• Education Programs

Cocktails and Calamities 2026: The Art of Learning from your Mistakes We Need You! Or We Need You to Nominate Someone! Or Both!

AFP Central Ohio is seeking submissions for our most-anticipated event of the year: Cocktails and Calamities! We are looking for speakers to present at this year’s event being held on the evening of July 14th at the Columbus College of Art and Design
We welcome submissions from all levels of experience!

Cocktails & Calamities offers a safe and reflective space for members and guests to learn from other professionals in a networking and panel environment. You’ll learn not just what happened, but the whys, how they handled it, and retrospective lessons learned. Whether you have a great story or would like to nominate someone, now is your chance to share!

How to tell YOUR story?

Just fill out a Presenter Application

Presenter Application

What It Involves:
Agree to be at the event on July 14th (arrive 4:15pm, event ends by 6:30pm)

Location: Columbus College of Art and Design

Format: A panel/elevator pitch introduction, followed by “breakout groups” in smaller settings for deeper conversation. It is in the second stage that you can expand upon your circumstance and discuss challenges, lessons learned, etc.

Program: After giving a quick 1-minute “Ted Talk” overview to all attendees, you will share your calamity three times as groups rotate about every 20-25 minutes

We are seeking a diverse group of presenters, topics, and experiences. Contact us with questions; [email protected].

Education Programs

Central Ohio AFP offers a variety of educational opportunities throughout the year.  Sessions are planned by the Education Committee and are typically held as breakfast, lunch, or happy hour meetings.  These learning opportunities for fundraising professionals cover a wide variety of topics to benefit the range of our membership—including those new to the profession or considering a career in fundraising, as well as mid-career and seasoned professionals.

Guest speakers are identified locally, regionally, and nationally to present on a wide range of topics.  Care is taken to ensure content is relevant to both large and small development shops across a wide range of industries.  In addition to the educational components of the luncheons, monthly educational sessions provide valuable networking time with colleagues.  Additional workshops and events may also be offered throughout the year in collaboration with other AFP committees or professional associations.

Educational offerings include:

  • General Monthly Session – Usually a luncheon, these regular presentations always include time for Q&A
  • Pre-Lunch Session – Additional topics may be offered before a general luncheon in a given month. These sessions are for members only and are free with lunch reservation.
  • Speaker Series – a more in-depth presentation involving a special speaker or national expert
  • Brown-Bag Series – offered for free or reduced cost, members & guests are invited to bring a sack lunch
  • Cocktails and Calamities Happy Hour – this annual summertime tradition features fundraising horror stories from local AFP colleagues and the lessons they learned. And cocktails, of course!
  • Book Club – Join colleagues in reading and discussing best practices from nationally renowned authors

Attendees are surveyed following each educational program to receive feedback on presenter, topic, and location.  Suggestions through these surveys lay the groundwork for future programming.

The AFP Education Committee is made up of member volunteers and welcomes your participation as it strives to provide programs that are timely and relevant, and meet the needs of the membership.

For questions about current or future programming, contact this year’s Educations Co-Chairs.

Help us continue to offer these programs!

Please consider a gift to support your local Central Ohio AFP Chapter. A gift to your local chapter this year will support increased, expanded educational program offerings and related technology required to meet the fluid needs of our membership.

CFRE Approved Program Provider

 

Upcoming Events

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AFP Central Ohio 2026 Education Program Venue Sponsor

Additional Information

Central Ohio AFP offers a variety of educational opportunities throughout the year.  Sessions are planned by the Education Committee and are typically held the second Tuesday of each month as breakfast, lunch, or happy hour meetings.  These learning opportunities for fundraising professionals cover a wide variety of topics to benefit the range of our membership—including those new to the profession or considering a career in fundraising, as well as mid-career and seasoned professionals.

Guest speakers are identified locally, regionally, and nationally to present on a wide range of topics. Around the end of each calendar year, our committee circulates a Request for Proposals (RFP) application to evaluate and select an upcoming slate of speakers. If you’d like to join our committee or have a suggestion for a future topic presentation, please email [email protected]

Educational presentation formats include:

  • General Monthly Session – 1-hr long presentations that include provided time for networking beforehand and Q&A with the speaker afterwards
  • Speaker Series – a more in-depth presentation involving a special speaker or national expert
  • Brown-Bag Series – offered for free or reduced cost, partnering with local catering companies
  • Cocktails and Calamities Happy Hour – this annual summertime tradition calls on local AFP colleagues to share their “horror stories” and the lessons learned.

Event announcements, registration information, and general updates can be found on this page as well as our respective social media channels: LinkedIn and Facebook. An email will also be sent to our membership mailing list as soon as event details are confirmed.

Attendees are surveyed following each educational program to receive feedback on presenter, topic, and location.  Suggestions through these surveys lay the groundwork for future programming.

For questions about current or future programming, contact this year’s Education Co-Chairs.

Monthly Education Programs Chair

Jordan Mock (she/her/hers)

Development Operations Manager - Team Rubicon

Contact Me


[email protected]


Position Title:Monthly Education Programs 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
  • With committee, ensures all Chapter education programs are planned and executed
  • Works with the Vice President of Professional Development to ensure that each educational session is well coordinated and well communicated with a focus on securing and coordinating venues, catering, AV and communications to membership
  • Applies to CFRE International to ensure that Chapter education programs qualify for CEUs
  • Works with Chapter Administrator and Marketing Chair to send out program notices
  • Sends evaluation questions to Chapter Administrator before each program
  • Maintains program records including description, attendance and summary of evaluations
  • 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
  • Ensures there is a succession plan to cultivate a new chair to take his/her place as needed
  • 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

Monthly Education Chair-Elect

Deirdre DeWeese(she/her/hers)

Vice President of Philanthropy - Girl Scouts of Ohio's Heartland Council

Contact Me


[email protected]


Position Title: Monthly Education Programs Chair Elect

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
  • With committee, ensures all Chapter education programs are planned and executed
  • Works with the Vice President of Professional Development to ensure that each educational session is well coordinated and well communicated with a focus on securing and coordinating venues, catering, AV and communications to membership
  • Applies to CFRE International to ensure that Chapter education programs qualify for CEUs
  • Works with Chapter Administrator and Marketing Chair to send out program notices
  • Sends evaluation questions to Chapter Administrator before each program
  • Maintains program records including description, attendance and summary of evaluations
  • 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
  • Ensures there is a succession plan to cultivate a new chair to take his/her place as needed
  • 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

We are thrilled with our 2025 Monthly Education Programs and want to keep looking towards the horizon. We are looking to get a head start on our monthly series for next year by opening up our RFP!

AFP Central Ohio invites experienced speakers to submit proposals or presenter suggestions for a dynamic and educational speaker’s series. Our objective is to enhance the skills and knowledge of our fundraising professionals through monthly training sessions, thereby empowering them to achieve excellence in their fundraising endeavors.

A presentation may attract those early in their career, those who have been in the profession for many years, or both! Recently, Donor Relations Coordinators, Grants Specialists, Annual Fund Managers, Executive Directors, and Chief Advancement Officers have been in attendance at our events. We believe that continuous learning and professional development are key to our success, and we are committed to providing our team with the best resources to thrive in the competitive field of fundraising.

A speaker (or speakers) should be prepared to submit:

  • A brief bio highlighting relevant experience and qualifications.
  • A summary of the proposed presentation topic(s).
  • A description of the presentation format and interactive elements.
  • Availability for the upcoming 12 months.

We are looking for presenters to cover topics in or related to:

  • Current and Prospective Donor Research
  • Securing the Gift
  • Relationship Building
  • Volunteer Involvement
  • Leadership and management
  • Ethics, Accountability, Professionalism
  • Advanced fundraising methods and techniques
  • Senior-level or Executive management strategies
  • Donor Psychology
  • Legal aspects of fundraising
  • The role of A.I. in Fundraising
  • New technology and trends
  • Anything we may not have listed that you or someone you recommend would provide that would be beneficial!

Additional Information:

  • Applicants are not guaranteed a speaking spot; RFPs will be reviewed by the Monthly Education committee which will consider: relevance of proposed topic, innovativeness and interactivity of the presentation approach, and other criteria.
  • All monthly programs will be submitted for CFRE credit.
  • Submit an RFP on behalf of yourself or your organization: HERE
  • Submit an idea for a speaker, topic, or training: HERE
  • With questions please contact [email protected]
  • The deadline to apply is Friday, November 21, 2025