Fund Raising Day in New York


My FRD Welcome Packet
On June 22, 2018, for the third time in my life, I had the opportunity to attend the 2018 Fund Raising Day in New York (FRDNY) event. Previously, I attended the conference in 2016 and 2015.

Typically planned in the month of June, FRDNY is hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and since its founding in 1960, AFP aims to foster the development and growth of fundraising professionals and to promote high ethical standards in the fundraising profession.


The conference was attended by hundreds of leaders and professionals in the non-profit sector. If not all, most of the sessions offered that day had great panels of experts in various areas of the industry. 44 seminars in total were completely available to attendees. Fund Raising Day in New York was presented in the following segments:


  • Advanced Fundraising
  • Corporate and Foundation Giving
  • Direct Response Marketing
  • Essential Basics of Fundraising
  • Legacy Giving
  • Major Gifts
  • Professional Growth
  • Research
  • Small Shop Organizations
  • Special Events
  • Web, Tech and Social Media

It felt great to learn the latest professional development tips. It was truly moving to hear some of the amazing stories on how a successful crowdfunding campaigns can literally make all the difference in someone's life. However, these were not the highlight of my day at FRDNY 2018. I hate to admit it, but my favorite part of the day was of course the food, but most particularly when keynote speaker, Ms. Kendra Sinclair, Facebook's Partnerships Manager for Social Good delivered her remarks.

Ms. Kendra Sinclair spoke about the meaningful changes Facebook is bringing to the world. She spoke on how social media has become a key catalysts in the successes of many fundraising campaigns by allowing 501(c)(3) groups to receive donations through Facebook. The social platform has seen a rise on countless crowdfunding campaigns, including the now established Giving Tuesday (the international day of giving back) and it has also made regular campaigns go viral in days, like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014.

Out of all five sessions I attended, my favorite was learning about "The Holy Grail: Digital-First, Corporate-Scale Technology for a Modern Donor Experience". The session had lots of data-rich facts and insights that allowed me to identify new ways to find donors and to effectively engage with an audience in the most candid and organic way.

Overall, I had a blast. Like previous years, Fund Raising Day in New York is a great conference where you not only learn, but you network, catch-up with old coworkers, celebrate amazing stories, and most importantly, it generates new meaningful ideas that enhances professional development and brings new fund raising strategies to your organization.


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