Association Foundations: Two Ways to Bring Clarity and Inspiration

We learned about the Association Foundation Group from a client who told us how helpful it was when she sought inspiration and to network with peers facing similar issues. The Association Foundation Group provides education, ideas, and advancement opportunities for the association fundraising and association foundation community. By being a member of the Association Foundation Group (which happens to be very affordable), members benefit from:

• Their Annual National Conference—the only conference dedicated exclusively to association foundation professionals (the pictures on this page were taken at the conference);
• Regular educational programs in Washington, DC, and Chicago, which focus on issues particularly relevant to association foundation professionals;
• Networking with colleagues facing the same challenges that you face;
• A members-only listserv;
• Sharpening your skills in fundraising, leadership, planning, and management; and
• Access to the annual AFG Benchmarking Survey and the AFG Newsletter.

We joined, and our membership truly helps us to keep our fingers on the pulse of the communications, marketing, and membership challenges faced by association foundations. We also find that the education programs are truly first-rate. So if you’d benefit from becoming an member or AFG or if you know of someone who might, you can sign up easily at AFG’s website or call 703-506-2890.

Videos benefit association foundations

One of the things we’ve learned through our work with association foundations and that we’ve endeavored to communicate at AFG events (such as the conference where we had a table, left) is that video is a tool association foundations can use to communicate clarity as well as inspiration to their members. Three types of video that we have seen produce strong results for AFG members are:

• “Meet the Foundation” videos, which introduce the association foundation and can provide the basic education about the foundation’s existence and purpose that many association members need.
• “Foundation Stories” videos that use personal stories and testimonials to show the real life impact of a foundation’s good work for the association community and beyond.
• “Member Videos” that feature association members who are foundation donors as a result of their understanding and passion for the association foundation and its good work.