ABOUT US

Welcome to the Chicago Chapter

Welcome to the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). If you are a development professional, a volunteer involved in the philanthropic process, interested in fundraising as a career, or just want to know more about AFP, we welcome you!

AFP Chicago Vision Statement

The Association of Fundraising Professionals—Chicago Chapter will be valued as the indispensable professional development resource for fundraisers,
and by the broader public as Chicagoland’s
leading champion of philanthropy as a force for building community.

While the tradition of philanthropy has deep roots in America and in Chicago, we cannot take it for granted. Clouding the future of philanthropy are a number of colliding trends, including society’s growing reliance on the non-profit sector, non-profits’ increasing need for contributions, the growing “consumer” orientation among donors and government’s potentially disruptive regulation of philanthropy.

As social distraction and fragmentation increase, it is uncertain how values of “giving back” will be handed on to each new generation. Who will help the people of Chicago discover philanthropy as a way to make a difference in the world? Who will champion philanthropy itself as a cause?
Increasingly, that task is falling to fundraisers and other non-profit leaders. By drawing forth and channeling human compassion in service to others, fundraisers are helping to build community.

With 1,000 members, AFP Chicago expands the capabilities of area fundraisers through education, mentoring and advocacy efforts. By equipping these professionals, and by building public awareness of the power of philanthropy, AFP Chicago champions philanthropy as a cause -- an element essential to our community’s future.