January 2008 President's Message
John W. Hicks
 Dear Colleagues,
I am honored to take the reins as the new President of the Greater New York Chapter of the Association of Fund Raising Professionals., AFP’s Founding Chapter. I thank Pat Moran for her selfless and tireless leadership of our Chapter over the past two years and I look forward to her continued guidance as the Immediate Past Chair of our Chapter Board.
As a fund raising professional in New York City, you and I are confronted by a plethora of choices when it comes to furthering our professional knowledge and credentials. We have wonderful nonprofit training programs and classes offered by our leading universities. Institutions like the Foundation Center and the Direct Marketing Association offer courses, programs and resources to the fund raising specialists. And local associations like Women in Development and the Planned Giving Group of New York City offer us the opportunity to meet with allied groups of local professionals.
That said, what makes AFP unique is that we are an international association that has set standards for over 29,000 fundraising professionals through a unique Code of Ethics, a Donor Bill of Rights and credentialing through an independent body. Membership in AFP means that you are part of a body of practitioners who value the highest universal standards of professional practice in our profession.
Over the past two years, as I have become more involved with AFP at an international level through independent volunteer work, I have had the opportunity to build a network of colleagues that ranges from Los Angeles to Toronto to Hong Kong. Being able to share ideas and questions about practices and prospects has helped me to build my personal knowledge of the field in new ways.
This year, I’d like you to consider a resolution as an AFP member as you plan your year. Become more involved in our Association. Attend an educational event or a luncheon. Put Fund Raising Day in New York on your calendar and attend. Use the AFP Member Resources available online at www.afpnet.org to network to colleagues outside New York City. And share your successes and ideas with your colleagues – become a resource to others as well.
Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous 2008, 
John Hicks
President, Greater New York Chapter, AFP
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