AFP Chamberlain Scholarship Program honors Ralph E. Chamberlain, CFRE
Ralph E. Chamberlain, CFRE 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 helped to form one of the organization’s earliest chapters, today known as the New York City Chapter. He served as the fourth chair of NSFR’s Board of Directors from 1967-1969 and as chair of the NSFRE Foundation from 1982-1985.
Most of Mr. Chamberlain’s fundraising career was spent with The Salvation Army, serving many years as the director of development and director of the National Information Service. He was also founder and chairman of the board of Precise Kit Promotions Inc., a manufacturer of disaster aid kits for private and government agencies.
A deeply committed philanthropist and volunteer, Mr. Chamberlain devoted much of his time to education, health and arts programs and causes. He served on the board of Hartwick College (Oneonta, N.Y.), Hassett Healthcare (Cooperstown, N.Y.), Glimmerglass Opera (Cooperstown, N.Y.), the Farmer’s Museum (Cooperstown, N.Y.), the Bergen County, NJ 200 Club and the Do-er’s Club of Bloomingdale, N.J. He frequently helped those organizations with their fundraising campaigns and other activities. A music lover himself, Mr. Chamberlain played the trombone with a professional orchestra in Syracuse, N.Y.
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.