April 2006 President's Message
Patricia Moran
Dear Colleagues:
 In April, I will be meeting with representatives of 172 AFP chapters from the United States, Canada, and other parts of the globe in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is the host of the 43rd AFP International Conference on Fundraising. Prior to the kick-off of the conference, chapter presidents, delegates, and IAFP board members will meet to discuss the draft proposal for a new governing system for the International Association of Fundraising Professionals. Alphonce Brown, Chair of IAFP, asked me to serve on the Governance Task Force and I have been working with representatives of other chapters and IAFP staff for the past year to research, review, and recommend a new governance system for our professional organization.
You might not be aware of the governance structure of IAFP so here is a very brief overview of the governance history. At one time, the local chapter presidents served as the board of directors for AFP (originally called NSFRE). By the early 1990s our organization had grown significantly and it was not practical to have a large board representing each chapter. At that time, AFP created a 30 member board and established a Delegate Assembly. The Delegate Assembly provided local chapters a voice in the governance of our organization. The Greater New York Chapter, because it has more than 750 members, is permitted four delegates to the Delegate Assembly and each delegate is permitted to vote on such issues as dues increase and proposed new membership categories. Now, 15 years later, we have experienced major growth both in members and in chapters. As an international organization, AFP has chapters in Mexico, Hong Kong, and Singapore with many more international chapters in the planning stages. While there is focus on international expansion, both the United States and Canada have new chapters forming on a regular basis. In fact, we welcomed a new chapter in New York State this year—the Hudson Valley Chapter.
The IAFP Governance Task Force wants to hear comments and suggestions from individual members and chapter leaders about the proposed draft plan for AFP Governance. The plan, which will be voted on by the Delegate Assembly at its October 2006 meeting in Los Angeles, will determine how our organization is governed for the next decade or so.
I urge you and every member of the Greater New York Chapter to read the proposed plan, ask questions of your chapter board members, and respond to the Governance Task Force. Like me you have a hectic schedule and you are busy securing private support for your nonprofit organization, but please take a few minutes to read the proposed plan. To read the draft report proposed by the IAFP Governance Task Force click here.
You might not be interested in the internal workings of IAFP and I know organizational governance is not an exciting topic but this is your professional organization—please voice your opinion today!
Patricia A. Moran, CFRE
Fordham University
This message is part of this month’s newsletter, which is available online. Please click hereto read Fundraising News.
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