(March 10, 2009) In response to member concerns and questions about how charities and fundraisers should be responding to the current fundraising environment, AFP has developed some suggested best practices, tips and guidelines to maximize fundraising efforts and position organizations for future success.

AFP Guidance: Fundraising in a Difficult Economy is available free of charge and contains numerous pieces of advice on how to proceed with fundraising. While every organization is different and will face unique challenges, our guidance is meant to be both practical and thought-provoking for any charity, regardless of mission, size or geography.

The document is not meant to be exhaustive either, but rather a core list of the most effective guidelines. AFP actively encourages members and non-members alike to respond and provide their own thoughts, tips and practices that have been successful for their own organizations. Feedback and ideas can be sent to paffairs@afpnet.org.

In addition, AFP has developed an Online Fundraising Survival Kit that contains links to articles and advice from a variety of authors and fundraisers. Find the toolkit at this link.

All of us at AFP hope you find this guidance to be instructive, encouraging and most of all, useful on the job.