Educate, Inspire, Impact, Make Change
Community driven work is inspirational, fulfilling, necessary – but it takes more than one person or group to help a community thrive. Some areas of our community are thriving thanks to the significant work of our local nonprofits and their fundraising professionals. However, much of our local communities are experiencing challenging times and lots of uncertainty as to what the future holds. Our nonprofit sector's professional fundraisers and teams are important pieces to positive change in our Tampa Bay community – they are the driving force behind this change, not just locally but in some cases globally.
These challenging times not only require the work of our nonprofits and fundraisers, but that of our philanthropic community – individuals, families, businesses, and so many more. The charitable organizations of this community need resources that will assist their professional fundraisers in acquiring resources which will broaden and fine tune their fundraising and leadership skills helping them to respond to our communities ongoing needs and driving positive change.
Worldwide, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) represents more than 31,000 members in more than 240 Chapters. Over the past 60 years, this association has generated over $1 trillion in advancing and inspiring philanthropy. The Tampa Bay Chapter was established in 1980 and is currently the largest chapter in the State of Florida. It proudly serves about 200 active members representing roughly 175 Tampa Bay nonprofits.
Annual membership dues and registration fees from our monthly meetings pay for our chapter's professional development programming and ongoing commitments to AFP. Where we need assistance is in offering local nonprofits and fundraisers additional tools and resources which help strengthen and meet the needs of our community.
We are seeking individuals, organizations, and companies who are part of our philanthropic community to partner with AFP Tampa Bay in playing a significant role helping local nonprofits and professional fundraisers in driving positive change and investing in those who influence philanthropic giving and social impact.
As a supporter and partner, you can help professional fundraisers to:
- Develop leadership skills needed to excel in their current roles and grow within the profession.
- Drive organizational successes to achieve greater impact in our local communities.
- Provide the highest standards of fundraising performance and ethics gaining the public's trust in our profession through engaging dialogue about ethical best practices.
- Recognize, advance, and provide professional development for emerging leaders in our nonprofit sector.
- Provide more opportunities and access for people from underrepresented groups to learn about and join our profession, embracing inclusiveness, diversity, equality, and making our organizations and philanthropy stronger.
- Create a Tampa Bay regional network of fundraising professionals' opportunities to collaborate, sharing resources and ideas, and supporting one another, our organizations, and community.
By becoming an AFP partner, you are making an investment in the AFP Tampa Bay members and organizations helping them in strengthening the impact of our local nonprofits and inspiring them as professional fundraisers to be change agents in this philanthropic community.