AFP

The world’s No. 1 fundraising conference will be in New Orleans, April 16-18. More than 3,000 fellow change-makers, 140 breakout education sessions to choose from (with recordings included with your registration), and keynote speakers Misty Copeland and Emeril Lagasse await. Book your spot today and laissez les bons temps rouler (let the good times roll)!

One of the (several) things I enjoy about teaching fundraising courses at a couple of universities is the opportunity to explore fundraising with people who have little or no experience in the field. Things I take for granted and view as "just the way things are" suddenly appear in a different light. Students ask, "Why?" and I'm challenged to think back to when I was new in the field and remember the reasons.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals has bestowed the Barbara Marion Award for Outstanding Leadership to AFP, the association’s highest volunteer and leadership recognition, to Joyce Mitchell-Antoine, CFRE, of Raleigh, N.C. Mitchell-Antoine is currently vice president for development at Planned Parenthood South Atlantic and has been a member of AFP since 1999, serving in a variety of leadership positions and spearheading several important initiatives for the association.

(Press release, April 1, 2015) — Richard K. Martin., CFRE, an outstanding fundraiser who has been a leader in Michigan and around the world in encouraging the profession to address the issues of diversity and inclusion, is the recipient of the Chair’s Award for Outstanding Service presented by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

A big part of life—as we know from our profession—is continually giving and continually learning. Continue to associate with great folks and be part of a cause larger than yourself. Don't make leading or giving a "season of life." Make it a lifelong habit and commitment.

If you are going to miss this year's AFP International Conference, what will you do to fill that void? If you are going to be in Baltimore, I'd appreciate your help in keeping me up to speed on what is being shared. I'll miss the knowledge; the time to step back and think strategically and creatively; and especially miss the opportunity to connect with so many friends and colleagues who remind me how proud I am to be associated with them, to be a member of AFP and to be a member of this noble profession.

(Press release, March 3, 2015) — Kimbia, the single-day crowdfunding event platform for nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions, has released its Crowdfunding Donor Demographics Report. The report includes donor demographics from all 2014 Kimbia-powered giving day and crowdfunding events, including the industry’s largest events such as Give Local America®, which raised $53.7 million in its inaugural event; sixth annual North Texas Giving Day, which raised $26.3 million; GiveMN’s sixth annual Give to the Max Day, which raised $18.3 million; and third annual Columbia University Giving Day, which raised $11.1 million. The data shows that crowdfunding donors span all age groups and that the majority of donors have high net worth, are highly educated and use multiple channels, making them ideal donors for stewardship. Additionally, individual events have drawn from 25 percent to 68 percent new or reactivated donors and inspired major donors to give multimillion-dollar donations.

David M. Huffine, CFRE, vice president for advancement for St. Joseph’s Villa in Richmond, Va., has helped raise an estimated $750 million in charitable funds over his career and been named the 2015 Outstanding Fundraising Professional by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Huffine will receive this award on March 28, 2015 at AFP’s International Fundraising Conference in Baltimore.

International Relief and Development Inc., once one of the largest nonprofit contractors working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, has dismissed its board of directors and laid off 21 employees in an effort to stabilize the struggling organization, senior managers said Friday. The managers are trying to lift a Jan. 26 suspension issued by USAID, preventing the nonprofit group from receiving federal work. The agency reported that it had found evidence of “serious misconduct” at IRD, including allegations of unchecked spending and mismanagement in humanitarian and stabilization programs.

It is up to the thousands of honest and ethical fundraising professionals to look out for potential fraud and abuse in our profession.