Dear Apra Community,

This year marked the 50^th anniversary of National Volunteer Week (April 21-27), established to recognize and thank volunteers who lend their time, talent and service to meet the critical needs of our local, national and global communities.

While the week was one moment in time, our appreciation for the volunteers that make Apra’s work possible carries on throughout the year. On behalf of the Apra Board of Directors and the Apra Foundation Board of Trustees, I would like to express heartfelt gratitude to all our Apra members, Chapters, Committees, year-round sponsors, volunteers, mentors and friends who help advance Apra’s mission and steadfast efforts to elevate the prospect development profession and fundraising industry.

I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge and extend special thanks to our Chapters Committee, Content Development Committee, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Justice and Access (DEIBJA) Committee, Educational Professional Development Committee, Ethics & Compliance Committee, Industry Advisory Task Force and Membership Committee for their thought leadership, volunteer service and creative efforts to guide and shape recommendations and innovative offerings that meet the needs of our growing Apra community.

Apra membership remains resilient and vibrant, with ample volunteer opportunities to share your expertise, deepen your involvement and expand your professional networks. Our volunteer survey will open soon and we encourage you to consider lending your talents to Apra. (Stay tuned to for more info from Apra HQ and on this page.) Time in a volunteer role is not only a great way to help advance the association, but also grow your own skill sets and build new relationships. 

Apra’s most recent Chapters Share the Knowledge event took place on Tuesday, May 7, providing an overview of Apra resources dedicated to Chapters. For more upcoming Chapter events, keep an eye on our calendar here.

ICYMI, Beyond Prospecting: The Apra Podcast recently published an episode with thoughtful reflections on the November 2023 Plug-In to Metrics event. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode at the end of May, featuring Karen Isble, this year’s Apra Visionary Award recipient. This distinction is the highest award bestowed by Apra and recognizes an individual’s exceptional contributions to the field of prospect development, including volunteer service, mentorship, innovation and inclusion. In Apra’s 38-year history, the organization has only selected six recipients, inclusive of Karen Isble. Apra will honor and celebrate Karen at the Apra Prospect Development Conference, Aug. 20-23 in Seattle.

We’ve had a successful first quarter, with this year’s iteration of Apra Fundamentals including 130 attendees who participated in professional development and virtual learning sessions in mid-March. This flagship program focuses on the four key areas of prospect development: campaigns, prospect research, prospect management and data science. For members newer to our organization, Apra Fundamentals demystifies fundraising terms, tools and technologies, and provides the latest techniques and resources for finding and analyzing biographical, financial and philanthropic information.

In addition to introducing participants to corporate and foundations research, Apra Fundamentals addresses several complex, critical, and evolving concepts such as due diligence, ethics and other best (and next) practices for managing prospect research data, deliverables and solutions. Read more here about how Apra Fundamentals can help you build and manage your prospect development career.

In March, we also proudly celebrated 10 years of Prospect Development Pride. Through the power of your generosity, the Apra Foundation met its $2,500 match goal to directly provide professional development support to the Apra community. Thank you to our community for joining this year’s celebration and your continued efforts to help those in need of professional development assistance.

Looking ahead, we are delighted to offer Plug-In to Technology, May 21-22. We’ll convene select industry leaders and experts who will share how to harness the power of technology in the nonprofit sector. Topics will include AI and its impact on fundraising and prospect identification, as well as CRM conversion, change management and metrics use cases, among others. To learn more about AI for prospect development, check out the program agenda and register today to save your spot.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 18, and join us at the Annual Business Meeting. This is a great opportunity to hear firsthand topics such as Apra membership and financial updates, Prospect Development 2024 updates, 2024 Apra Award winners, 2024-2025 Apra Board of Directors announcements and a year-in-review of programming and highlights.

Last but not least, Prospect Development 2024 (PD2024) registration is open! To learn more about the conference, please refer to the PD2024 website, which includes information on Apra Fundamentals Data Science Now/Data Science Now Challenge, the Executive Leadership Cohort and sponsorship opportunities. Many thanks to our Conference Planning Committee and Apra staff for making this year’s conference program possible.

Thank you for all that you do for Apra to help advance the prospect development profession and fundraising industry. We could not do this work with your contributions, thought leadership and volunteer service.

I look forward to connecting and celebrating with you at PD2024 in August.

With appreciation,

Dr. Rodger Devine
Apra President 2023-2024
Apra Foundation Board of Trustees Chair

Dr. Rodger Devine
President, Apra; Assistant Vice President of Advancement Operations, Pomona College