Members’ meeting, 2023 Skillshare & more – key updates from the EFA board

A members’ meeting, this year’s Skillshare, and EFA’s key focus areas for the coming months were all on the agenda at last month’s board meeting.

All seven EFA board members met in Stockholm in March, hosted by president Charlotte Rydh at the Giva Sverige office. The in-person meeting also included the appointment of Larissa Probst as board member in charge of strategic partnerships, and discussions on partnership plans; updates on EFA’s public affairs and certification work; and a strategy workshop.

L-R: Charlotte Rydh, EFA President; Simona Biancu, Chair, Public Affairs Working Group; Jan Gregor, EFA Vice-President; Scott Kelley, EFA Treasurer; Paul Laird, EFA Communications; Larissa Probst, EFA Strategic Partnerships; Siri Nodland, Chair, EFA Certification Committee

Focus areas discussed in the workshop included EFA’s roles as a strong voice for the fundraising community in Brussels and across Europe, in strengthening professional fundraising, and as a data hub for sharing knowledge. The board also discussed how EFA can achieve sustainable and increased funding which is necessary to become a stronger voice for the fundraising community.

Key updates from the board

Board meeting presentations saw EFA Public Affairs Working Group chair Simona Biancu give a report on the group’s activities, including plans to publish a number of position papers on key topics with the help of working group member Patrick Gibbels.

Jan Gregor, EFA vice president and board member in charge of membership, reported on the progress being made on plans for this year’s Skillshare, which will be held in Prague on 21-22 September. The date was also set for the Digital European Tour. This will take place from 10-13.00 CET on 15 November, with more details on both events to follow in due course.

Siri Nodland, EFA Certification Committee chair, updated board members on the committee’s work. This currently includes evaluating a number of Re-Certification applications; looking at ways to attract more member countries to apply for EFA Certification; finding new members to join the committee to replace those completing their terms; and looking ahead to the next EFA Certification Symposium.

Paul Laird, who was appointed to the EFA Board last November, with responsibility for communications, presented details on the continuing support from EFA’s communications partner Turner PR, as well as items from EFA’s communications plan. This includes setting up an editorial group comprised of communications officers from EFA member organisations to facilitate the sharing of news and spokespeople for articles.

Election committee

Finding new members to join the EFA board and Certification committee to replace those completing their terms was also discussed, and an Election committee has now been formed to assist the board with this process. This comprises of former EFA board members Ceri Edwards (UK), Eduard Marček (Slovakia), and Astrid von Soosten (Germany). Proposals for new board members are welcomed – these can now be sent to Denise Dawes and will be put to the new committee.

Members’ meeting

The members’ meeting will take place on 12 May. Speaking on the plans, Rydh commented:

“The upcoming members’ meeting is part of our strategy to focus on strengthening communications with EFA member representatives, so that they in turn can better communicate with and support their members. It will also provide us with valuable feedback, both on how we can better serve our members and attract new ones to the EFA community.”

Picture by Jan  Židlický on Pexels