Get a taste of Mardi Gras at the AFP ICON 2023 FUNdraisers’ Fest, the chapter party on Monday, April 17! The Chapter Host Committee is pleased to announce the entertainment lineup for this fun event. In addition to touring a real Mardi Gras float den, attendees will be treated to music from a traditional second-line jazz band, a live performance from the Grammy-award-winning New Orleans Nightcrawlers band and tunes spun by New Orleans’ own DJ Rob Fresh! All this while enjoying some other surprises and very New Orleans food and drink at the iconic Mardi Gras World!

To register, log in to your AFP ICON registration profile, click “+Add Items” and add “AFP ICON FUNdraisers’ Fest.” The cost for the event is $95.

Laissez les bon temps roulez.

Deep Dives: Two-Day - Friday, April 14, 2023 and Saturday, April 15, 2023

Fundamentals of Fundraising
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Do you need to build understanding of all core areas of fundraising? Deepen your knowledge with this comprehensive introduction to fundraising knowledge domains including relationship building, securing the gift, volunteer involvement, and ethics and accountability. The workshop includes case studies and group projects, making the learning experience both substantive and enjoyable.

CFRE Refresher
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Do you need a refresher before taking the CFRE Exam? This two-day intensive workshop uses caselets – short case studies – to review the six fundraising knowledge domains and the core principles and concepts that all experienced fundraising professionals should know. Refresh your knowledge and expose knowledge gaps as you continue preparations for the CFRE exam.

Creating Engaging Donor Journeys that Lead to Legacies
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Speaker: Ligia Peña
Come reinvent your donor journeys, from the first gift, that result in deeper and stronger engagement levels through the years and that transform into impactful legacy conversations and pledges. Then we’ll delight donors by creating inspirational legacy marketing that applies recent research to delight donors.

Deep Dives: One-Day Saturday, April 15, 2023

Donor Retention: A Self-Assessment Workshop
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Speakers: Erik Daubert and Lori Overmyer
Did you know that many nonprofits lose nearly as many donors and gifts as they gain each year? How can you stop the churn? This workshop focuses on donor retention with an emphasis on using data to build effective fundraising programs that attract and retain donors and maximize growth in giving. Learn how to use the groundbreaking Fundamentals Fitness Test to significantly improve your organization’s fundraising efforts.

Inspire, Ask and Repeat Transformational Giving! YES! I Want More Major Gifts!
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Speaker: Marcy Heim
No matter how you define “major gifts”, now, is the time to inspire more major giving for operations, special campaigns, and endowment. In this daylong experience, you will be ignited to take charge and finally start or grow your major giving. You will create vibrant options for giving, tools to inspire your board and colleagues to help, and write and share Marcy’s 3 – Sentence Ask to simply and artfully ask for anything you need – the appointment, the partnership, the sponsorship, the major gift!

Capital Campaign Fundraising: Ready, Set, Go!
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Speaker: Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE
If there is a capital campaign in your future, this workshop is for you! A capital campaign is likely the largest amount your organization has ever tried to raise… often even 10 times more than you currently raise. Don’t leave the success of your campaign up to chance. Join Amy Eisenstein to learn how to prepare for a feasibility study and create a campaign plan to ensure your campaign is a success. You will leave the workshop prepared to develop the key components of your campaign plan as well as a step- by-step guide for your campaign. To find out if this workshop is right for you, feel free to email her at amy@capitalcampaigntoolkit.com.

The Decision Science Laboratory - Applying Science to Solicitation
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Speaker: Bernard Ross
This interactive class will offer you science-based insights to transform relationships with supporters- leading to higher gifts. You’ll learn how to use techniques from decision science, combining behavioral economics, evolutionary psychology and neuroscience. These insights are making a massive impact on fundraising worldwide.

A Development Professionals Guide to Human Resources
8:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Speakers: Amy Wolfe, MPPA, CFRE and Natalie Gupton, MPA, CFRE
Regardless of the size of your organization, development professionals inevitably find themselves with the need for a well-rounded and robust human resources education. In this workshop, we will guide participants through essential, foundational learning, including hiring, ongoing employment, and end of employment. This activities-filled day will provide ample opportunity to discuss existing personnel challenges, provide written templates and samples, and numerous best-practices strategies to support attendees in navigating their people-management responsibilities.