AFPNWPA has lost a great leader, mentor, and friend. Long-time AFP member, Judy Lawrence passed away on August 6th and we are all a bit shell-shocked. If you were fortunate enough to know Judy, you were lucky enough to be her friend. Her smile and generous doling out of compliments, made an impact.
She was good at what she did, but shared credit and recognized others for their contributions. She had integrity and an ethical compass that shaped her professional career and everything she did. One of the hundreds of people she mentored said she goes by the fundraising edict of “What would Judy do?” while trying to make tough decisions. If you ever had the opportunity to work through issues with Judy, you can be sure you would receive a thoughtful answer from Judy, laced with questions you had not considered, and ultimately the answers to these questions would lead you to the answer on your own. She was that good.
Judy was named 2005’s AFP Outstanding Fundraising Professional with decades of fundraising experience at the United Way, several colleges, and in recent years, as a consultant for major campaigns. She was instrumental in helping to write the AFP Fundamentals of Fundraising and Capital Campaign Coaching courses offered at Penn State Behrend. She most recently served as the National Philanthropy Day Selection Committee Chairperson.