To Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Toronto Chapter (AFP GTC) Members

PART ONE

Dear Members, as you prepare for giving season, I know that you will likely be caught up in a number of important fundraising initiatives to support the urgent work of your respective organizations. I want to thank you for your continued promotion of creative fundraising techniques and community engagement practices during these challenging times. We find ourselves navigating the intersections of racial equity, emerging conflicts, rising interest rates, ongoing inflation, and increasing costs of living that affect both philanthropy and fundraising. The skills and passion of fundraisers are even more essential to the continuity of the non-profit sector during these trying times.

I hope this letter (detailed though it is), and forming two-parts, will bring you up to speed with aspects of what has happened since my last communication to you. I want you to know the things that I know and consider the issues currently at play within AFP GTC. This update may also help to answer some ongoing questions that you might have, regarding the work that is on the horizon.

I recognize that I have been less communicative than I would have liked since my last message to you in July, 2023. That’s because I have had to learn how to manage the demands of my agency, AgentsC Inc. and balance these with work on the inside of AFP GTC to rebuild our organization. These important objectives have required a major time investment on my behalf.

Leading AFP GTC after a period of significant crisis is not light work. It is heavy work! I will go further to say that so far, much of what I have been engaged in stretches way beyond the frame of governance – ensuring we are aligned with our bylaws and legal compliance obligations. Instead, I have been involved in actual work. Fixing, strategizing, organizing, recruiting, planning, problem solving, facilitating, meeting, speaking, engaging… this list goes on, to ensure that AFP GTC maintains a chance of meeting our members’ needs while changing aspects of our culture that cause harm.

In May of this year, I outlined my pledge to the AFP GTC community (partners, members, fundraisers, volunteers, staff, sponsors, and stakeholders). My words back then have been a constant reminder to me and have shaped my approach to the work that needs to be undertaken. I made the following pledge:

1. Be accountable: Prioritize the interest of members over the interests of the board.
2.  Respond to fundraisers’ needs: Invite all stakeholders to inform the strategic direction of AFP GTC, placing and practicing equity at the centre of our work.
3. Be transparent: Share openly and communicate the ways in which change is being led, through thoughts, challenges, opportunities, successes, and failures.
4. I then added a fourth point to this list: Support the AFP GTC to effectively communicate and demonstrate its value. This is the question that many of our members (existing and lapsed) are asking us.

Thankfully, I am not alone in this work. We now have a newly appointed Interim board (Arleen Benjamin- (Treasurer); Dane Bland, CFRE; Esther Lee; and Liz Rejman, (Secretary); and Ann Rosenfield, CFRE. The board is joined by two advisors, Birgit Burton, Chair of AFP Global, and Sara Wolfe,- ICD.D, Executive in Residence – Rotman School of Management. My work and that of the interim directors has been support by our interim executive director (ED).

I am grateful to our ED, the board, and our advisors for their support and leadership, as well as their willingness to join me as we reconstruct AFP GTC. Our interim ED especially has been an immense help in navigating AFP GTC on a steady course of recovery. We are all learning, and I am improving my understanding of my first role in a traditional Chair position, interim or otherwise. We have achieved the following important milestones:

1. June 2023: Appointment of our Interim Chapter President
2. July 2023: Secured the four calls-to-action leading to restitution for historic acts of systemic anti-Black racism by the former board
3. August 2023: Appointed an interim board and completed our audited financial statements for 2022
4. September 2023: Hosted the AFP GTC AGM

Our work ahead is to create new systems and processes, practices, and tactics that lead to equity and culture change within AFP GTC. However, it is futile for us to change organizational culture within our Chapter if you and your respective organizations remain unchanged. Our sector must collectively fight systemic anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism – the two issues which I believe hinder our ability to effectively raise funds and create the type of societal and environmental change we all seek. As a member, I invite you to continually take the following actions to ensure our Chapter and our sector thrives:

1. Speak openly about the acts and issues of racism and discrimination that you observe as you raise funds.
2. Consider your own biases carefully when they confront you. Be open to feedback and commit to continuous learning about racial equity.
3. Be more than an ally. Take action by becoming an anti-racist, and an equity champion. Expand your connections and relationships with diverse fundraisers and your local cultural groups.

There is more work that lies ahead of us. I will outline this in Part Two of my message in November 2023. In the meantime, send me an email if you have questions or comments.

Olumide Akerewusi

Interim Chair, AFP GTC

makerewusi@afptoronto.org