AFP Global Announces Dues Increase and Enhanced Member Benefits
May 6, 2019
Dear Central Ohio AFP Members,
We want to inform you that AFP Global will be increasing international dues for Professional and Associate members, for the first time in 10 years. Effective July 1, 2019, dues will increase $30 with an additional 2% inflation increase planned every two years.
This does not affect your Central Ohio Chapter dues, which will remain the same, a decision your Cental Ohio Board of Directors made at the beginning of this calendar year, in anticipation of this change from AFP.
We wanted to ensure that Central Ohio Chapter Members hear about the AFP Global dues increase directly from your chapter leadership. Below is a portion of the letter from AFP Global President, Mike Geiger.
We recognize that this increase may be a challenge for some members. Please know that AFP has an option for those that would like to use a monthly installment plan to pay dues. Learn more.
Additionally, your AFP Central Ohio Chapter has over $10,000 in scholarship funds available for members. Learn more about scholarship opportunities available to you.
We are here for all Central Ohio Members. If you have a comment, question, or concern regarding the AFP Global dues increase for Professional and Associate Members or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact myself or any of the Central Ohio Board of Directors.
Thank you for your continued commitment to your Central Ohio AFP Chapter!
Sincerely,
Laura M. Baker, CFRE
President, AFP, Central Ohio Chapter
[email protected] · 614-292-3022
Letter from AFP Global President, Mike Geiger:
“… AFP has been able to avoid raising dues for Professional and Associate members (which account for approximately 60% of overall membership) for the past ten years.
Despite keeping our dues flat over the past decade, we have been able to produce significant and groundbreaking work…
However, to continue to develop and enhance benefits and services, as well as ensure adequate resources to meet future member needs, and after considerable thought and appreciation of the impact that a dues increase would have upon our members in these two categories, the AFP Dues Taskforce and the AFP Board of Directors have agreed that the association must increase its dues at this time.
As a result of a thorough and deliberate process, it was decided that only a $30 dues increase was needed for these two categories.
Enhanced Member Benefits
The Task Force’s most important rationale for recommending an increase is to build further on the significant number of new benefits and services that have been provided to AFP members since the last dues increase.
Just some of the benefits in the last couple of years include:
- Creation of educational offerings such as Microlearning Videos, revision of the Ready Reference Series of books, and additional educational articles through the new Advancing Philanthropy Perspectives online section—all free of charge to members
- Launch of the new AFP website and new upgraded member-database system
- Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) work
- New leadership and career development tools such as AFP 360°
- Negotiation training workshops provided through a partnership with the American Association of University Women—free of charge to members
- AFP Connect, an AFP members-only online forum and networking tool/resource for chapters—free of charge to members
- Cutting-edge research such as the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, which tracks how giving is faring while providing tools and resources on increasing donor retention—provided free of charge to members
- New chapter websites through Higher Logic, provided free of charge to chapters
- Free online educational courses through Blackbaud University—provided free of charge to members
- Enhanced conferences
- Revamped communications, such as AFP Daily and the Week in Review
Current and Future Pricing
The dues increase recommendation is also based upon findings from the Value Proposition and Member Pricing Research Survey, which found that the optimal price for the professional or associate membership was found to be between $250 and $290.
The task force also recommended a bylaws change to reflect a dues increase of 2% every two years (rounded up or down to the nearest $5 increment) to continually keep up with inflation.
Board approved changes are:
Member Category Current Dues Dues as of 7/1/19
Professional $250 + chapter dues $280 + chapter dues
Associate $250 + chapter dues $280 + chapter dues
The other membership categories will stay the same:
Member Category Current Dues
Young Professional $95 (includes chapter dues)
Nonprofit Organizational-Small $175 (includes chapter dues)
Nonprofit Organizational-Large $2,200 ($275 each, 8 minimum)
Retired $75 + chapter dues
Business – Executive Circle $5,000
Business – Endorser Level $1,500
Collegiate $35 + chapter dues
Global E-membership $50 + chapter dues
Looking Ahead
As we look ahead to the future, we see an AFP that is focused not just on education and networking, but on the entire experience of being a professional in the fundraising field—work place issues, cultures of philanthropy, equity and inclusion, and leadership and management, to name just a few. Our membership value will continue to rise as we not only provide new and enhanced products and services, but also as we strengthen the profession, enhance the voice of fundraisers across society and work to increase giving and the impact members make every day.
We do not take any dues increase lightly (as evidenced by not increasing dues in ten years) but in order to continue to provide valued benefits and add to them, this is the proper decision for AFP at this time. We value your commitment to AFP and assure you our commitment to you is even greater.”