Scholarships

MEMBERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP

The AFP Northwest Ohio Chapter (AFPNWO) is committed to advancing the careers of fundraisers in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan. To that end, it has partnered with the Greater Toledo Community Foundation to fund the cost of membership dues to AFP International (AFPI) of eligible fundraisers for one year. A second half-year scholarship is available to members who demonstrate strong financial need after their first scholarship.

The scholarship award covers the membership dues for one year to the Association of Fundraising Professionals in the following membership categories:

• Preference will be given to nonprofit organizations with limited resources and individuals new, or relatively new, to the field of fundraising. AFP is particularly interested in providing support to individuals working in smaller, emerging, and grassroots organizations that have not previously participated in AFP.
• Each request will be reviewed individually and given exclusive consideration. The scholarship committee will work with current members on a case-by-case basis, taking into account varied requests and needs for financial assistance.
• The scholarship committee retains the right to determine the validity and amount of scholarship based on personal circumstances.
• Criteria may be subject to change dependent upon grant requirements from the Greater Toledo Community Foundation.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for the scholarship, the candidate must:

• Be employed (or previously employed) as a fundraising professional or an executive director in a non-profit organization or serve as a board member, leader, or development volunteer.
• Have responsibilities (either currently or in the past) that include development and fundraising, e.g., annual campaigns, special events, capital campaigns, grant writing, etc.
• Have at least three months of fundraising experience.
• Demonstrate a financial need/hardship, which may include: no budget for activity in the agency, limited agency budget, denial of funding from the employer, etc.

Candidate Responsibilities

Upon acceptance of the scholarship, the member must:

• Uphold the AFP Code Ethical Standards.
• Be an active member by attending a minimum of six monthly luncheon meetings or webinars, or a combination of both for the following year.
• Serve and participate on a committee during the scholarship year.
• Agree to complete and return a Scholarship Evaluation Form* about his or her experience to the Scholarship Committee, which will include a summary (no more than one page) stating:
• Recognition of their scholarship
• How AFP has benefited their organization and their individual professional development
• Statement of committee(s) served upon/involvement in AFP
• Tangible outcomes of being a scholarship recipient.  Please include answers to the following questions. 1)  What is the single most important benefit you get from AFP membership?
  2)  What would you tell potential first-time members who are interested in applying for a scholarship?
  3)  Tell us something about yourself - anything you’d like people to know about you. For example, how did you get into fundraising?  Are you from around Toledo?  Do you have children?  What hobbies or interests do you have, or how you like to spend “down-time. 
• Optional: Include a headshot of yourself for promotional purposes (jpg format).

*The AFP Scholarship Committee retains the right to use the evaluation form in publications and on the website as the promotion of the scholarship program.

Expectations of Candidate

Although these are optional, the Scholarship Committee expects the new member to commit to the following:

• Attend the National Philanthropy Day awards luncheon.
• Contribute to AFP’s “BE the CAUSE” campaign.
• Continue membership with the NWO chapter of AFPNWO for at least the next two years.

Fill out the Scholarship Application Form today!

Questions? Contact:
Abbey Riley, Chapter Administrator
abbey@afpnwo.org

CHAMBERLAIN SCHOLARSHIP

AFP Northwest Ohio welcomes any active chapter member who has not attended an AFP or NSFRE International Conference to apply for the Chamberlain Scholarship. With support from the AFP Foundation, every AFP chapter can offer one Chamberlain Scholarship, which covers the recipient’s conference registration, minus a $10 processing fee, to the AFP ICON.

The Chamberlain Scholarship program honors Ralph E. Chamberlain, CFRE. Mr. Chamberlain had a long and distinguished career of service to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), beginning in the 1960s when the organization was formed as the National Society of Fund Raisers (NSFR), through the late 1970s when the name was changed to the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE), and until his death in 1999. Mr. Chamberlain's dedication to the organization we now know as AFP never faltered in his long volunteer career with the Association. Because of his long-time support of the Foundation's annual fund and generous planned gift, the AFP Board of Directors renamed their Conference Scholar Program in 2000 to honor Mr. Chamberlain's memory and commitment to the Association.

The Chamberlain Scholarship program is currently closed. If you are interested in attending ICON in 2025 lookout for the Scholarship to open in fall of 2024!