currently developing its philanthropic culture, and my position on the board provides great visibility for the organization and helps to promote the work we do. It makes me a better employee because I am developing my strategic thinking and political skills.”

“When I talk about the value of AFP membership, I always bring the conversation back to the donor,” says Lemke. “It’s important for donors to know their money is well managed. The clearest, easiest way to do this, in my view, is to join AFP which requires all members to adhere to its code of ethical standards. As a fundraiser that’s important for me to be able to do my job.”

Learn more about the benefits of AFP membership and the chapters in Canada.