The VAFRE e-news

August, 2017

From the President

I hope you all are doing great and are ready to kick off the new VAFRE year!

Our committees have been working hard this summer and are planning a really great year ahead!

Our first meeting of the year will be held on September 12 at Jefferson Lakeside Country Club. We will welcome Lindsey O-Pries to discuss Diversity in Action.

We also have a New Member social scheduled for September 13 from 5:30-6:30pm at Gather. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our newer VAFRE members, those who have joined within the last year, to meet and get to know each other and their Ambassadors and they will also have the chance to ask some questions and learn about ways to become more involved at VAFRE.

As mentioned in the last newsletter, I am Director of Development at Northstar Academy which is a k-12 school for children with disabilities. We have a theme each month and our students work on this theme in their daily social skills classes. This month’s theme is community and our students will be focusing on what a community is and how to be a more valuable member of that community. I think we can all agree that community is important and I am asking each of us to think about what we can do to bring value to the many communities of which we are a part – our work community, our neighborhood community, our worship community and, of course, our VAFRE community. For VAFRE, I ask you to consider volunteering on a committee, attending our socials, inviting a colleague to join you at a VAFRE meeting or something as simple as sitting with different folks at our lunches. All of these bring value to our VAFRE community and I thank you for considering doing just one of these things in the upcoming months.

Please enjoy the little bit that is left in our summer and buckle up! We have a wonderful VAFRE year ahead!

Sincerely,

Lynne

Lynne Berkness
2017-2018 VAFRE President

Welcome, New Members

Chika Anyadike, Renew Richmond
Lorae Ponder, HomeAgain
Susan Rockwell, Reach Out and Read Virginia
Curtis Shifflett, Rx Partnership
Rachel Southard, VCU Institute for Contemporary Art

New Member Social Planned for September

Members who joined within the last year and those who have served as Ambassadors this year are invited to attend our New Member Social on Wednesday, September 13th at Gather in Scott's Addition.

Come learn more about what VAFRE offers members, chat with your Ambassador and get to know other members.

There is no fee to attend this event, but you are asked to register by September 8th.

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Seeking Member Ambassadors

The Ambassadors program is an effort to engage new members in VAFRE. So far more than 22 VAFRE veterans have been paired with new members for a three-month period to help them get acquainted with other members and become involved in the life of VAFRE.

Both new members and the Ambassadors have been singing the praises of the program. If you are a VAFRE veteran who would like to help new members make the most of their membership, contact Scott Lyons at 540-809-9373 or Will Glasco at 804-648-1889 ext. 303.

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Is Your Member Profile Up To Date?

Summer is a good time to make sure all of your profile information is up to date in the database. Simply log-in to upload a new photo and make sure your phone number and e-mail are current.

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QuickLinks

Members Only

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September Meeting Announced: Diversity in Action

Make plans to join us at the first meeting of our 2017-2018 season when we welcome Lindsey O-Pries to Jefferson Lakeside Country Club. Lindsey will discuss Diversity in Action.

Right now, it’s more important than ever to start fast tracking your development office towards being more diverse and inclusive of historically overlooked communities. This workshop will be an overview of the many intricacies of diversity-- moving from the WHY you should want it to the HOW to get there.

Lindsey O-Pries is an Associate Consultant and Facilitator who serves as a development coach for clients of The Spark Mill. Spending the last four years working for a national social justice nonprofit, she offers a wealth of knowledge and unique ability to transform development offices into high functioning units. She also offers expertise in strategic planning, HR practices and diversity and inclusion.

Click here for complete details or to register now.

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Get Your Season Pass Now

This is a great time to purchase your Season Pass for 2017-2018. A Season Pass covers the cost of all meetings, September - June, for a VAFRE Member at the reduced cost of $220. That's like getting to attend the Awards Luncheon for free!

In addition, Season Pass holders can bring a guest to one regular meeting during the year at no additional charge.

To get your season pass, log in and visit the Events page of the website. Questions? E-mail admin@vafre.org.

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Sponsorships

VAFRE offers many opportunities to promote your organization to our members, at our meetings, on our website and via our 850+ e-newsletter distribution list. Learn more about the available opportunities here. Ready to sign up? Click here for the sponsor form.

Questions? Please contact James Wasilewski or Jenn O'Rourke for more details.

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Do you LIKE VAFRE?

Want to keep up to date with everything VAFRE is doing? Do you have something you'd like to share with the VAFRE community?

Then make sure you like us on Facebook and connect on LinkedIn!

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		VAFRE Annual Sponsors!


		P3 Sponsor

We are pleased to recognize Allegra Print & Imaging, E.L. Freeman, LLC, Great American Insurance Group/RCMD, the Institute on Philanthropy, and Warren Whitney as our Annual Sponsors, and West Avenue Associates as our P3 Sponsor.

Their support will help VAFRE continue to provide meaningful educational opportunities, as well as scholarship support for our members and guests.