Dear colleagues, I am so excited to share with you the work that the planning committee has been engaged in now for 6 months with respect to the Mid America Conference on Fundraising (MAC) to be held in Wichita in 2019! The dates are May 5-7, 2019 and we will be at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Wichita.

We have so much in store for you – 4 outstanding Keynote speakers including Gail Perry, author of Fired Up Fundraising, and Robert Swanson of Swanson House who will speak on Fundraising Success Anywhere! And then many breakout sessions ranging from the latest on planned giving to how to truly inspire you donor base. Monday evening of the conference will be a special treat for everyone as we gather at Exploration Place for a blowout social with fun and activities for all. Special thanks to Exploration Place for being our hosts.

I would encourage everyone to first mark this on your calendars. Second, make sure that your 2019 budget includes the conference cost of $300 for members (early bird if paid by March 15). Ongoing professional development education is so important to our work as fundraisers and this conference will be a special time to take advantage of hearing from some top notch experts in the field.

We will also be announcing soon some scholarship opportunities for our members. Look for these in the February addition of Elevate.

I look forward to seeing many of you at MAC and wish you a relaxing and blessed holiday season.

Mike Wescott
President Elect – Greater Wichita Chapter
Chair of the MAC 2019 Planning Committee

AFP Monthly Member Spotlight

Name: Jessica Treadwell
Number of years as an AFP Member: 4?
Family: Husband and four kids, two dogs, a fish and a frog.
Occupation: Director of Major and Planned Gifts at KMUW Public Radio
Accomplishments: Hmm…. The latest one is having the 2018 NPD celebration go off without a major malfunction.
Hobbies: Attending my kids' sporting events and I LOVE to read
Reasons you love being a member of AFP: The camaraderie with other fundraisers. Sometimes in nonprofit organizations the fundraiser is misunderstood. (They just go out to lunch and events and that is their job?) It is great to brainstorm and collaborate with others that are in similar positions and I truly believe it makes all of us better at our jobs. We learn so much from each other and the incredible resources AFP provides.
Share a funny story or situation you have experienced in your profession: Oh my! I have several but I am not sure I can share some of them out loud. One year I had an elderly couple, in their mid to late 70’s, send me a book for Christmas. I was all excited because I had told them I love to read. When I opened the book it was, uhm… like fifty shades of grey. I was not sure if this was what they really meant to send me and so I emailed them. It turns out the book was written by their daughter and they loved it so much they wanted to share it with me. So move forward a few months and I am having lunch with them and we are discussing their “favorite parts” of the book. Needless to say, it was a bit awkward at first, but we had great fun and they have been sending me books ever since! Ha!

Job Board
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Director of Development: St. Paul University Parish Catholic Student Center at Wichita State University

Marketing and Community Relations Director: Emberhope Inc.

Development Director: Emberhope, Inc.

Special Events and Communications Coordinator: The Arc

Fundraising Campaign Manager: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

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