AFP Washington Chapter’s Diversity Committee
Overview
AFP Washington is proud to have received AFP’s Friends of Diversity recognition multiple times as a leading chapter in promoting diversity, including for 2009 (awarded in February 2010).
AFP Washington each year elects a board-level VP of Diversity to chair our AFP Diversity Committee. The Diversity Committee meets periodically throughout the year, and focuses much of our efforts on an annual workshop, salon or other event/training. In 2009 the Diversity Committee organized a well-received Salon in October and a Diversity Workshop with a nationally-known facilitator in 2008. 2010’s event is being planned for Fall 2010.
Definitions of Diversity
“Diversity is all the ways that we are different or add variety. Diversity encompasses people of different race, ethnicity, gender, religion, physical ability, age, geography, sexual orientation and income as regards the composition of staff, board, membership, program content, program presenters, etc. It is equally important to consider the diversity of organizations we represent, from large and well-established institutions to small and emerging non-profits.” AFP Washington
“Diversity is the seeking and achieving of a broad representation of experiences, perspectives, opinions and cultures. Inclusiveness is an essential source of vitality and strength for the effective pursuit of an organization’s mission. “ AFP International
Committee Purpose
We seek to provide value to our members by promoting cultural competency knowledge, skills and conversation to help us be better fundraisers / managers / leaders.
The committee in 2009 decided to focus our efforts in support of our membership in three ways:
- Sharing best practices of fundraising for or within diverse communities (FUNDRAISING/TECHNICAL SKILLS)
- Sharing best practices on recruiting, retaining, managing, promoting and leading a diverse fundraising team or board (MANAGEMENT SKILLS)
- Sharing best practices in helping our non-profit organizations to be actively inclusive and culturally competent (LEADERSHIP SKILLS).
Join Us
We encourage AFP Washington members to join our Diversity Committee. We also accept non-members for up to one year. Our meeting schedule is determined each year by our selection of a focal event.
For information, please contact us at info@afpwashington.org
AFP Washington Diversity Event
Stay tuned on AFP’s Events Calendar or AFP Washington Chapter E-Updates for opportunities to attend our 2010 Salon, tentatively scheduled for October 2010.
Additional Resources
AFP’s Web Site www.afpnet.org has wonderful resources for AFP members. It requires a log-in, Contact AFP International if you need your password.
For prospective and current AFP members, additional resources and respected texts can be found on our Diversity Resources page.
