AFP Affinity Groups

The Chapter’s Affinity Groups serve a dual purpose to advance the mission of the Central Ohio Chapter by:

1. Enhancing members’ experience by providing benefits tailored to their specific interests and needs; and
2. Supporting diversity and inclusion goals to attract, engage and retain a diverse membership base.

Affinity Groups provide AFP members and non-member fundraising professionals with focused networking and professional development opportunities for groups of individuals who identify with one another by their ethnicity, age, job responsibility, nonprofit sector, sexual orientation, number of years in the profession, etc. AFP members are encouraged to participate in any Affinity Groups that are of interest as a way to enhance their membership.  Non-members who participate in Affinity Groups will benefit from the opportunity to learn more about AFP and how it can be an important part of their career development.

AFP GROUP	LEADERSHIP	FOCUS
NextGen	Co-chairs: Jade Lac Contact Me Clara Davison Contact Me	Under 35 and interested in networking with other young professionals?  Join this group for lunch programs, happy hours and other activities, and to share time and experiences with similar colleagues.
Small Shops	Chair: Kelsie Fields Contact Me	Are you a one-person or small staff shop?  Share best practices and ask questions of colleagues in similar circumstances.
Faith-Based	Chair: Susan Emerson Contact Me	This inter-faith group is for fundraisers who work in a variety of faith-based nonprofits, from Lutheran to Catholic to Jewish and others. Your faith guides your work – come and meet others who share your passion and share best-practices.  The Faith-based Affinity Group is going to have standing meetings from 8:30am – 9:30am, on the 4th Wednesday of each month in the Community Room at the Panera in Clintonville, 4519 North High Street.
Higher Education	Chair: Lauren Miller Contact Me	To provide a place where higher education development professionals can meet and discuss issues, trends and ideas related to fundraising.
Delaware County (DelCo)	Chair: Julie Zdanowicz Contact Me	One of the newer AFP Affinity Groups – it started in fall of 2016 with the goal of bringing together fundraisers that work and/or live in Delaware County.  These meetings have covered a wide range of topics including Giving Tuesday, Year End Giving, NextGen Giving, and building a culture of philanthropy.  We continue to bring a wide range of topics to our members and interested fundraisers in DelCo.
Technology	Chair: Steve Beshuk Contact Me	We are a group of nonprofit professionals passionate about using technology to fulfill our organization’s missions. This can include a variety of topics, such as database  management, analytics, business intelligence, and other topics related data, technology,  fundraising, membership, etc. The local events will offer an opportunity for professionals at all levels to learn about the latest tools and trends while meeting new people in a welcoming environment
East Central Ohio	Chair: Leigh Ann Miller Contact Me	Focusing on organizations and development professionals located East of Central, including members in Newark, Zanesville and Granville.

   

Affinity Groups and Peer Cohorts Chair Susan Emerson, CFRE Senior Development Director - Simon Kenton Council, Boy Scouts of America Contact Me 614-310-1324 Position Title: Affinity Groups and Peer Cohorts Chair Capacity: Board Member Reports to: Vice President of Professional Development Key Responsibilities: Organizes and chairs committee meetings Recruits and enlists committee members; monitors the work of volunteers to ensure timely completion of assignments Become familiar with AFP Central Ohio’s Vision & Guidelines for Affinity groups and Fundraising Fellow Peer Cohort groups Maintain relationship with Affinity Group Chairs and Peer CoHort Leaders to have a general understanding of how their group is faring (member satisfaction, level of engagement, upcoming activities) Ensure Affinity Groups and Peer CoHorts have the resources they need to be successful Attends at least one activity of each group per year Ensure Affinity Groups and Peer Cohort Leaders have succession plans to cultivate new leaders to take his/her place as needed Develops and submits a budget to the Treasurer by designated deadline; monitors committee income and expenditures Provides timely and up-to-date content to Chapter Administrator and Marketing Chair for website and digital publications Works to successfully achieve goals outlined in Chapter Strategic Plan Identifies successor to chair position Celebrates success; ensures that celebration includes expressions of gratitude to volunteers Adheres to policies and Board responsibilities as adopted by the Board of Directors Upon leaving office, transfers all records to successor