South Dakota AFP Scholarship Program

Chamberlain Scholarship – Covering conference registration cost

Attention AFP members: Are you interested in learning more about professional fundraising? Do you want to network with others in our profession? Consider attending the 2024 AFP Global ICON Conference, which will be held April 7-9, 2024 in Toronto. If you meet the following criteria, please considering applying for the AFP Chamberlain Scholarship, offered by the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy. Note than in addition to the Chamberlain Scholarship, which covers registration to the conference, AFP SD will provide a $1,000 stipend to be used to help offset travel expenses for the recipient.

• Candidate is employed as a fundraising professional or, if candidate is an executive director, a substantial amount of time must be devoted to fundraising.
• Candidate has never attended an AFP or NSFRE International Conference on Fundraising as a registered participant (unless as a member of the Conference Host Committee) and is enthusiastic to attend the full conference as scheduled.
• Candidate must agree to complete an online evaluation form about his or her experience at AFP ICON.
• Only one individual from any local organization or institution may be selected.
• Candidate must be willing to share their AFP ICON experience with their chapter after the conference has concluded. This can be accomplished through a report to chapter leadership, a contribution to the chapter newsletter, or an alternate contribution identified by chapter leadership.

The Chamberlain Scholarship program honors Ralph E. Chamberlain, CFRE. Mr. Chamberlain had a long and distinguished career of service to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), beginning in the 1960s when the organization was formed as the National Society of Fund Raisers (NSFR), through the late 1970s when the name was changed to the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE), and until his death in 1999. Mr. Chamberlain’s dedication to the organization we now know as AFP never faltered in his long volunteer career with the Association. Because of his long-time support of the Foundation’s annual fund and generous planned gift, the AFP Board of Directors renamed their Conference Scholar Program in 2000 to honor Mr. Chamberlain’s memory and commitment to the Association.

The AFP Foundation offers every AFP chapter in AFP Accord for one Chamberlain Scholarship, which covers the recipient’s conference registration to AFP ICON 2024 in Toronto. Here’s what Tamie Hopp, our 2022 Chamberlain Scholar has to say about her experience:  “I’m incredibly grateful to AFP-South Dakota and its supporters, who, through the Chamberlain Scholarship, made it possible for me to attend ICON this year. Thanks to this experience, the real benefactors of this generosity will be the people with disabilities we support with our work. The sessions with experts were informative and networking with others who, like me, get to invite investments in worthy causes, was truly inspiring. Thank you!”

To apply, please download the Chamberlain Scholarship Application Form, fill it out and email it to thopp@bhws.com.  Deadline for the scholarship application has been extended to Friday, Feb. 9, 2024.