Featured Speakers

Natalie Gupton, MPA, CFRE, is Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for AgSafe, the educational leader for the food and farming industries in supporting their commitment to a healthy and safe workforce. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Human Resources Management and minored in Agriculture and Entrepreneurship at Western Kentucky University. Ms. Gupton received her Masters of Public Administration from the University of Kentucky in 2010. Prior to AgSafe, Natalie began her career at United Way of the Bluegrass in Lexington, KY and then transitioned to Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation in Louisville, KY. In 2016, she became accredited as a Certified Fundraising Executive.

Natalie’s AFP tenure began at the collegiate level. While at the University of Kentucky she served as the Thoroughbred Chapter’s president, attended and spoke at the 2010 International Conference and later joined the AFP International Board of Directors as the Next Generation representative in 2011. She has also been very active in her local chapters, Bluegrass Chapter and the Greater Louisville Chapter, by serving on the board and chairing various committees. 

Natalie and her husband enjoy their small piece of country life on 2 acres in the heart of Kentucky’s largest city with their daughters.

Natalie will be presenting a workshop on supporting mental health for development professionals. 

Jack is a graduate of Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) and he holds a Master’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego, both degrees are in Psychology. Throughout his career, Jack has served in a variety of fundraising positions in hospital, social service and the arts as executive director, development director, major gift and legacy giving manager, and foundation and corporate relations manager.

Jack has taught a variety of fundraising classes at the Center for Volunteer and Nonprofit Leadership. Jack had previously served as a member of the board and taught and managed the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Golden Gate Chapter’s Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) Review class. He has recently been appointed as a CFRE California Ambassador.

 At the Sanford Institute of Philanthropy (SIP) at JFK University, Jack’s primary role was that of Instructor in the Fundraising Academy and in the newly launched Cause Selling Series. He has served on panels in Ethics in Fundraising, Cause Selling, and Donor Loyalty/ Donor Centered Fundraising; he has moderated panels on Strategies for Building a Strong Major Gifts Program, Trends and Strategies for Nonprofit Fundraising, and Stewarding Gifts and Cultivating Donors. In addition, Jack has taught Fundraising Basics, Cause Selling and Major Gift modules at the SIP Fundraising Academy since 2018.

 In 2019, JFK University closed, and Jack joined the faculty at the Fundraising Academy at National University where he is an instructor, and he writes scripts and is the team leader for National University’s LinkedIn learning program.

 He is committed and passionate to philanthropy and works diligently to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sector.

Jack will be sharing information on the importance of diversification of funding and how to achieve this. He will also be providing an overview of Planned Giving and where it fits in your organization's fundraising goals.

Amy Wolfe is the principal and owner of Mujeres Poderosas, a collaboration of hard-working, determined, and passionate women sharing their collective wisdom for the betterment of organizations.  She has spent nearly twenty years in executive capacities within the charitable sector, most recently as the President and CEO of AgSafe.  Her career also includes tenure as a professional staff member in the California State Assembly and with the creative team for E&J Gallo Winery.

Ms. Wolfe’s philanthropic experiences are equally extensive and provide multiple opportunities to share her knowledge and expertise. She currently serves on The Salas Foundation and Protected Harvest Boards of Directors.  Her previous Board service and leadership includes the Association of Fundraising Professionals – International and Yosemite Chapter, Modesto Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Stanislaus County.

In her various capacities both professionally and philanthropically, Ms. Wolfe has guided year-on-year organizational growth with an emphasis on strategic and Board development, implemented good governance models, spearheaded multi-faceted fund development campaigns, and guided purposeful change.

Ms. Wolfe possesses a Master of Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Communications from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.  In addition, she is accredited as Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).

Amy will be covering the topic of Building Better Boards.

Michael Nilsen serves as vice president, communications and public policy, for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), which works to advance ethical and effective fundraising and represents more than 26,000 charities and charitable fundraisers around the world.

Mr. Nilsen has been with AFP for more than two decades and oversees all communications efforts for the association, working in everything from government affairs and public policy to media relations, marketing, awards, and social media. He was the first full-time lobbyist for the association, advocating in Congress, the Canadian Parliament and various state and provincial legislatures across North America on public policy issues related to fundraising and the charitable sector.

He then turned his efforts to helping increase AFP’s profile in the media and the public. He has rapidly expanded AFP’s awards and National Philanthropy Day programs, developed new research projects and communications vehicles, and managed AFP’s conference plenary sessions, among many other duties. 

Mr. Nilsen has now returned to AFP’s public policy department, working to enhance the association’s advocacy and lobbying programs. He is also creating new outreach grassroots initiatives to encourage AFP members and nonprofits around the world to become more engaged in government relations. 

Prior to joining AFP, Mr. Nilsen worked as a lobbyist for Marlowe & Company where he assisted municipal and nonprofit clients on issues ranging from tax and environment policy to community development and airline safety regulations. He also served in the office of Congressman J.J. Pickle (D-TX), advising the Congressman on issues related to crime, immigration and other issues.

Michael, along with Melissa Van Diepen (above), will present a workshop on public policy.

"I see myself as a change agent, an agitator. Whether it’s asking essential cage-rattling questions . . . or proposing novel approaches . . . or advocating for change . . . that’s me." - Simone Joyaux, ACFRE, AdvDip, FAFP

Simone presented this webinar for AFP back in 2016.  Five years later it is perhaps more relevant than ever: Philanthropy and its essential partner, fund development, are glorious marvels but they raise some concerns. For example: raising money to fight for justice, not just compensating for injustice. Excessive focus on big donors and major gifts - ignoring gifts of all sizes from diverse donors. It's past time for empowerment, democratizing philanthropy, and producing justice. This webinar is about thinking in a new way.

At the conclusion of this session, participants will:

• Understand the distinction between social justice/social change philanthropy and traditional philanthropy.
• Begin pondering the ethics of access in fundraising. Question the "moral dilemma" of philanthropy.
• Think beyond strategies and tactics and explore the underpinnings of philanthropy and fund development; the fundamental why of our work; the possible ethical and moral conflicts of our work

Dr. Lydia Hughes- Evans, Ed.D., has 15+ years of experience walking alongside organizations and individuals on their pathways to success, through her breadth of experience in the education, non-profit, and business sectors.  She has served on the Board of Directors for World Hope International (2018- 2020), in addition to holding other administrative and leadership roles in several nonprofit agencies.  Along with being a paid speaker and trainer, Dr. Lydia is also the author of the Organizational Poverty Series.

Her dynamic experiences combined with her achievements as a Certified Business Coach & Certified Employee Performance Coach empower her to facilitate sustainable change for individuals and organizations.  Dr. Lydia has a BA in English and Psychology from Maryville University in St. Louis, MO, her MA in Education (Instructional Leadership), and her Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, from Argosy University.

Schedule of Events by day and time:

CVFC will be a virtual conference presented over the Zoom video platform.  You will be required to download the Zoom application to participate in the conference. During the conference, you will select a breakout room based on your track preference.