How to Justify Your AFP Membership Fee

Here are ten ways that AFP provides value to nonprofit organizations. As an AFP member, the value of any one of them far exceeds the cost of an individual’s membership dues. Together they make a smashing investment.

1. What is Philanthropy? Many people wonder if it has something to do with stamp collecting. AFP activities help to deepen the community’s understanding of the philanthropic process. Why do people give? How do nonprofit organizations receive the resources they need to accomplish their missions? Why do they give to specific organizations? The more they know, the more they give.

2. Professional and True. AFP conveys fundraising as professional process that helps nonprofits to obtain income to achieve their missions. A surprising percent of the population believe that nonprofits raise all the money they need by selling candy bars in front of grocery stores on Saturday mornings. The more the community understands nonprofit income sources and how they can participate, the better for the whole nonprofit community. AFP leads in the growth of this understanding and in professionalizing fundraising.

3. Trust Me: Fundraising is built on public trust. AFP provides a Code of Ethics that enhances trust. In addition to candy sales, people also believe that fundraising is the telephone call that interrupts their dinner. The caller implies he is with law enforcement. However, the people holding their forks suspect he’s a hired gun for a for-profit that will receive most of the money raised. The code of ethics supports the elimination of unethical fundraising.

4. Pondering Challenging Questions. Through meetings, telephone seminars, conferences and literature, AFP members ask and confront ethical questions –in advance. These questions explore how money is raised and the appropriate behavior of donors and nonprofits. The right ethical answers in your organization come from living with these questions and answers frequently. AFP helps nonprofit professionals to examine these important issues.

5. In-depth Knowledge. AFP provides you access to information when you need it. For example, when you have a crisis (and if your nonprofit eventually will) AFP provides access to multiple resources, including a library, about how to respond, how to strengthen your organization and how to help your donors to understand the situation.

6. Ideas. Participating actively in AFP events will give you new fundraising ideas to adapt and try at your organization. If you regularly attend meetings and read publications all year long, this is guaranteed.

7. Rights. The AFP Donor’s Bill of Right provides guidelines to fundraisers on how to build deeper and better relationships with donors. The Donor’s Bill of Rights helps nonprofit professionals. It also helps your donors to understand their relationship to your organization and deepens the respect they hold for each other.

8. On-task. Regular AFP activities help the fundraising professional to stay focused on relationships. For almost all of us, it is easier to stay in the office and organize files and databases than take the risk and effort to establish new and deepen existing friendships. The monthly meetings remind us, inspire us and fortify us to return to the field to meet with the community and potential donors.

9. Networking. One of the best benefits of membership, cited by members, are the networking opportunities. You meet people and have a chance to interact with others who have experienced or are going through similar fundraising challenges.


10. Return On Investment. In a recent newsletter for the Southwest Florida AFP chapter, Julia Steele wrote, “This year marks AFP's 50th Anniversary, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals, an international organization with 207 chapters and 30,000 members worldwide, continues to be the standard-bearer of professionalism in fundraising. Established in 1988, the Southwest Florida chapter represents more than 130 diverse professionals in a four county area who share a commitment to promote philanthropy through ethical and effective fundraising.”

How can you justify your membership to AFP? Consider the reasons above and add you own. Then, for the final justification do the math. AFP membership dues cost less than $300 –and you plan to raise how many thousands or millions this year? Yes, it cost money to make money. The returns for APF membership, if you participate fully, will be returned to your organization many times over.


Many thanks to Karen Eber Davis for her thoughtful expression of the great value and professionalism provided with AFP. We hope you'll renew your membership, join for the first time or help spread the word about what we do to others in our field.