AFP MA Fundraising Day in Boston

Posted December 13, 2019

On Wednesday December 4th, Development Guild DDI staff members attended the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Fundraising Day in Boston. This annual conference brings together thought leaders in the philanthropy industry to discuss fundraising best practices and emerging innovations in the field. The conference program touched on a variety of topics, including the intersection of race, class and diversity in fundraising, navigating through leadership transitions and advanced strategies in prospect research and donor retention.

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Development Guild DDI President, Bill Weber, was among those lending his expertise to conference attendees. He led a session entitled “Building the Plane while Flying it,” which featured panelists Cassandra Ryan, Vice President and Development Officer at Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Paula Sakey, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and Angela Yarde, Director of Private Giving and Donor Relations at Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation.

Throughout the session, panelists spoke to the fact that no one “builds a plane” alone. Having the right people in place—people you can rely on—is essential to being successful in fundraising. It also is crucial to keep flying despite a fear of uncertainty, which can be due to major changes in giving trends or leadership transitions. Jobs must be done, and risks must be taken in order to continue to support the people that are impacted by the important services nonprofit organizations provide, especially in times of turbulence.

We were proud to once again sponsor the AFP MA Diversity Fellows’ attendance of the conference. The AFP MA Diversity Fellows program is designed to help young fundraisers in their career and in their roles as fundraisers to have a positive impact on the missions they support. We are grateful for the opportunity to connect with the fellows and hear firsthand the issues on their mind and how they benefit from participating in AFP.

View the photos below to see why the fellows (and other conference attendees) are proud to participate in AFP:

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Development Guild DDI partners with nonprofit leaders to drive their mission forward with fresh perspective and high impact solutions. Learn more about our executive search and fundraising and campaign services.

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