The May 26, AFP chapter meeting provided an exciting overview of AFP ICON 2022. A total of 11 members from the Great Smoky Mountain Chapter attended the ICON conference in Las Vegas last month and today’s meeting highlighted a few key takeaways.
Jeremy Writt, Engagement Strategist with Grants Plus, kicked off the meeting with an outstanding and comprehensive video outlining the diverse subject matters covered at the worlds’ number one fundraising conference. As part of AFP’s ongoing emphasis to promote IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access) it was integrated into virtually every training session and more specialized and diverse topics were offered such as Black Men in Philanthropy and Women’s Impact on Giving.
A few highlights of Jeremy’s presentation: Statistics predict that women will control 2/3’s of the wealth in the US by 2040. 60% of the US population identifies as white/Caucasian, and this population dominates nonprofit boards, staff and donor groups. A conclusion is that we have more work to do to be more presentative of our communities we are serving, and AFP is leading the way in promoting IDEA throughout all of our work.
Following Jeremy’s overview, Brittany Heater-Dies, Development Manager at Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, led a session on advocacy and philanthropy. The research she presented revealed that donors who also serve as volunteer advocates for your organization increase their giving. Proving once again that the more meaningful engagement opportunities you provide your donors, the more philanthropic they will be.
Closing out the session Lacey Mellott, Capital Campaign Manager with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity, discussed our relationship and views on money and how these feelings can impact our work with donors. The conversation and questions that followed were eye opening for all who attended.
It is important to note that all three speakers were recipients of conference scholarships offered through the Great Smoky Mountain Chapter. Look for upcoming scholarship announcements and make plans to attend AFP ICON 2023, April 16-19 in New Orleans.