Interested in making $$$ for your AFP Chapter??

So last you saw this blog, you heard from Merritt Engle, our first faculty hire for AFPTeaches. Since then, the full slate has been established and they are:

Fall Semester:

• Foundations of Fundraising & Develompent - Diane Marty, CFRE, United Way of Greater Kansas City
• Annual Sustainability - Stuart Hoffman, CFRE, Goodwill Industries of Kansas City
• Major Gifts & Capital Campaigns - Steve Byers, CFRE, Steven J. Byers Consulting

Spring Semester:

• Foundations of Fundraising & Development - Beth Dollase, CFRE, Kansas City University of Medicine & Biosciences
• Technology & Marketing Trends in Fundraising - Merritt Engel, Merrigan & Company
• Prospect Research & Propsoal Writing - David Hanzlick, CFRE, Omnipro Consulting

And here's the other REALLY COOL part about this new initiative for our Chapter: because we've hired 6 instructors (by sharing the teaching of the foundation class by semester) AND because our committee agreed to devote the entire grant stipend for curriculum develompent back to AFP Mid America Chapter, this endeavor has already NETTED $3100 for our Chapter!

Not bad, eh? Feel free to get in touch if you'd like to explore this as a win-win option for your own Chapter...

Well Hello There!

Greetings! I’m Merritt Engel, one of the newly selected instructors for this program—Marketing and Technology in the Spring 2011.

I’m thrilled … and not just because Rockhurst is my alma mater.

I’ve taught at Rockhurst before (Communications and Journalism), but this class has special meaning because of what I do by day. I’m Vice President of Merrigan & Co., a marketing firm specializing in communications for non-profits. I develop campaigns and write copy for all media, so I get a chance to see what’s working (and what’s not) for organizations large and small. I’m also fortunate to have a curriculum development committee that is bursting with energy and ideas. Work is already underway.

I hope to bring the most current thinking and best practices to the classroom … along with an all-star lineup of guest speakers (from front line fundraisers to leading direct marketers to dynamo social media mavens).

Most of all, I’m excited to inspire and prepare future non-profit professionals for successful careers. As someone who hires from this pool and works in this world, I know there are great opportunities out there … and great futures for the students who choose them.

Hi, my name is...

As someone new to blogging (yes, it's true, even though someone near and dear recently pointed out that this is all the rage for the 35-49 demo...), it's been suggested I offer a quick intro of myself so people have an idea of who they're reaching out to with questions, etc. regarding AFPTeaches.

SO - I'm Diane, a professional fundraiser since "falling into" the profession through community development work and then in a full-time fundraising position since 1998. Over the course of the last dozen years, I've achieved (and renewed...and am about to renew) my CFRE; had the good fortune to be offered and accept an adjunct faculty position at Rockhurst University (teaching fundraising for nonprofit organizations); provided many a training / consulting session in nonprofit fundraising and administration; and visited South Africa last year to present on capital campaigns and social media at the South African Institute of Fundraising (SAIF).

It's my hope that in putting myself out here like this (photo and all) that it'll be easier for you to connect a face and name as you reach out by phone, blog and/or email - and hopefully in person at AFP events! - to inquire about our AFPTeaches pilot program.

Here's to many of you taking this idea and running with it in your community...all of us and our profession will be better off for our collective educational pursuits!

Cheers -
d

WE HAVE STUDENTS!

So exciting to learn from Rockhurst that even BEFORE we sent our AFPTeaches team to Baltimore, armed with AFPTeaches business cards to 'begin the buzz,' we already have students enrolled for the concentration courses being offered this fall....IT'S OFFICIAL (and to those of you considering starting your own pilot program, very exciting!).

Getting Started ...

Welcome to AFPTeaches. We started this blog to document the launch of the first ever undergraduate fundraising concentration taught by AFP members. Ideally, we hope it becomes a resource for other AFP chapters interested in emulating the model as a revenue source, and as an asset to their own fundraising and collegiate communities.

Here's a brief history and timeline of how the idea came about and where the project stands today. For more details, please ask questions in the comments section after this post.

JANUARY 2008

American Humanics Management Institute Conference is hosted in Kansas City, MO. Diane Marty, adjunct instructor at Rockhurst University and 2nd year president of the AFP Mid-America Chapter is in attendance, as are members from AFP IHQ. The international organization is formally launching AFP collegiate chapters. Ideas about bringing AFP members to the table as college instructors begin to simmer ...

OCTOBER 2008/DECEMBER 2009

Marty and others attend the AFP Leadership Conference in Louisville, KY. The idea gains traction. According to student surveys from the "Fundraising for your Nonprofit Organization" course taught once a year at Rockhurst, students want more courses in fundraising. Jenny Rinella, Director of the Nonprofit Leadership Studies and American Humanics Department at Rockhurst, partners with Marty to discuss a plan in response to student feedback.

MARCH 2009

Marty reviews a grant application being put forward by Jenny Rinella, Director of Nonprofit Leadership Studies & American Humanics Nonprofit Management Certificate Program at Rockhurst University. Funding to support curriculum development by AFP members and courses taught by AFP members is getting closer.

Funding is a success! A $7,500 grant through the Jerome & Jeanette Cohen Fund at American Humanics will support curriculum development plus attendance for two individuals at the 2010 International AFP Conference in Baltimore, MD.

SUMMER/FALL 2009

A call for instructors is circulated among AFP Mid-America Chapter members. Marty and Rinella, along with current AFP President Jan Murfield brainstorm an outline for presentation to the Deans at Rockhurst.

Rockurst University approves the offering of four courses: Developing Annual Sustainability and Major Gifts and Capital Campaigns to be taught in fall 2010, and Technology and Marketing Trends in Fundraising and Prospect Research and Proposal Writing to be taught in spring 2011.

JANUARY/MARCH 2010

Initial meetings of curriculum development committees are held. Course instructor interviews are being conducted.
More to come!