#33 | What can AFP and other conference organizers glean from local craft breweries?

As the rising president of her AFP chapter, Alyson Stoffer is asking whether those charged with providing professional development for fundraisers are falling short on their deliverables. In addition to her leadership with AFP, Alyson is the Director of Development at the Tammy Lynn Center for Developmental Disabilities.

My conversation with Alyson begs the question of whether conference organizers will continue to provide the go-to venue for professional development; and, at a time when nonprofits are struggling to keep their financial heads above water, how many different conferences we really can expect them to afford every year.

If the annual conference is a keeper, Alyson has some ideas for how we might increase their relevancy for today’s emerging leaders. She suggests paying attention to what’s working in other industries and gleaning new ideas from places such as DIA and the growing popularity of local craft breweries.

As someone who routinely speaks at these types of events, I really appreciated Alyson’s concluding thoughts. For those of us who are fortunate to have the platform, let’s not take this opportunity for granted. Instead of always being upbeat and inspirational, let’s ensure we’re providing a fair dose of what’s not working and what we’re going to do about it. And, instead of majoring on our success, let’s recognize that many of us learn as much if not more from our mistakes.

How Fundraising Really Works is Coming to Toronto

We are very grateful to David Hutchinson and the team at Cause Leadership for partnering with us to bring How Fundraising Really Works to Toronto. On Thursday, February 28th, we will be at the National Club in downtown Toronto. Seating is always limited to 40 for these events so please register early. Looking further down the road, we have already confirmed dates in Philadelphia, Raleigh, Washington DC, and Worcester, MA. If you’d like to get more information about these upcoming roadshow dates, go to my website at lewisfundraising.com/events

As a reminder, if you’d like to be a guest on The Fundraising Talent Podcast, visit lewisfundraising.com/signup