August 2019 Newsletter

Our nonprofit organizations are known to come together in trouble times to meet the needs of our diverse communities. The recent tragic events were not an exception. Many local non-profits made a call out for help and support to their community members.  These communities affected came together to support and lift each other, some individuals waited more than five hours to be able to donate blood at a local mobile blood bank.  Our hearts go out to families and communities impacted by the tragic events in El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio and Gilroy, California.

If any of you have friends and family in the affected areas and would like to know how to help, I encourage you to reach out to the local non-profits in those areas, as they know first-hand what their communities need in these times. 

Thank you, AFP Greater Los Angeles Chapter members, for continuing to be an inclusive community of fundraising professionals willing to make a difference every day! 

Stay safe.

Yuri E. Casco, CFRE

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One of the best things about AFP-GLAC is the camaraderie and community of members who are willing to share their hearts, hands and network of friends to help each other succeed.

While we all share a goal of pursuing professional excellence, not all our members have the financial resources to be able to attend meetings, seminars, conferences, buy books or pay the fee to take the CFRE exam. However, our chapter is here to help our members! Through the AFP-GLAC Chapter Fund we are able to provide much needed support to our members. The Chapter Scholarship Fund is available for members to attend conferences such as the AFP ICON, GLAC Regional Conference, participate in fundraising webinars and workshops, etc. 

We would like you to consider making a gift of $25 today and help us support our members participate in worthwhile educational activities.

Together, we can continue to build our educational resources for our members and encourage their personal career development! Thank you for your participation in this important effort.

Click here to make a gift today!

Thank you to our current donors!
Lisa Baxter
Yuri Casco
Mauria McPoland
Nancy Meyer
Anjalika Nigam
Patricia Ostiller
Janine Perron
Melissa Puls
Andrew Ur

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!  If you would like to be added to the waitlist in the event of open seats, please click here.  The waitlist currently has 10 individuals on it so no on-sites will be available.

August 22, 2019
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Location La Plaza de Cultura y Artes

Creating a High-Performance Environment for Major Gifts
Speakers: Cassie Carter and Dan Nevez of Campbell & Company

In nonprofit fundraising, an effective major gifts program provides a robust return on investment, funding critical, mission-driven work. But how do you create a high-performance environment for major gifts?

Weaving together evidence-based strategies and compelling case studies, this session will lay out a path to major gifts success. Our presenters will reference data from Giving USA and Campbell & Company research to illuminate trends and discuss how development leaders can leverage them for greater impact. Topics will include mid-level donors as a bridge between the annual fund and major gifts, major gift team goals and retention, and the importance of a strong major gift culture organization-wide.

Attendees will leave the session with a better understanding of:

• How emerging trends in fundraising are impacting major gifts—and what to do about it
• How to build a major gifts team
• How to craft and execute on strategies that will increase major gifts ROI

Click here to register for our September Event!

September 10, 2019:  Professional Development Seminar

Title:  “35 Ways to Maximize Online Fundraising”

Brief Description: Understand leading-edge – but easy-to-implement – ways of driving more online traffic, increasing the quality of those leads, and converting them into donors, event attendees, and other supporters.  Use online tools and strategies to find grants, identify donors, improve search engine traffic, create a more compelling fundraising case, create and build needed relationships, create eye-catching videos, and identify the giving capacity of donors and prospects.  We’ll even analyze audience members’ websites in an objective way so you can see how to easily improve your site and search engine optimization.   Learn about numerous free websites, grants, and tools to enable you to use your online presence to help achieve your organization’s goals.

Presented by:  Allan Pressel

                          Founder/CEO

                          PowerSite 123

Keynote Speaker for Luncheon:

Raul Bustillos

Senior Vice President Community Relations Greater Los Angeles Region

Topic:  “Bank of America’s Philanthropic Support in Greater Los Angeles”

Dear AFP-GLAC Members,

As we all know, ethical behavior is key to fundraising. It is so important to the Association of Fundraising Professionals that we ask each member to sign and agree to our Code of Ethical Standards. Since the inception of our chapter's Ethics Committee last year, it has been our dream to have the GLAC Chapter host an ethics breakfast for the members. That dream has become a reality!

Save the Date!

On Tuesday, October 1 from 9:00am — 11:00am, we will be hosting our first ever Ethics Breakfast at the Cathedral Center. This coincides with AFP Global’s Ethics Awareness Month. This breakfast will be FREE for members only. We are putting together an amazing event that promises to be engaging, informative and fun. More details to follow soon!

We hope to see you there!

Warmest regards,

Melanie Elliott, Board Member / Ethics Chair

AFP-GLAC’s Eye on Ethics:

Last month, we featured a story about a fundraising professional who experienced sexual harassment from a donor. Here is another member’s story regarding board members. Sexual harassment in the workplace is an important topic to address and we have only briefly skimmed the surface with these two stories. At the bottom of this article, you’ll find information on AFP’s 2018 sexual harassment survey, as well as what to do if you feel you’re being sexually harassed at work.

Board Members with Bad Behavior

I was excited be part of this amazing business trip to Puerto Vallarta for a huge golf and fishing tournament. This was a trip in which every benefiting organization invited donors, prospective donors, board members and staff.  Many of our board members were men and some of their wives accompanied them on the wonderful escape. This trip was going to fun and exciting, golf, music, concerts, food and limitless alcohol. I’ve never been a huge drinker. I’m more a 1-2 social drinker every now and then, and there were a lot of opportunities for drinking on this trip.

We arrived at a beautiful resort on a warm sunny day in June. Mariachis and margaritas greeted us upon arrival.  Everyone wore summer clothes forgoing the usual suit and tie since the weather was wonderful and the location amazing. After checking in and unpacking our bags we all made our way to one of the refreshing pools on site.

That evening, we enjoyed dinner on the beach while listening to a band in between the live auction event. The cocktails were limitless. Everyone enjoyed drinking way too many, especially our board members. One of our board members who was drinking excessively, had to be escorted to his hotel room. I took this board member back to his hotel room and another board member offered to help me. On our walk back to dinner, the board member who had just helped me, took that moment to express his feelings for me and described what he wanted to do to me.

To find out what happened, please click here.
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In 2018, AFP did a survey partnering with the AFP Foundation and Chronicle of Philanthropy on sexual harassment in the workplace. For more information about the survey, please click on the link: https://afpglobal.org/one-quarter-all-female-fundraisers-report-sexual-harassment.

If you are experiencing sexual harassment at your place of work, check and see if your employer has an anti-harassment policy and follow the steps for reporting the harassment. If your employer does not have a policy in place, talk with your supervisor. Further information may be found with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Please let us know if you have an ethical dilemma you’d like to share. Email Melanie Elliott, Ethics Chair at melhelliott@gmail.com the following: 1) The ethical dilemma or situation; 2) How you solved it; and 3) If you would like to remain anonymous. Thank you!

Looking for a year-round marketing opportunity for your company? Learn how your organization can benefit as an AFP GLAC Partner in Philanthropy!

The purpose of the AFP GLAC’s Partners in Philanthropy (PIP) program is to provide companies, foundations and individuals the opportunity to invest in a year-round marketing strategy while enhancing the level of expertise of fundraising professionals in the greater Los Angeles area. In addition, sponsorships help to underwrite scholarships for professionals who cannot afford to attend development seminars and conferences. Event sponsorship opportunities include Professional Development Seminars & Luncheons, Advanced Executive Forums, Young Professional events, Local Area Round Tables and the annual National Philanthropy Day Conference & Awards Luncheon.

For more information about sponsorship levels and benefits, visit the Partners in Philanthropy page.

Questions? Contact PIP Committee Chair, Jennifer Ellspermann, via email at jellspermann@komenlacounty.org.

Educational Opportunities Available In Our Region

Don't miss these great events!

Click on the links below for more information.

• The Southern California Association for Healthcare Development is proud to announce their next educational event with Wayne Herron - "Growing Your Employees to Greatness" on August 16, 2019 at CHOC Children's Foundation.  This session will provide leaders insights and practical tips to help our employees see their professional potential and unique contribution to deliver outstanding results in their respective areas of the responsibility.  Click here to register.

• AFP San Fernando Valley Chapter will have a presentation from CCS on the latest data from Giving USA on September 5, 2019 at the Courtyard By Marriott Sherman Oaks.  For more details and to register, click here.

• AFP California Capital Chapter will be hosting the Fundamentals of Fundraising Course on September 16-17, 2019 in Sacramento, CA. Fundamentals is a 2-day intensive course that offers a complete overview of fundraising designed for those with 5 or fewer years of experience in the field. Topics covered include: developing an integrated fundraising program, marketing, building and sustaining relationships, securing the gift, managing volunteers and fundraising management and accountability. Currently, this is the only Fundamentals of Fundraising Course offered in our region in 2019 (the next closest are in Alaska or Ohio) and is a great opportunity for your more entry-level members to strengthen their skills. Details about the course and a registration link are at: http://www.cvent.com/events/the-fundamentals-of-fundraising/event-summary-d81c086b036a45d5935a63f3a78edda7.aspx

• Child Care Resource Center will be hosting the first ever Business Development Conference, The IDEAL Conference. A conference in the San Fernando Valley for small businesses and nonprofits on September 18-19, 2019 in North Hollywood, CA.  For more information and to register go to https://theidealconference.com/