Mike's Monday Message: The Energy of AFP ICON

November 2021 marks my four-year anniversary of joining AFP Global. The AFP Global team and our amazing volunteers have achieved many accomplishments during that time, including a new website, new programs and initiatives on fundraising, leadership development and IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity and access), and helping to put AFP into its best financial situation in over a decade. 

But one of my biggest organizational disappointments? We have only been able to host two in-person ICONs over the past four years: New Orleans in 2018 and San Antonio in 2019. And while we’ve been able to put together two great virtual ICONS in 2020 and 2021, there’s nothing like the atmosphere of our in-person ICON, the largest gathering of fundraising professionals in the world. I can still remember vividly the tremendous excitement and energy of the fundraising community coming together in New Orleans and San Antonio. 

That’s why I’m so energized that we’ve just launched registration for our AFP ICON 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 2 – 4. 

The full AFP community will be back together again in-person for the first time in three years! Think how much has changed in that time. We’ve all learned to pivot and receive continuing education and training online, but we haven’t had the same opportunities to share. To network. To be together with people who understand our challenges, our opportunities and our triumphs. 

I felt a little of that energy at our recent AFP LEAD, where almost 300 members gathered together in Indianapolis. It was great to be able to see people in-person, and I was very proud of how everyone was respectful of each other and the safety protocols that we put in place. 

We still have much planning to do for AFP ICON 2022, so I don’t know exactly yet what our safeguards will be for Las Vegas—though I can tell you that we will require everyone onsite to be vaccinated. Once you’re onsite in Las Vegas, you’ll get to choose from 100 educational sessions covering every aspect of fundraising, plus amazing keynote speakers and numerous networking opportunities. 

There’s no conference like it in the world! And right now, we’re offering our best price on AFP ICON 2022. You have roughly a week—until Nov. 14!—to take advantage of our special preview rate. 

If you haven’t been to an AFP ICON before, this is the one you won’t want to miss. I think members will be so excited to be able to see each other again and take part in the kind of sharing, learning, and networking that can only happen at ICON. And if you’ve attended an ICON before, you know how incredibly beneficial it can be to your fundraising and your career.

So, mark it on your calendar, register now and plan for AFP ICON 2022, May 2 – 4. You won’t be disappointed!