From the President
What a great time to be a member of VAFRE!
I hope you all were able to attend our annual Awards Ceremony, either in person or virtually. It was a very special event celebrating the careers of two very special VAFRE members. Once again, I congratulate Thomas Burke and Leigh Busby as our 2022 most deserving award recipients. We hope you all enjoyed the new afternoon format, including the champagne toast. We have to thank our former President Jennifer O'Rourke for putting together such an amazing event. Click here for the video.
As VAFRE's fiscal year is nearing the end, we hope you are all able to join us for our Annual Meeting in June where we will be treated to a great talk by Alan Wei of Humanitru, speaking on the effective use of engagement data. In addition, our members will have the pleasure of voting on our incoming slate of officers and board members and our 2022-23 budget as well as honoring our board members who have served VAFRE so well. I hope to see you all there.
I also want to highlight a growing group of VAFRE members that I am very excited about, namely those new VAFRE members from outside the greater Richmond area. While VAFRE has always had members from throughout the Commonwealth, it is amazing to see this group grow. This is a direct result of the ability to attend VAFRE's luncheons and other events virtually. Even as we transition back to in person events when safe, VAFRE will continue to offer as many events as possible in a meaningful hybrid model in order to welcome and serve our members from all areas. Please let your fellow fundraisers throughout Virginia know about our virtual programs, so we can continue to further VAFRE's reach.
Last but not least, I would really like to remind everyone that VAFRE has a number of scholarships available. Please reach out to us to discuss this great opportunity to join, or stay with, VAFRE.
Thank you all for the great work you do to make your organizations thrive, and I look forward to seeing you in June.
David Sams,
VAFRE President
___________________________________
Join Us - VAFRE's Spring Member Social!
Join VAFRE this Wednesday, May 18 from 5 - 7 p.m. for an informal Member Social at River City Roll.
Let's relax and enjoy each other's company at this boutique bowling alley located near Broad Street and Arthur Ashe Blvd (with parking available). We'll gather on their outdoor, covered patio and your first drink is on VAFRE (limited to Happy Hour only).
For those feeling playful, VAFRE will have two bowling lanes available during the second half of our event.
This is a FREE event, but we'd appreciate it if you'd let us know you're coming. Register HERE.
We hope to see you there!
___________________________________
Register for Our June 7th Program: Striking While the Iron's Hot
The average fundraiser is inundated with data in today's digital world: annual appeals, peer-to-peer, direct mail, event-based fundraising, to name a few. How can gift officers and development managers prioritize the right people to reach out to at the right time? Join VAFRE on June 7th as we welcome Alan Wei of Humanitru to help us understand how best to use our available data to set some priorities. Register now for either the in-person or virtual program.
___________________________________
Thanks to our Newsletter Sponsor
