2009 AFP Diversity Partners Program
Click here for this Diversity Partners Q & A in Microsoft Word format.

The Greater Madison Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Diversity Partners pilot program is aimed at strengthening the fundraising capacity of emerging non-profit organizations. The Diversity Partners pilot program aims specifically to work with an organization that is deeply embedded in one or more of Greater Madison’s communities of color.

Under this program, AFP will select a nonprofit organization that is deeply embedded in one or more of Greater Madison’s communities of color and partner with this nonprofit over a 1-2 year period to (a) help it successfully conduct a well-defined fundraising initiative and (b) build its capacity to fundraise effectively beyond the program period.

Pre-applications are due by Monday, March 30, 2009.  Once your organization decides on the fundraising initiative that it would like to undertake with AFP, completion of the pre-application should take no more than 30-45 minutes. A sub-group of these nonprofits will be selected to submit a full application.  Finalists will then be interviewed by the Selection Committee.  CLICK HERE to be taken to the online Pre-Application Form. 

Note: Please be sure to read the entire question and answer section below prior to completing the Pre-Application Form.

An information session will be held on Monday, March 16 from 8:00-9:30 AM, in Evjue Board Rooms B&C on the third floor of the United Way building at 2059 Atwood Avenue. The session is free, but advance registration is required by calling Edward Lee at 213-7907 or emailing elee@ulgm.org .

AFP DIVERSITY PARTNERS PROGRAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: What is AFP, and who are its members?

A:  AFP is the largest professional association of fundraisers in the world, with over 30,000 members in more than 200 chapters worldwide.  AFP aims to help its members become the most effective fundraisers they can be, to promote philanthropy in all its forms, and to build public awareness of the significance of the fundraising profession and the nonprofit sector.  The Greater Madison chapter was formed in 1987 and now has roughly 150 members who represent over 100 local nonprofits and other organizations that serve the nonprofit sector.  Our chapter offers a variety of educational programs and networking opportunities, scholarships for members to pursue further professional development, and organizes the annual Philanthropy Day awards luncheon held each November at the Overture Center.  Our chapter members range from beginners to professionals with over 30 years of experience.  They represent the full range of organizational missions, sizes, and developmental stages found in our community’s nonprofit sector.  The membership is primarily comprised of paid professionals, but also includes volunteers.  The membership lacks racial and ethnic diversity, something we hope to change through initiatives like our new Diversity Partners pilot program.  For more information about AFP and the Greater Madison chapter, visit www.afpnet.org and www.madisonafp.com.

Q: Why is AFP offering this new program to our community?

A: First and foremost, we believe that philanthropy in Greater Madison should be more inclusive.  To us, this means that nonprofits that are deeply embedded in our communities of color need to gain a more significant share of what we hope will be a growing philanthropic pie.  We also understand that these nonprofits face special challenges with their fundraising, e.g., gaining recognition by the broader community of the top priority issues and concerns of their constituencies and of the importance of their mission to the overall health of Greater Madison … further developing their fundraising skills and their team of volunteers … developing relationships with prospective donors in the broader community, etc.  With the skills and experience available through our chapter membership, we believe we can help our partner nonprofit build its long-term fundraising capacity and, in the short run, take its fundraising program to the next level of development and success. 

At the same time, our chapter members see this program as a chance to become more knowledgeable about and appreciative of the unique challenges faced by our communities of color and the nonprofits that serve them, as well as about the unique assets they possess and offer to Greater Madison as a whole.   We look forward to developing relationships across the cultural divide that are based on mutual aid and respect, relationships in which each party learns from the other.  In the process, we hope our partner nonprofit learns more about AFP, and that its staff/volunteers consider becoming members of our organization and of the profession, while our chapter learns how to develop a culture that is more welcoming and supportive of people of color.

Q: How did AFP go about designing this pilot program?

A: This past fall, AFP’s Diversity Committee conducted a series of interviews with 14 leaders from Greater Madison’s African American, Latino, and Southeast Asian communities.  These interviews yielded both encouragement to proceed with the pilot as well excellent ideas for shaping the program design.  We also surveyed our chapter membership and received both sufficient interest in volunteering with the program as well as additional ideas for its design. 

Q: What types of help is AFP offering?

A: AFP will provide pro bono and confidential consulting services to its nonprofit partner over a period that could last up to 2 years.  At the outset, AFP will recruit a team of chapter members, and possibly additional outside consultants, to work as volunteers with this nonprofit to jointly select, plan, and consult on implementation of the fundraising initiative that will be the focus of our work together.  This initiative will be sufficiently narrow in scope that it can be completed successfully within a 2-year period and so that both our nonprofit partner and AFP’s volunteers can fulfill their other time commitments.  The jointly-developed work plan will build off of the existing strengths of our partner nonprofit and will include goals and objectives, a timeline, and a definition of roles and responsibilities for each party.  The plan may also address further organization development needs of our partner nonprofit (e.g., board development, database development, etc.) that may be a precondition for successful fundraising.  The AFP team will also help its partner nonprofit develop a plan to sustain the fundraising effort beyond the 2-year period.  While the AFP team’s role will be that of consultant/adviser, some individual team members may choose to become more heavily involved with our partner nonprofit. 

Q:  You say AFP will work with our organization on a jointly planned fundraising initiative that, while raising more money in the short-run, helps us build our long-term fundraising capacity.  What do you mean by “fundraising initiative” and “fundraising capacity?”

A:  In your Diversity Partners application, you will be asked to identify an initiative that is significant to your organization and that requires the raising of additional funds for successful implementation.  Examples of these kinds of initiatives might include raising the funds needed to launch a new program, to expand an existing program, to hire your organization’s first paid staff, etc.

Building fundraising capacity could involve establishment of more formalized systems of donor prospect identification, cultivation, solicitation, and recognition, all based on acknowledged best practices in the field.  It could involve refining your organization’s infrastructure (e.g., board composition and fundraising role, staffing, record-keeping, etc.) to increase your readiness for greater fundraising success.  It could involve enhancing the way you communicate your organization’s significance to the community, e.g., the use of web-based technologies to deliver your message and case for support to prospective donors and advocates.  We will work with you in a customized way, to jointly identify your capacity-building needs and interests and to identify solutions that are appropriate to your organization’s stage of development.

Q: What type of nonprofit organization is AFP looking to partner with?

A: We want to partner with a local nonprofit organization that is deeply embedded in one or more of  Greater Madison’s communities of color.  Our partner nonprofit should be relatively small but should also have achieved some degree of stability and success. 

Q: What do you mean by an organization that’s “deeply embedded in one of Greater Madison’s communities of color?”

A: AFP wants to partner with a nonprofit that grew out of one or more of our local communities of color, whose mission targets the needs and interests of those communities, and whose leadership (staff, board, and other volunteers) is reflective of those communities.  We recognize that Greater Madison has a number of nonprofits with broader missions that, while led and staffed primarily by whites, do an excellent job of outreach and service to our communities of color. In some cases, these nonprofits offer culturally-specific programs to one or more of these communities.  However, this program is not for these organizations, nor is it for a specific program within such a nonprofit.  Instead, Diversity Partners aims to build capacity within these communities that too often have found themselves on the outside looking in when it comes to philanthropy and leadership in Greater Madison’s nonprofit sector.  We also recognize that statewide or national nonprofits may offer important services to our local communities of color.  Since AFP’s primary interest is in building local nonprofit capacity, such organizations will need to propose a fundraising project that focuses on Greater Madison and that will have a residual local capacity-building impact if their application is likely to be competitive.

Q: What do you mean by a “relatively small” organization that has achieved “some degree of stability?”

A: AFP wants to partner with an organization that is small enough, and at an early enough stage of development, to really need our help.  At the same time, our partner needs to be organizationally stable enough to benefit from our help, e.g., to able to carry out our jointly-developed fundraising plans and to continue to exist and prosper after our work together is over.  While we have no firm numerical limit, nonprofits with annual operating budgets above $500,000, that have the capacity to successfully conduct a capital campaign, or that have dedicated fundraising staff working at least 80% time are probably too large and well-established to be considered a candidate for this program.

Other indicators of stability include years in existence, incorporation as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation, paid staff, and an active and knowledgeable board.  Organizations with a 501(c)(3) fiscal are also eligible to apply, especially if they plan to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the near-term future.  Indicators of an “active and knowledgeable board” include one that has established goals for the organization’s growth, one that either plays an active role in fundraising or at least demonstrates an active interest in it, one whose members have strong knowledge of their organization’s mission, programs, services, and the target populations being served, and one whose members have a good understanding of competing or complementary programs currently serving their communities.

Q: Will AFP only partner with a nonprofit that has paid staff?

A: We recognize that a dedicated group of talented volunteers can achieve excellent results for a nonprofit.  Indeed, for most of its 20+ year history, AFP Greater Madison has been an all-volunteer organization.  Yet at the same time, we recognize that all-volunteer organizations often face substantial challenges of sustaining their effectiveness over a long period of time.  So, yes, nonprofits without paid staff are eligible to apply for this program.  At the same time, do know that AFP does consider the ability of a nonprofit to support paid staff to be an important indicator of stability. 

Q: What do you mean by “some degree of success?”

A: AFP wants to partner with a nonprofit whose activities to date show at least the promise of effectively fulfilling its mission and making an important contribution to the Greater Madison community.  At one end of the spectrum, this could include a relatively new organization that has (a) conducted its first successful programs or projects, (b) gained some recognition of its promise among its target constituency, and (c) has plans for further growth and development.  It could also include nonprofits that have a more extensive track record of success and recognition but that are ready to strive toward their next level of impact

Q: Are churches incorporated as tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) nonprofits eligible to apply?

A: AFP recognizes that churches are often very significant service providers in communities of color.  At the same time, our central purpose with the Diversity Partners pilot program is to build capacity among nonprofits that are organized for charitable purposes. Thus, 501(c)(3) churches and church-affiliated nonprofits that are organized for charitable purposes are indeed eligible to apply, but churches that are legally organized solely for religious purposes are not eligible.  In addition, if their application is likely to be competitive, such churches or church-affiliated nonprofits will need to propose a project that promises a significant community impact.

Q: What criteria will AFP use in selecting its partner nonprofit?

A: AFP is looking for a nonprofit partner that (a) appears to meet our eligibility criteria (deeply embedded in the communities of color, relatively small but with some degree of stability and success), (b) proposes a fundraising initiative that is sufficiently compelling (in terms of its potential impact on the organization’s development and its significance for its constituency and, possibly, the Greater Madison community as a whole) yet realistically achievable in light of the organization’s current fundraising capacity, (c) demonstrates the strong commitment of its leadership to its proposed initiative, to its work with AFP, and to continuing the fundraising effort beyond the program period.  As AFP moves from the pre-application to full application to final interview stage, we will get increasingly selective about the nonprofits that we invite to the next stage of the application process.

Q: What is the application process?

A. AFP will use a three-step process to select its partner nonprofit.  Interested organizations will first submit a brief written pre-application in which they describe a fundraising initiative for which they would like consulting help from AFP.  With assistance from a group of leaders from our local communities of color, AFP will invite a sub-group of these nonprofits to submit a full application.  This same team of leaders will help AFP review the full applications and select a small group of finalists to be interviewed by our chapter’s Diversity Committee.  We hope to select our partner nonprofit by the end of May 2009. Pre-applications to AFP’s Diversity Partners pilot program must be submitted by day’s end Monday, March 30, 2009.  All pre-applications must be submitted electronically via the AFP Greater Madison website, www.madisonafp.com or by Clicking here.

Click here to view a copy of the Pre-Application Form. However, please note that the actual application must be filled out and submitted by clicking here.  The link is also provided on the AFP Greater Madison homepage at www.madisonafp.com.

Q: Why is AFP using a three-step process for selection of its partner nonprofit, and when could we expect to begin working with AFP on our fundraising initiative?

A: Since this is the first year for this program, we want to do everything we reasonably can to ensure that we and our partner organization are a good a fit for each other.  This relationship will require significant commitments of time and energy on both of our parts, commitments that should not be entered into lightly.  The better AFP gets to know our partner nonprofit and their proposed initiative, and the better our partner gets to know AFP and its capabilities, before we decide to work together, the more likely we’ll be happy with each other during our work together and the more likely we’ll have a successful fundraising initiative.  At the same time, we want to minimize the amount of effort required of applicants to gain serious consideration from AFP.  Once your organization decides on the fundraising initiative that it would like to undertake with AFP, completion of the pre-application should take no more than 30-45 minutes.

AFP hopes to select its partner nonprofit by the end of May 2009 and to have recruited its volunteer consulting team by the end of June 2009.  We expect to begin working with our partner in July to identify and design the fundraising initiative, including the work plan and timeline, that will be the focus of our joint efforts.  If the planning work goes smoothly and if there are no substantial organizational development challenges to address prior to implementation, the fundraising initiative could begin as early as this coming fall.  At the same time, we don’t want to rush things and undermine the prospects for success.  If need be, we are willing to take up to a full year to complete the planning phase of our work together.

Q: What kinds of commitments will AFP’s partner nonprofit need to be prepared to make?

A: First and foremost, our partner needs to have a strong commitment to complete the fundraising initiative and sustainability plan that we develop together, and to be an active partner with AFP in all phases of the work.  We will expect our partner to be totally candid with us about the current condition of their organization, including their current financial position and challenges they face.  In addition, we will expect our partner to recognize that a key part of our work together involves laying the foundation for future fundraising success, with the most significant payoff to the partner coming after the program period is over.

As a pilot program, this will be something of a learning process for both parties and may not go smoothly at all times.  Thus, our partner nonprofit will need to be patient, and to accept that a central aim of the pilot is to determine whether the program should become a permanent part of AFP’s offerings and to help inform our efforts to improve the program design.

Our partner will be expected to designate a lead person, preferably one with significant fundraising responsibilities (e.g., a high-level staff member or board officer) to expedite his/her organization’s participation in the program.  This will include engaging the appropriate stakeholders from the nonprofit in the planning and implementation of the chosen fundraising initiative and in the evaluation of the Diversity Partners pilot program.  This lead person will be offered, and encouraged to accept, a free 1-year membership in AFP (which includes both local and international membership) as part of our chapter’s Diversity Fellows program.

Lastly, AFP will expect our partner to acknowledge AFP’s role in any significant successes that it realizes as a result of the program.  This would include recognition in communications to the people and communities that it serves, as well as to its staff, board, and other volunteers.

Q: Who can I contact if I have more questions about the Diversity Partners pilot program?

A: Please consider attending AFP’s informational session for prospective Diversity Partners applicants, to be held on Monday, March 16, 2009, from 8:00-9:30 AM at United Way of Dane County, 2059 Atwood Avenue.  This session will be held in Evjue B&C Board Rooms on the third floor.  This session is free, but advance registration is required.  To register, contact Ed Lee, AFP Greater Madison’s Diversity Committee Chairman, at 213-7907 (ph) or elee@ulgm.org .  If you are unable to attend this session, you are welcome to contact Mr. Lee by phone or email.