EFA-logoEFA-logoEFA-logoEFA-logo
  • About us
    • Our board
    • What we do
    • How we work
    • Ethics
    • Our history
    • Privacy Policy
  • Membership
    • Member benefits
    • EFA members
    • EFA associates
    • Join EFA
  • EFA Certification
    • Certification news
    • Why EFA Certification?
    • Standard Competence Framework handbook
    • Advanced Competence Framework handbook
    • EFA qualifications
    • Applying for EFA Certification
    • Certification committee
  • Public Affairs
    • Public Affairs news
  • News
    • Fundraising Europe
    • Latest news
    • Latest features
    • EFA news
    • European Fundraising Podcast
    • Contributor guidelines
    • Advertise with EFA
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • 2022 Nonprofit Pulse survey webinar
    • 2022 EFA Skillshare and AGA
  • Resources
  • About us
    • Our board
    • What we do
    • How we work
    • Ethics
    • Our history
    • Privacy Policy
  • Membership
    • Member benefits
    • EFA members
    • EFA associates
    • Join EFA
  • EFA Certification
    • Certification news
    • Why EFA Certification?
    • Standard Competence Framework handbook
    • Advanced Competence Framework handbook
    • EFA qualifications
    • Applying for EFA Certification
    • Certification committee
  • Public Affairs
    • Public Affairs news
  • News
    • Fundraising Europe
    • Latest news
    • Latest features
    • EFA news
    • European Fundraising Podcast
    • Contributor guidelines
    • Advertise with EFA
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • 2022 Nonprofit Pulse survey webinar
    • 2022 EFA Skillshare and AGA
  • Resources
✕
Interview with Siri Nodland: We have to build closer links with government to strengthen Norwegian fundraising
June 9, 2021
Light bulb in hands
Special Focus: What do philanthropists need to help them give big?
July 7, 2021

Interview with Yaële Aferiat: Growing a small fundraisers’ club to a professional body – 30 years of the AFF

July 7, 2021
Categories
  • Features
  • Your Voice
Tags
  • Association news
Yaële Aferiat, Association Française des Fundraisers

Yaële Aferiat, Association Française des Fundraisers

As the Association Française des Fundraisers celebrates its 30th anniversary, Fundraising Europe interviews its director Yaële Aferiat on how it’s evolved over this time, the successes and the challenges, and where she sees it going next.

 

Congratulations on 30 years of the Association Française des Fundraisers(AFF)! Can you tell us why the organisation was set up and what was its original mission?

[Yaële Aferiat] The early 1990s was a fascinating time for the sector. Fundraising was at its industrialisation phase, with direct marketing tools really taking off. It was the starting point of the emergence of a profession here in France. I’m not saying that fundraising wasn’t around before then: fundraising is one of the oldest professions around – people have always asked for money for good causes, but it wasn’t seen as a profession. There were very few professional fundraisers and little guidance or uniformity when it came to standards and an emerging scandal highlighted the need to establish a robust ethical framework. There was a need for fundraisers to be able to exchange good practice, learning from one another and getting to know each other in other as part of a professional community. So, after one of our founding members visited the US and was inspired by the fundraising communities there, the organisation was born. Originally it was established as a club – “Le club des fundraisers”.

 

Over time, how has that mission evolved?

The overarching mission remains much the same – to help the sector grow, develop and professionalise. However, there are two aspects that have evolved considerably from our early days – we have become a recognised provider of fundraising training and qualifications, and we have extended our reach and services across France.

The early years of AFF mainly consisted of conferences and themed breakfast discussions, all in Paris. But the need for structured skills was so important – as of course was having a bigger national reach.

The launch of EFA Certification played a decisive role in all this. That project defined the competence framework for a fundraising qualification and it was the starting point of our jump into professional training. We launched the CFF (French fundraising certificate) and then compiled a directory of all the relevant fundraising speciality areas and related skills. This allowed us to structure a complete catalogue of training programmes for the sector.

And 12 years ago – thanks to the support of our members – we were able to develop a network of regional groups, which are now hugely dynamic and enable us to support the sector in all areas of the country.

 

What are your key successes from that period and what are you most proud of?

AFF is now recognised as the leader in fundraising training nationally and has a very active professional network of 1,200 members, who are hugely supportive and welcoming to one another.

We also managed to engage our community in the big Giving Tuesday movement to make fundraisers active players in the development of global generosity. This was a tough move and we are proud of it because it gave our community a new form of collective impact. As a strong community, we have great capacity to leverage generosity across the nation.

But we are also proud to have (so far) survived this crisis [the COVID-19 pandemic]! it impacted us like so many organisations that operate exclusively on an in-person basis. It will bring new development opportunities, it has already, especially when it comes to digital. And yet, although the digital world is very powerful, it can’t replace the direct contact and relationships that can be built over the years by meeting people physically and sharing experiences together.

 

How has the fundraising sector changed during that time?

It’s been a very complex evolution to manage for a number of reasons, including a broadening of the sector and the fundraising channels used.

New sectors are coming into fundraising all the time, such as higher education, local public institutions and, more recently, public hospitals. We always do our best to support them, but there are often very different cultures, organisational structures and budgets. So this has meant creating more specific sectorial communities and events, so that they can explore common challenges and opportunities together.

We’ve also seen more diversity and complexity in terms of the fundraising channels, techniques and expertise. This can have a big impact on the skills needed. We have to constantly evolve not only to keep up, but to try and be a step ahead of the changes.

 

What has been the biggest challenge for AFF and how did you handle this?

The biggest challenge has been and still is to balance the two pillars of our activity: we are a membership community as well as a service provider.

During the pandemic, having had to cancel some of our events, which are a key income driver for us, we decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign last Summer aiming to raise funds to sustain AFF. The success of that campaign really reinforced the attachment of our community to the organisation, but our next step is to grow our membership income we that we can secure our future.

We also intend to create a philanthropic fund for research and innovation, but this cannot be funded by our current economic model, so growing and diversifying our own income streams is really important.

 

What is your vision for AFF and the fundraising sector 30 years from now?

That’s a great question: we are working on it now! We are currently carrying out a prospective study called fundraising 33 to help us build this vision. Earlier this year, we launched a young fundraisers programme to nurture new talent in the sector and promote intergenerational support, and we are always looking at new ways to help the fundraising community develop.

The world is changing very quickly, but we are rooted in our fundamental role of supporting the professional and human community of fundraisers. How we achieve that will change and develop. Ultimately, it’s about allowing space for innovation and focusing on supporting the sector at both an individual and collective level so that nonprofits can achieve even great impact for the common good.

 

About Yaële Aferiat

Yaële is director of the French Fundraisers Association (AFF) and Global Leader of Giving Tuesday in France. She is dedicated towards developing the fundraising profession and inspiring a culture of philanthropy in France.

Share

Related posts

February 22, 2023

Felix Freese: In emergencies act fast, talk faster


Read more
Fundraising@LT PRO session with K. Bartovicova and K.Kovacsne Beres

Fundraising@LT PRO session with K. Bartovicova and K.Kovacsne Beres

February 22, 2023

Giedrė Šopaitė-Šilinskienė: Developing fundraising competencies – a case study from Lithuania


Read more
January 18, 2023

Special focus: What can nonprofits expect from 2023?


Read more

Most popular posts

Search news by country or category

Search news by date

Popular topics

  • Research
  • Individual giving
  • Coronavirus
  • Digital
  • Professional development
  • Legacies
  • Philanthropic trends
  • Events
  • Collaboration
  • Tax incentives

Registered Office

James Wattstraat 100
NL-1097 DM Amsterdam
Netherlands

EFA is registered at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce
Reg. No. 34212817

Contact

Executive Officer, Denise Dawes
denise.dawes@efa-net.eu

Media enquiries:
news@efa-net.eu

Follow us

Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn

Search

✕
© 2021 EFA | European Fundraising Association. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Read More
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT