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