Canadian society is evolving at a rapid rate. Charitable organizations and approaches to fundraising need to keep up with the times. The increasing diversity and multiculturalism of our nation is reflected in the people, communities, and causes charitable and non-profit organizations serve, as well as in potential and existing donor populations.

Given this dynamic landscape, it’s a critical time in our trajectory as fundraisers to ask ourselves a series of important questions. For example, how well equipped are we as a profession to meet the needs of diverse and multicultural communities through our charitable works and our approaches to fundraising? Is our profession a place where equality of opportunity really thrives and where all have an equal shot at a successful career? How certain are we that the work we are doing today will resonate with the changing donor population of today and tomorrow?

AFP 2018-2020 Strategic Plan calls out the promotion of inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) as a strategic priority for the organization globally, and charges local chapters with making the priority ‘real’ in their own contexts. The global Association of Fundraising Professionals recognizes the need to work harder as a profession to reflect the diverse populations fundraisers serve, and to take steps toward building a more diverse fundraising workforce.

By prioritizing IDEA-related issues, AFP has endeavoured to take a comprehensive look at expanding diversity in the profession so that fundraisers can better serve their communities and resonate with all potential donors.

Ultimately, as fundraisers, the goal of focusing on IDEA related issues is:

• to maximize the full potential of the current and potential workforce,
• to tackle barriers to equality of opportunity, and
• to have a positive impact on our causes and our organizations

STRATEGIC PRIORITY COLLABORATE TO ENHANCE INCLUSION IN FUNDRAISING

Create an AFP Inclusivity Charter

• Standardize expectations for accessibility and inclusivity across AFP chapters.
• Work together to design role descriptions which invite members of diverse populations to apply.
• Translate print and online copy into various languages.
• Set targets for diverse representation on boards of directors (including representation from client/cause population, experts, etc.).
• Measure and publish AFP membership demographics to determine which populations of fundraisers are facing barriers to access the Association and its supports.

Engage with higher education institutions 

• Support fundraiser training program providers in communicating with diverse student populations the opportunities that the profession offers.
• Increase the inclusiveness of recruitment messaging. Let them know which skill sets are valuable to a working fundraiser, where training gaps exist for new-entrant fundraisers.
• Encourage them to add diversity and inclusion considerations to curriculum.

Let the cause drive the action 

• Recruit clients to staff, ambassador, volunteer, and board positions.
• Consult with those we serve, as well as program staff, to gain a nuanced understanding of needs and associated services.
• Use this information to articulate the unique value proposition of your organization, then communicate this value to potential donors.
• Well-aligned donor/organization relationships will increase the likelihood of long-term donor engagement.

COLLABORATE TO ENGAGE A BROADER DONOR BASE

Maximize awareness about donor communities 

• Think more broadly about the kinds of donors and communities of donors that might connect to our causes.
• AFP can lead, and work to feature diverse donor populations so that members can think about whether the featured population might be a fit to their organization and the cause they advance. tactical actions.

Consult diverse donor populations 

• Appeal to existing and potential donor groups in your region by customizing methodology.
• Listen to existing and potential donors, learn from them about their values, their concerns, and match fundraising mechanisms to them.
• Consult and connect with non-donors to learn why they don’t donate.

Create innovative engagement opportunities 

• Make a collective effort to engage donors, to raise awareness of the value and effects of philanthropy, to connect donors with one another, to feature causes and collaborative projects.
• Bring diverse donors together around a #solveathon or summit-style event where donors and causes can intersect and work together to increase effectiveness.

Politically and socially, recent times are marked by divisiveness. It's our responsibility, as fundraisers, to promote unity. In order to meet the needs of current and future generations, we need to thread together as beautiful and diverse a human tapestry as possible, strengthen our resolve, and collaborate in radical new ways.

STRATEGIC PRIORITY COLLABORATE TO ILLUMINATE AND SOLVE SHARED PROBLEMS

Share expertise 

• Establish a digital knowledge hub to share emerging research, provide basic education and resources to new-entrant fundraisers, and match seasoned fundraisers with early-career professionals in mentorship relationships.
• Provide high-accessibility training via webinars and other low-cost professional development opportunities. tactical actions.

Create diverse and collaborative fundraiser cohorts 

• Create cohorts that bring together fundraisers with complimentary causes.
• Learn each organization’s particular focus and unique value proposition.
• Increased inter-cause understanding will illuminate opportunities to collaborate, reveal dimensions of differentiation, and equip each to appeal to donors with more holistic approaches to solving problems.

Measure and reward collaborative efforts 

• Feature collaborative projects and communicate their successes and challenges to a broader philanthropic audience in order to encourage collaborative efforts.
• Create an AFP Collaboration award to recognize and encourage collaborative efforts.
  
  

For a full copy of this report, click here

Dr. Kristen Liesch Co-CEO (she/her) of Tidal Equality, was named in Forbes’ “10 Diversity and Inclusion Trailblazers You Need to Get Familiar With,” Kristen is a strate,gist and educator with 15 + years of experience designing transformative curricula, implementing equitable process changes, and capacity-building programs to support the design of more equitable organizations in Canada and New Zealand. Her unique academic background informs her methodology as a strategist and consultant working to advance equity. Combining practices and theories from the social sciences, education, and interdisciplinary humanities, Kristen supports leaders as they work toward cultivating more equitable, effective, and prosperous organizations.

Anna Dewar Gully, Co-CEO (she/her) of Tidal Equality, is an organizational strategist with 15 + years of experience designing enterprise-wide strategy, transformation initiatives, and expanding equality by-design in large systems and organizations in Canada and the UK. Throughout her career, Anna has guided numerous Boards of Directors, CEOs, and senior leaders through complex organizational culture, policy, governance, and strategic change initiatives. She has also coached frontline, management, and senior staff in a variety of contexts on how to successfully navigate and advance progressive change.