July/August 2009 President's Message
John HIcks
 Dear Colleagues,
One of the greatest professional privileges I have enjoyed is serving as President of the Greater New York Chapter of AFP, the Association’s founding chapter. This summer, as I was preparing my monthly letter to the membership I had the opportunity to reflect on my involvement as a chapter volunteer and to offer some insights as to why getting involved in the work of our Chapter remains such a meaningful experience.
My first job with the Chapter was to serve on a committee for Fund Raising Day in New York back in 1990. My particular assignment was to recruit sponsors for the conference. I recall that I was given a list of 25 different consulting firms and vendors to call. I remember coming away with 10 to 15 sponsorships. More importantly, I came away with some new collegial relationships, all which continue to this day.
Since that first committee assignment, I have had the chance to take on many other volunteer tasks serving both as a committee member or chair at both the Chapter and International level. The work itself has been highly rewarding affording me an opportunity to learn a new skill or to understand a new facet of nonprofit work. Volunteer work affords you a great opportunity to meet new colleagues with whom you can share or learn new and best practices. And to build new friendships in the field that can last a lifetime.
As an active New York City AFP member, please give consideration to joining a chapter committee. This can begin with a phone call or email to our Chapter office. We will then forward your interest to our committee chairs as they plan their roster for 2010.
Wishing you a safe and relaxing summer.
Collegially yours,
John Hicks, CFRE
President, Greater New York Chapter, AFP | 
