its kind in the world, with over 27,000 members throughout North America and beyond. AFP is an individual membership organization, meaning that you as an individual are the member and if you leave your place of employment the membership stays with you. However, many employers pay the annual dues for their professional development staff to belong to AFP, knowing the educational opportunities and other resources available will benefit their organization as well as the individual employee. One of the key benefits of AFP is the Resource Center available to members. Another great asset of AFP is the annual International Conference, which features hundreds of workshops and presentations. The 2007 conference will be held in Dallas, TX from March 24 through March 28. For more information about AFP see their website at www.afpnet.org.

Although AFP is the largest organization of fundraisers, there are other organizations designed for specific areas of concentration, for example CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education); AHP (Association for Healthcare Philanthropy) and others. There are also organizations designed to focus on particular areas of practice, such as APRA (Association of Prospect Researchers for Advancement) and NCPG (National Planned Giving Council. Find the association or associations that best fit your needs and become an active member.

There are other tools that can help a development officer perform enhance their skills, such as finding a mentor (many local AFP chapters have mentoring program—check with your local chapter to see if this is available). Remember that both mentors and mentees can benefit from a successful mentoring relationship.

Attend conferences and workshops as often as possible. There are literally hundred of opportunities to choose from and you can find most of them on the Internet.

Continuing education is another key way to improve your professionalism and increase your earning capacity. There are numerous schools that offer undergraduate and graduate program in Philanthropy. You can take courses live or through the Internet. See our ad for North Park University’s program in this newsletter for just one example of the kind of programs that are available.

You may also want to check out other educational opportunities such as AFP’s First Course in Fundraising and there CFRE Preparation Course. Information about both of these is on the AFP website. Also, the Center on Philanthropy in Indianapolis, IN has some excellent courses, their website is www.philanthropy.iupui.edu. And, speaking of credentialing check out the CFRE or ACFRE programs. The CFRE designation is awarded by an independent organization, CFRE International at www.CFRE.org and the ACFRE designation is awarded by AFP.

A few final words on professional development, Read, Read, Read. There are several great publications and books available to help you grow in your knowledge of the fundraising profession. Please visit the CAPITAL VENTURE website for a list of our favorite books and a link to purchase them directly from Amazon.com.

Our consultants have been busy speaking and consulting throughout the country. Linda Lysakowski, ACFRE presented a workshop on Beyond Special Events for the Parasol Community Collaborative in Incline Village, NV near beautiful Lake Tahoe. Attended by approximately 20 participants, the workshop was helped participants plan for an integrated development program and explore ways t collaborative with other community organizations. Lysakowski also presented at the AFP International Conference in Atlanta Georgia, where she also received the first Barbara Marion Award for Outstanding Service to AFP.

Speaking of training, we have developed a Training Catalogue, which is available by email. We offer a wide variety of workshops available for groups such as AFP chapters, statewide associations, national organizations, Dioceses, United Ways and Centers for Nonprofits. If you would like to receive a copy of our training catalogue, please contact cvlinda@cox.net.