2019 Annual Report
Message from the President, Jerry Lawlor, CFRE
Taking on the role of President in 2018/19 has been a rewarding experience. As a past board member of Waterloo Wellington Fundraising Executives (WFRE) I was well versed in the importance of our organization and the impact it had throughout the fundraising community in Waterloo, Wellington and surrounding areas. Taking on the role of President has made me realize that that WFRE has an opportunity to increase that impact.
WFRE has an incredible network of professionals raising funds right here in our area. The experience and intellect that attends WFRE lunch events is impressive. Whether it be specialists in events, organizational leadership, major giving or social media, the WFRE network is vast.
Thanks to past WFRE boards, the financial picture of WFRE is healthy. With some funds in our account the board has decided that increased investment in future speakers will provide added value to you, our membership. This strategy is connected with our main objective, which is to grow the membership of WFRE. Currently we stand at 26 members and we believe in order to remain viable (increased networking, professional development in our area) that more members will help sustain WFRE.
We also want to increase the opportunity for you to acquire your CFRE. We know the experience is there but we’d like to provide more resources for you in your efforts to acquire your CFRE credentials. Our event in November was a panel discussing the value of the CFRE as well as the process in attaining the CFRE.
I’m excited about what the future of our profession holds. Your expertise and the hard work provided is needed now more than ever. With reduced funding flowing from all levels of governments, the need for public support to maintain or grow programs is vital.
Finally, I want to recognize the WFRE board of directors. Their passion and dedication to the fundraising profession and WFRE has been inspirational. Our early morning meetings are insightful, creative and provide some good laughs.
Thank you for your investment in WFRE. On behalf of the board, I look forward to continuing the education of WFRE members and networking as much as possible.
Membership Report, Marlow Gingerich
I am pleased to report that interest in the WFRE events and membership activity has been strong with 26 entities taking out a full membership over the past year. Furthermore, we see strong support from several guests and one-time attendees as they continue to be well represented in the crowd. This is encouraging to the WFRE executive as it indicates we are bringing speakers, topics and content that gains broad interest in the charitable sector. The corporate membership continues to gain traction as it provides flexibility in different individuals attending throughout our programming year.
The WFRE executive continues to promote membership in two ways. A corporate membership allows an organization to send various people to WFRE events and allows flexibility as to who attends each event. An individual membership is for one specific person from an organization for the year. We have also continued with a “free guest once per year, no charge” to encourage all current members to reach out to their peer group and introduce the WFRE organization to others. Please take advantage of this incentive to invite others to be introduced to our organization.
We hear and sense that we are providing excellent value as the $125 membership fee pays for all the events, speakers, and meals for the entire year. One flat fee at the beginning of the year covers all the costs to all the events. Our website continues to be an effective way to promote our membership to others. As well, personal advocacy from current members is always appreciated. We have worked hard to provide excellent value for our members in networking opportunities, professional development and access to leaders in our field.
For all the charities in the Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge and the surrounding region, we want to be a trusted organization that can bring professional information to fundraisers. Thanks for your help in promoting WFRE membership.
Communications Report, Leanne Brown and Tammy Northam
Tammy Northam and Leanne Brown share the role of Communications. Leanne initially took on the role in September 2018 and Tammy joined her in June 2019 to share the workload.
The communications role is responsible for keeping our website up to date, sharing job postings to our website as well as distributing them to our members, social media and the newsletter. Over the past year WFRE has had 10 local organizations reach out to us for additional support in fulfilling various fundraising roles within their organizations.
The newest addition to communications is our quarterly Newsletter. The Newsletter will provide summaries from prior lunch and learn speakers, board updates and other relevant fundraising news; anyone can sign up for the newsletter regardless of being a member. Our goal is to increase subscription to our newsletter by 50%, increase membership by 25% and aim to increase job postings by 50% in the upcoming year. Our overall goal is to promote awareness of WFRE and the benefits we can provide fundraisers within our Waterloo-Wellington community. We recognize we can’t do this alone so please support us in increasing the awareness of WFRE to your circle of fundraisers.
** We are currently seeking a volunteer to support our social media channels**
Financial Statements WFRE YE June 30 2019 Financial Statements