Dear AFP DC Members,
I wanted to reach out to you personally with an update on the AFPDC response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the DMV. We have been watching closely steps other businesses and nonprofits in the area are doing for their employees, volunteers, guests, and visitors. The World Health Organization (WHO) has just officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. We know Maryland has declared a state of emergency although DC and VA have not yet. That said, in the interest of mitigating any further potential exposure risks in our region, and to help ensure your ongoing health, we have decided to reschedule or go virtual with our upcoming Chapter events in March and April in the minimum. The speed with which COVID-19 incidences are being reported confirms for me that minimizing large group contact within our chapter for the time being is in the best interest for each of you.
What does this mean?
- Affinity group meetings or events will be postponed or will continue via video conferencing. Affinity group leaders will communicate to their group members these contingency plans.
- All AFPDC committee meetings will now be held virtually and committee leads will connect with their group accordingly.
- We will do our best to convert our planned in-person education sessions or Brown Bag Lunches to a video/webinar format that will be free to all AFP members. If you’ve registered and paid for any upcoming education sessions in the next couple of months, we will refund you.
- We are organizing a webinar in the next week that will discuss implications COVID-19 is having on the nonprofit sector in the DMV, tips for your organization in this time of uncertainty, and resources AFP has that can help you weather these uncertain times. A separate email will go out to all of you with specifics around content and date/time.
I recognize that this is a
very different position
than what AFP Global is taking currently about the upcoming International Conference. Please know that I completely trust AFP Global’ s leadership because they are monitoring the situation each and every day in the best interest of the safety of all attendees of ICON. The decision the Board and I have made about steps AFPDC is taking locally to respond to these very unusual circumstances is no reflection on their current stance.
Finally, as if fundraising didn’t already feel like a non-stop rollercoaster ride with the wild economic and political landscape we are in, a public health emergency adds even greater complications to an already tough job you all have. AFPDC is here for you. We are your guide for tips to fundraising during crises. We are your resource for outside legal, communications, fundraising counsel you may need to retain as added support.
We are your tribe who has your back.
If you have any questions about how AFPDC can best support you, please do not hesitate to reach out to
me
.
With gratitude,
