Leadership: Growing Others

After serving nearly 100 fundraising leaders through four cohorts, what’s next for the AFP Leadership Institute?

In today's dynamic nonprofit sector, effective leadership is vital for organizational success. Recognizing the need to grow and develop strong fundraising leaders to address our profession’s widening leadership gap, AFP Global—in partnership with the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy, Carter Global, and Bridge Philanthropic—designed a unique leadership program tailored specifically to support fundraisers who aspire to the next level of leadership.

Since officially starting this work in September 2022, we have learned a tremendous amount through the planning, development, and implementation of the AFP Leadership Institute. The challenging curriculum, excellent facilitated instruction, strong peer-to-peer relationships, and the incredible amount of support that participants—whom we call leadership fellows—have given to one another has made this a truly transformational program.

The international design of the program, the authentic conversations, well-prepared instructors, mixed with a diverse group of professionals, made for a very open and welcoming environment for everyone to be authentic and vulnerable. I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is serious about their leadership role or to someone who desires to lead.

—Christopher Beck, CAP (Cohort 1)

For myself as the program director for the Leadership Institute, watching fundraisers learn from one another and grow together as professionals—in a safe and supportive environment—has been rewarding to facilitate and inspiring to witness.

Designed for Fundraisers

We convened four cohorts in different cities around the country, including Saint Paul, Minnesota; Arlington, Virginia; Sunnyvale, California; and Atlanta. Each cohort was made up of between 20 to 25 individuals for a total of 90 participants, selected through an application process designed to highlight an applicant’s openness to learning, self-awareness, and self-reflection, in preparation for the types of activities they would experience in the program.

The Leadership Institute focuses on four key leadership skill sets: self and other awareness, culture-building, communication, and learning agility. All four support key areas of leadership essential to building a growth mindset, adaptability, team development, decision-making, and strategic thinking. The entire program is also deeply rooted in ethics and inclusion, diversity, equity, and access—both of which are woven into the strategic pillars of AFP.

Each cohort participated in a weeklong transformative learning experience that was deeply reflective and action-oriented, where exercises and discussions were connected in order to support and advance an individual’s capacity for thinking and learning differently. Throughout the week, participants built trustful, supportive relationships with their peers to help nurture and encourage their development as leaders.

The curriculum emphasizes reflective practices, encouraging participants to regularly assess their performance and seek feedback from their peers. This focus on self and other awareness not only enhances leadership capabilities but also improves a leader’s ability to connect and communicate with their teams, volunteers, and donors on a more individual and meaningful level.

The AFP Leadership Institute was the most empowering program I have ever participated in. I came with uncertainty in my skills, leadership ability, and career trajectory. I am leaving with new skills, feeling inspired, focused, and confident, with a clear career direction and a new support system of colleagues.

—Tara Monks, CFRE (Cohort 3)

In the ever-evolving landscape of leadership, learning agility is crucial for staying ahead of trends and adopting innovative approaches. By fostering a culture of continuous learning, fellows learned to remain agile and responsive to the changing needs of their organizations.

By honing these skills, leaders can create more authentic connections with their teams and donors. As a result, fundraisers become more confident in their ability to navigate the complexities of volunteer management, donor relations, and fundraising campaigns.

Expanding Access and Enhancing Impact

This leadership program has had a notable impact on participants. Fellows continue to report significant enhancements in their skills, confidence, and leadership abilities. The long-term effectiveness of the program will be gauged through evaluating how the program has influenced the leadership capabilities and career advancement opportunities of the participants within their current organizations and beyond. Leadership fellows have reported the following:

• Fellows serve on the following committees/task forces: IDEA General Committee, Diverse Scholarship Task Force, Women’s Impact Initiative, and Marketing Committee.

• Three fellows presented at ICON 2024, and three are presenting at LEAD 2024.

• One fellow is facilitating an AFP Global webinar 
  this year.

• Fifteen fellows have received a promotion or started a new role.

• Two fellows have been accepted into Ph.D. programs.

• One fellow received the Emerging Leader in Fundraising Award from their chapter on National Philanthropy Day.

• One fellow was inspired to restart their giving to the AFP Foundation.

• One fellow is co-host of the new AFP Emerging Leaders podcast, “Raising Voices in Fundraising.”

By continuing to evolve and adapt our program, we aim to empower even more fundraisers with the leadership skills they need to drive positive change and achieve their organizations’ missions.

Reflecting on the AFP Leadership Institute, I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude. We were given powerful tools for effective communication and developing connections, with a strong emphasis on leveraging our individual and collective strengths. One standout for me was when we built a team culture through chaos as we brainstormed solutions to a challenging case study. And, of course, sharing laughs and stories with my cohort added an extra layer of joy. I left with accountability partners and lifelong friendships. Excited about the journey ahead!

—Emily Leitzinger, CFRE (Cohort 2)

This fall, we are convening a group of key stakeholders with the purpose of discussing the successes and challenges of the program thus far and the viability, replicability, and sustainability of the program moving forward. The goal of this convening is to discuss how we can democratize leadership programming across the fundraising profession.

It is impossible to have a program like this without the help and support of so many amazing people and organizations. I would like to thank our Leadership Institute Advisory Committee for their time and efforts helping us refine and improve the program application and review process, and for being incredible ambassadors of the program. Plus, I’d like to give a huge thank-you to the individual donors and chapters who championed leadership development to help take fundraisers to the next level. This program could not work without the support of our generous hosts who provided wonderful learning spaces to us, so a special thank-you to the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, LinkedIn HQ in Silicon Valley, and The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

I would also like to express my appreciation to all our stakeholders who helped bring this program to fruition after years of planning and brainstorming on what was possible. Those initial efforts guided our research and survey work, which laid the foundation for the program curriculum and desired outcomes.

Leadership truly is a self-discovery and self-improvement process. To be a well-rounded leader, you must have a willingness to leave your comfort zone and embrace continuous learning and professional development.

Jack Welch famously said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” It is important for nonprofit leaders to understand that it is a privilege to nurture and support the development of our current and future workforce. As I continue to work closely with this amazing group of fundraising leaders, I know they understand this opportunity and are excited to take on this responsibility in our sector.