Learning from My Experience, Reflections of A Mentor

By Randi Frank, CFRE

I still think of my own AFP mentor from 25 years ago. I was new to the Midwest and to AFP – then called the National Society of Fund Raising Executives – and I jumped at the chance to have an experienced fundraiser to learn from, share ideas with, and validate my gut instincts as I grew as a fundraising professional.

Since then, with 19 protégés over the last 20 years, I’ve been told I’m currently the longest serving mentor in AFP Chicago’s Peer Mentoring Program. Mentoring is one of the favorite things I do. The best way to remember your own best practices is to share them with a protégé, and in the process there is an exchange from which we both learn.

Over the years I’ve noticed common themes in my monthly conversations with protégés. As they are typically in the early years of their fundraising careers, protégés want to make the most of their current employment while contemplating their next career challenges. Together we strategize their path to their future goals. 

 A surprising number of my protégés have coincidentally changed jobs shortly after we started our mentoring relationship. When starting a new position there is often a feeling of urgency that everything must happen yesterday. I’ve been able to help them prioritize the most impactful tasks and create a timeline and plan. I like to think that my reassurance that they can’t do everything at once tames their stress. 

One of my former protégés claims that mentioning he had an AFP mentor during his interview provided the competitive edge that got him his first Director of Development position.

I’ve always felt the AFP Mentoring Program is an underused gem of AFP Membership. It’s a wonderful resource for fundraisers. The success of the relationship depends on the protégé and how committed they are to maintaining a regular meeting schedule with their mentor. It’s easier than ever to commit to that hour or two a month, as we can meet virtually, in person, or in some combination.

Fundraisers, if you have one to five years of experience, I encourage you to apply to the mentoring program. Many of my generation are retiring, or are close to retiring, after long and satisfying careers in development. We are eager to share our knowledge and feel a calling to mentor you, the next generation of leaders.

AFP Chicago’s Peer Mentoring Committee will accept applications for the Fall class of protégés and mentors through September 16. Please visit the Peer Mentoring page for more information about the program and application.

Randi Frank, CFRE, has been a fundraiser for 35 years. After retiring as a full-time Director of Development in 2020, she has remained in the field as a grants consultant and fundraising coach.

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