Start a Group Today!
As Development professionals, we are always looking for ways to grow and improve to help our respective organizations. But we can’t always do it by ourselves, no matter how hard we try! That’s where our AFP Greater Madison community of fundraising professionals comes in.
If you are looking for resources or help on a specific topic, need support or want to brainstorm . . . start a group! Lynn Perez-Hewitt and Creal Zearing, both members, started a CFRE working group from scratch and it was easy to start and maintain. See Creal’s thoughts below:
How did you get it started? The CFRE working group was really the brainchild of Lynn Perez-Hewitt. And, because I'd been thinking about getting my CFRE and was the chair of the Professional Development committee, I quickly got on board. Lynn believed strongly that our chapter should be promoting the CFRE to our members as a tool for professional development and a way to show commitment to the profession.
In your eyes, was it successful? Yes! Three of us who actively engaged with the group since the start have all successfully become CFREs. For me, personally, it was exactly what I needed to stay accountable to the process and follow through on getting it without letting other priorities get in the way.
How easy was it to start? Easy! Lynn and I decided on the cadence of meetings and locations and worked with Jen Davie to get it promoted. We had a core group of about 5 attendees from the start that helped to maintain momentum. We also benefited from the enthusiasm of Marta Weldon, Director of Philanthropy at Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin, who at the time was a CFRE Ambassador and was new to Madison. She was enthusiastic about CFRE and brought a lot of helpful knowledge to those of us who were working through the process.
I know a couple of you have gotten your CFREs already, but anything else to encourage those reading to not be afraid to start their own group? Our chapter is essentially all volunteer run so we need people who are motivated about something to commit to it and do it – even if it's not permanent. I've also found that people who work in Development are enthusiastic and want to get involved. So, don't be afraid to ask someone to help you out!
There are also groups you can check out online via AFP Global.
One of my favorite quotes is “You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great”. If you want to start a group or if you have a question and would like to reach out, email Creal at creal@gatheringwaters.org or our Chapter Director, Jen Davie, admin@afpmadison.org.
