The AFP Nova Scotia Board of Directors would like to express our concern with the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter over the harm and racism voiced by our colleagues, detailed in articles, open letters, and podcasts. When people share instances of harm, it’s our duty to believe them. There is work to be done by AFP GTC to make necessary changes and reparations. We believe there is a path for leadership to do the work needed and demonstrate zero tolerance for racism and oppression of any form. As a Chapter, we are committed to doing this work and recognize that we are on our own learning journey but remain hopeful that as a sector we can work together to build inclusive spaces.
Until we see AFP GTC take meaningful action to address and repair the harm voiced by our colleagues, the AFP NS board of directors is removing our support of AFP GTC, as detailed in our actions below. We remain open to having meaningful conversation to further this work.
The first goal within AFP Canada’s current strategic plan is to promote inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) and as chapters we have a responsibility to uphold these values across Canada and further this vital work.
Systemic racism is real and present across our society and our sector and is a lived reality for many of our colleagues.
AFP Nova Scotia reaffirms our commitment to the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and access and we will continue to learn and unlearn throughout this work. It is our goal to do this in an authentic and substantive way. We understand that we will not always get it right, but we are committed to working together as a full chapter to build inclusive spaces and create meaningful change for our sector.
As the board, we have committed to the following immediate actions:
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We will not fund any chapter representatives to participate in AFP GTC events including Congress
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We are dedicating time at our upcoming Maritime Fundraising Conference for open dialogue and a critical look at our work as a chapter and where/how we can continue to improve
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We are redirecting our Every Member Campaign grant-back to make more copies of the book Collecting Courage available to AFP Nova Scotia members and are exploring avenues to make the book more widely available to the public
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We will review our existing board policies to determine which policies need to be updated and identify critical gaps to be prioritized this term
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Investing in training in unconscious bias and anti-racism for our board and membership
This work is a continuous journey and the board of AFP Nova Scotia is actively developing actionable goals which we look forward to sharing with you. We encourage you to hold us accountable to our commitments and we will ensure there is a proper forum and multiple opportunities for membership to share input and feedback.
As always, we are open to any suggestions, concerns or ideas you’d like to share. You can always connect with us by email at afpnovascotia@gmail.com.
We’d like to thank you, our membership, for the passion, energy and drive for change that you bring to our sector.
Sincerely,
Association of Fundraising Professionals - Nova Scotia Chapter Board of Directors