AFP-NJ President's Message

I hope you find AFP and the NJ chapter as supportive and welcoming as I have. Joining the Association of Fundraising Professionals had a significant impact on my life. I was no longer looking at my position as a job but instead it became my career. As many of you may have, I fell into fundraising. While I had worked at my university’s call center during my undergraduate years, my goal after graduation was to work on the programming side of non-profits. Before I found a position in that field, I decided to accept one in the fundraising consulting world. Twenty years later, I am looking back on a wonderful career that has allowed me to learn about and assist a myriad of non-profits with incredible missions and unique stories. My fundraising journey and career has been enriched and aided by the support, camaraderie, and knowledge of fellow AFP members. I am forever grateful for their guidance and friendship. My involvement with AFP began on the board of the Las Vegas chapter. When my career led me back home to New Jersey there was no doubt that I needed to join and volunteer with the NJ chapter. I have found it incredibly humbling and rewarding to see the dedication and commitment of our NJ Members. I look forward to serving as your president over the next two years. I expect that I will learn much from each of you and am looking forward to personally getting to know you all. While Covid has made it difficult for us to meet in person consistently over the last two years, I am hoping we will be able to network with one another more often this year. If you are not a member yet, I encourage you to join. I am happy to meet with you personally and discuss the benefits of our chapter. For those of you who are members, thank you for joining or renewing your membership this year. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have.

Warm Regards,


Gwen Paxon, CFRE
MBA, MA – Philanthropy and Development
President, AFP-NJ Chapter
president@afp-nj.org
Gwen Paxon

Why Join AFP?

Taken from https://afpglobal.org/benefits - Updated July 7, 2021

  • Two new major member benefits have been added, AAUW Online Negotiation Workshops and AFP360°. AFP has partnered with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) to provide all members a free one-hour online negotiation workshop. In addition, AFP has launched with Korn Ferry the new AFP360°, our free online career builder and management tool!
     
  • AFP's professional advancement programs and courses give every professional, no matter what level of experience they have, the opportunity to enrich their skills and add to their knowledge base. We also offer Blackbaud University to AFP Members for free. Whether you're a new fundraiser or need a refresh of basic fundraising and nonprofit skills, get free guidance with Blackbaud University.
     
  • Plus, free access AFP’s latest research and reports here.
     
  • AFP’s Code of Ethics is the only enforceable code in the sector. Every member of AFP must sign the code each year and adhere to its standards and practices.
     
  • Members get free access to the AFP Compensation and Benefits Report where you can find benchmarking on fundraisers’ salaries, benefits and other compensation—how does your position and location compare to the national average?
     
  • Members receive a discount to attend the AFP ICON held each spring which brings more than 3,000 fundraising professionals together and offers more than 100 educational sessions.
     
  • To help train you and your staff, members have access to the AFP Online Knowledge Center. You can register for upcoming webinars, Micro-Learning videos, AFP Fundamentals of Fundraising eLearning courses and along with other courses at a discounted member rate. Free webinars are available to members from time to time as well.
     
  • Members can also take advantage of educational opportunities at your local chapter level. Local chapters are the heart of AFP networking and mentoring.
     
  • Visit the AFP Career Center and upload your resume to help build and further your career. You can also find or become a mentor.
     
  • Plug in to AFP with social media tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and benefit from the expertise of others in the AFP Connect.
     
  • Innovative ideas can be found in Advancing Philanthropy which is free to AFP members as well as our members only newsletter AFP Daily.
     
  • AFP Members receive an exclusive 20% discount to Giving USA 2019: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for all pre-order 2019 products, including print and digital packages, data tables, and a full PowerPoint you can use to share and explain the data trends with your fundraising staff and board of directors.
     
  • Get the latest trends and analysis at The AFP Blog.
     
  • The AFP Ready Reference series is free in PDF format to members.
     
  • A 20% discount on initial CFRE certification and recertification fees.