Fundraising Convention 2023 News

We have a special mid-month news?about the Chartered Institute’s Fundraising Convention. We can announce that Birgit Smith Burton is our opening plenary speaker for day two of Fundraising Convention 2023.??

Birgit Smith Burton is the Executive Director of the African American Development Officers Network, which she founded at Georgia Tech in 1999 to provide professional development, education, employment support, mentorship, and networking opportunities for fundraisers of colour. She is a well-regarded speaker on the topics of fundraising and diversity. She has authored articles on diversity in the fundraising profession. She tells her personal story in the book Collecting Courage, which shares the lived experiences of Black women and men working in the non-profit and charitable space (published 2020). During her 26-year career at Georgia Tech, she led her team in raising over $500M from private philanthropic foundations to support programs, scholarships, and capital projects. ??

Birgit serves on the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) board. She is the first African American woman in AFP’s 62-year history to be voted chair of the AFP Global Board. In 2020 the R.I.S.E. Fund was established in Birgit’s honour to advance women of colour in fundraising by providing Resources, Inspiration, Support, and Education.??

We are delighted to have Birgit as our day two plenary speaker and cannot wait to hear some of her expansive fundraising insights. If you want to attend the Fundraising Convention and hear from our special guest speaker, purchase a ticket on our website. We have already sold 65% of in-person tickets, so book now to avoid disappointment. The full sessions, speakers and fringe events programme can be found here.?