Good day AFA friends! I’m pleased that the AFA Board of Directors has allowed me some space in our Association Update to share more about the continued success of our ‘Elevate the Standard’ campaign.
The AFA Foundation has been overwhelmed at the level of commitment our donors have made to the future of our work. To date, over 300 donors have answered the call to make a gift, sign a gift commitment, or to make a deferred charitable gift. We are positioned to have the most successful fundraising effort of any of our peer higher education associations in history, and we are continuing to expand our campaign leadership every week with new campaign leaders. The campaign has built funds designed to support fraternity and sorority professionals and volunteers at almost every stage and facet of their career, from an early career professional to a senior student affairs leader.
What has moved me most throughout this campaign is the consistency of the “why” we have heard from donors. Again and again, people describe AFA as their professional home; a place where they were seen, supported, and shaped into the professionals they have become. The obligation to ensure that place is available for future generations runs deep. One donor captured it simply: giving was a way to honor what AFA had been for them and to honor the professional they became through their engagement with this Association. That sentiment is not unique to one person. It is the through-line of this entire campaign, and it is exactly the message we hope to carry through with our upcoming 1,976 Minutes of Giving event.
Our annual 1,976 Minutes of Giving event, scheduled for June 23-24, holds special significance in our calendar, as it is rooted in the year of AFA’s founding and is designed to share the impact philanthropy has had on the story of this Association. Every gift made during those 32 hours and 56 minutes is an act of support and solidarity with our entire professional community – from professionals who are just now finding their footing in this field, to the ones who have made a lifetime commitment to this work. I hope that each person reading this message will not only give what they are able, but also make a personal ask of someone who has not yet had the chance to participate.
If you have never given a gift to the AFA Foundation, this will be a great time to begin: the Alpha Gamma Delta Fraternity & Foundation, through a generous matching gift, will match any donation of $19.76 or greater that comes in during 1,976 Minutes of Giving, dollar for dollar. It is gifts like these that allow for your gifts to go even further. Thank you to Alpha Gamma Delta for your commitment to building new and future donors to the AFA Foundation and to allowing their dollars to go even further.
As we move toward the campaign’s conclusion, and transition into celebration and stewardship later this year, the AFA Foundation Board is committed to ensuring that every donor at every level understands the tangible difference their investment has made. Elevate the Standard was never just about reaching a number; it was about building something permanent. With your continued engagement and energy through our Annual Meeting and 50th Anniversary celebration, I am confident we will finish strong.
I invite you to be a part of our 1,976 Minutes of Giving, and I look forward to seeing you in Chicago for our Annual Meeting to celebrate the many milestone achievements of AFA and the AFA Foundation!