The Official "Hey - It's The New afpglobal.org Website!" FAQ Page

No, you are not lost ... really - this is the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) website. No, we are not pulling your leg (that would be rude, and tell whoever may actually be tugging your limb right now to quit it). We know, it's a bit overwhelming, no longer having that familiar, Mid-Aughts website full of tiny text upon text, garish design and questionable search functionality. Sit, relax and breathe - it's going to be ok. In fact, we hope this Brave New AFP Web World is better than ok, or at least the starting point toward something special!

It has been almost 10 years since AFP launched it's last revamped website - afpnet.org - back in 2009. How long ago was that? Well, Lost was still on the air (then again, I am STILL bitter about that finale ... let's move on...). So yeah, one could say we've been way overdue for a refresh....

Huzzah - the old afpnet.org website is dead, long live the new afpglobal.org website! What you see before you is a complete rebuild of AFP's flagship online experience. The name change is only the beginning - everything is fresh, from our platform and coding, to our content and functionality.

Curious about what exactly is going on here? Here's an overview of the new afpglobal.org!

• Fresh New Layout, Focused Content and Navigation - All Fully Accessible 
  The first thing you're sure to notice is we eliminated the "Christmas Tree" approach of the old site - new navigation was just added and added thinking "the more the better" to help folks find what they need, but instead the opposite occurred - it's impossible to find the tree you want amongst a massive menu forest.
  
  We now present a tightly-focused main navigation of just four key families - Learn & Grow (professional and career development/education), Impact & Advocate (how AFP - and YOU - can make a difference), Connect & Network (opportunities for you to build your relationships and knowledge base), and Tools & Resources (all the examples, templates, guides and reports to jump-start your efforts). Simply click any one to see what content we have to offer for you in that family in a clean, streamlined way.
  
  In addition, in keeping with our AFP IDEA ideals and commitment to accessibility, afpglobal.org has been built to meet Level AA criteria per the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), ensuring all can participate and use our new website without obstacle.
   
• Our New "Explore AFP" Universal Navigation
  In addition to our new website menus, you will notice an "Explore AFP" menu at the top left of the site in a thin black band. This is our new Universal Navigation, and it provides users a quick, clear and easy way to jump "horizontally" between all of AFP's major sites and properties. Want to visit the AFP ICON site, then quickly go to the Canada Foundation? Now you can do it simply by opening the "Explore AFP" menu to jump from site to site with a single click. And this Universal Navigation will appear across all the properties listed in that menu, providing users a simple way to find and go back and forth between the wide variety of websites and platforms under the AFP-branded umbrella.
   
• Targeted Landing Pages 
  Click on any of the main navigation links and you will find a landing page providing an overview of AFP's offerings and efforts for that area. New or hot items will be featured up top, with additional key articles and stories presented in visually appealing bands underneath. In addition, a number of the primary landing pages (such as Upcoming Events, Webinars, Guides & Resources, Tools & Templates, Research & Reports, and others) contain sub-search filters, so you can quickly search or sort all the available website items under that category quickly based on experience level, topic, focus area, and the like.
   
• New, Robust Search Capability
  Yes, yes - we know: The old website's search functionality, to put it nicely, left a lot to be desired. Say goodbye to that mess, and welcome your new website search. We have rebuilt it from the ground up, and weeded out all the old, dated pages, so what you will now find is only the most important content in your search results - the resources you are looking for and need, as well as ones you didn't realize you needed but once see will be glad you did!
  
  The new afpglobal.org has a new comprehensive main search as well as sub-search filters on specific landing pages (as noted above) - all these give you the ability to either search on terms, or sort and filter that section's resources based on experience level, topic, focus area, type of content, members-only content, and more. We will be continuously refining and enhancing our search capabilities, so stay tuned for even more robust results and filtering as we move forward!
   
• Upcoming Events Calendar
  Looking to see what professional development offerings AFP has coming up? Curious to see what your local chapters have in store in your neck of the woods next month? Simply check out the AFP calendar of upcoming events, where you can search by key words, as well as sort by AFP or chapter event, geographic location, career stage, and focus area!
   
• Sign In, Sign On For Member Benefits
  "Turn on, tune in, drop out"? That's so 60's ... For afpglobal.org in the 2018, it's "Turn on [your device], sign in [to afpglobal.org], succeed"! When you sign into afpglobal.org, you are unlocking a number of key member benefits and functionality that will greatly enhance your online experience. Here are just some of what you'll be able to do:
  • Complete Control of Your Member Profile: Signing in will bring up your name and a greeting at the top of the site , and that's your gateway to your AFP member profile! Here, you can review and update your name, address, communication preferences and opt-ins, see your committees, reset your password, review your donation history, and more!
     
  • Get Back To Those Articles You Want To Read or Reference: Surfing the site and see an article you want to peruse but just don't have the time? Simply click the "Bookmark" icon you'll see in the social media share menu to the left of all stories (it's the last one that looks like, well, a bookmark!) - this with darken that icon, but more importantly then save that article in your My Account area under My Bookmarks - all waiting there for you for quick access and reference!
     
  • The Most Interesting Member In The World: That's you, of course. You'll notice at the bottom of each page a "Recommended For You" feature, where articles and stories feed in for your benefit. This is all controlled and driven by the My Interest section under My Account! Here, you can go though and customize your interest list by simply checking the career stage, focus areas, and topics you are most interested in. Hit save, and like magic you will see articles and resources tagged with those interests start feeding into your Recommended For You band. Nifty, right?
     
• AFP Connect, Helping You Connect!
  Some of you might already be familiar with AFP Connect, our new online community forum - and thank you to those who discovered it during our soft launch phase! While temporarily "resting its eyes" during the launch of afpglobal.org, AFP Connect will be relaunched on November 14 with a fresh start for all members! Here, you can network and interact with other members on a live discussion forum, ask and respond to questions, follow along the threaded discussions on a variety of topics, upload documents to a library, and overall build a massive shared knowledge repository - all completely searchable! In addition, you can sign up to receive real-time or daily digests (or elect to receive no emails at all) of all the activity in your communities! Just another way AFP is listening to your desire to network and connect - we hope you come join us there soon!
   
• And More!
   

And know what the best thing is? "We've Only Just Begun!" Yes, you can thank AFP for putting that horrifying '70s classic song firmly in your head for the rest of the day. But hopefully the new afpglobal.org website will help dislodge any related memories of wide shirt lapels and powder blue leisure suits (I mean, unless that's your thing...).

In all seriousness, welcome aboard - we are very excited and proud to unveil our new website experience to you all. Please take a look around afpglobal.org and give it a test drive. We hope you find it helpful and to your liking. And let us know your thoughts! Simply click the "Contact" link you'll find in the footer and send us your feedback so we can continue to provide you the best online AFP experience possible!

- The AFP Team