AFP Rockford Area Chapter

11/19/2025

Celebrating 40 Years of National Philanthropy Day!

Yesterday, we had the honor of recognizing incredible individuals and organizations whose generosity continues to strengthen and uplift our community. Please join us in celebrating this year’s distinguished honorees:

Outstanding Philanthropist: Nancy Kaney
Outstanding Fundraising Volunteer: Jeff Marrs
Outstanding Corporation/ Foundation: ThermoFisher Scientific
Outstanding Community Service Volunteer: Mike Robinson
Future Philanthropist: Rock Valley College Phi Theta Kappa
Presidential Youth Service Award: Harlem STP Transition Program

We are so grateful for their compassion, leadership, and commitment to making a lasting impact.

Thank you for inspiring us all!

Special thanks to Brian Thomas Photography for the wonderful photos!

10/21/2025

We are excited to see you on November 18th!

You can register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/hcpeqgc

National Philanthropy Day (NPD) is a special day to set aside in November to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy - and those active in the philanthropic community - to the enrichment of our world.

Join us on November 18th to celebrate the endless daily contributions of individuals and organizations around the globe that make to countless causes and missions!

09/18/2025

National Philanthropy Day (NPD) is a special day to set aside in November to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy - and those active in the philanthropic community - to the enrichment of our world.

Join us on November 18th to celebrate the endless daily contributions of individuals and organizations around the globe that make to countless causes and missions!

08/08/2025

Celebrating a Lifetime of Service: Pam Clark Reidenbach

At this year’s Comedy of Change event, we had the honor of recognizing Pam Clark Reidenbach with the Lifetime of Service Award, a well-deserved tribute to her decades of leadership, advocacy, and commitment to the nonprofit sector.

Pam’s work has shaped countless organizations, supported community development, and empowered nonprofit professionals across our region. She leads with wisdom, integrity, and heart and has spent her career lifting others up.

Whether through mentoring emerging leaders, strengthening nonprofit infrastructure, or simply showing up when it matters most, Pam’s impact is both deep and far-reaching.

Please join us in congratulating Pam on this milestone and thanking her for a lifetime of meaningful service to our community!

08/08/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Comedy of Change on August 7 at the Nordlof Center! It was a full day of learning, laughter, and connection.

We kicked off with a hilarious stand-up set from Kevin Haas, followed by engaging roundtable discussions over lunch.

Attendees participated in two breakout sessions - AI and Fundraising with Megan Bennett, and a lively panel on Planned Giving with Jim DiVerde and Beth Thacker.

Vu Le wrapped up the afternoon with a keynote that blended humor, honesty, and powerful insights on equity and leadership in the nonprofit world.

We ended the day by celebrating our Lifetime of Service Award recipient, Pam Clark Reidenbach - a well-deserved honor for her incredible impact.

Thanks to all who attended, presented, and made the day a success!

08/04/2025

🦄LAST CALL! Registration for the in-person conference ends today at 5 pm.

Registration for the Zoom-only keynote address will be open through Wednesday!

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/j5qtwrh

08/03/2025

🔦Conference Panelist Spotlight! Beth Thacker and Jim DiVerde🤩

Beth Thacker of Northwest Mutual has been in the financial services arena for more than 22 years, and is the head of Thacker Financial, and all-woman team of wealth management professionals.

Jim DiVerde is a solo practitioner in Rockford and concentrates on commercial and estate transactions and litigation.

Both Beth and Jim are brilliant, funny, and give their time to many area nonprofits. They have all of the acronyms behind their names and will help our attendees figure out how to engage the law and money people in moving missions forward. When it comes to planned giving, you need to call in your peeps. 💪

https://www.afprockford.org/afp-events/the-comedy-of-change-session-information/?fbclid=IwY2xjawL8Yz1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE2R3N3M0FIOG9VU05xdG9SAR7NpDLlZabZ_vx8TuW3sPnt_ikvQXSUP63Tae5Dagg8NYT3Sab-clagwyDcGA_aem_qy91jCTWR3Vkc5VxHFlxwQ

08/01/2025

Running into the weekend to snag tickets to see Vu Le like... 👀

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/j5qtwrh

07/31/2025

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!

🗝Our keynote speaker for The Comedy of Change is not to be missed. 🎵

Vu Le is a nonprofit legend, and will share wit, wisdom and insight with us as we navigate a hilariously changing landscape! 🎭

💻Did you know you can tune in to his Zoom keynote for only $20, and still receive a CFRE credit? 🤩

Register TODAY! https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/j5qtwrh

07/29/2025

🏆Conference Award Spotlight!🌟

We are thrilled to announce we will honor the founder and CEO of Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence (NICNE), Pam Reidenbach , with a Lifetime of Service Award. 🥳😍

No one is more deserving, and we are so excited to celebrate her!

https://www.afprockford.org/afp-events/the-comedy-of-change-session-information/

07/25/2025

🤩Panel Moderator Spotlight!😎

Our session from Allied Professionals (aka The Law and Money People Are Your Friends) who will chat with us about planned giving and all things estates, will be moderated by our very own Keri Asevedo!

Keri is the Executive Director of Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity, a consultant for NICNE and a past President of AFP Rockford Chapter.

👑Most importantly, she's hilarious! We are thrilled Keri will be sharing her knowledge and humor as she joins us as our panel moderator. 💪

07/23/2025

🔦Conference Speaker Spotlight! Meet Megan Bennett from The Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University!🤩

Megan Bennett began her career in marketing answering phones at an Indianapolis advertising agency in the mid-1990s. In the 20 years prior to starting her own business she’s done it all—
writer, producer, account manager, marketing director—for award-winning local firms and leading civic, nonprofit organizations, including Indy Humane and Hoosier Environmental
Council.

Megan’s interest in learning, growing, and experimenting to provide the best results for her employers and clients led her to realize a gap in the market. To fill it, she founded Socially
Acceptable in 2013, a digital marketing and social media agency that focuses on helping small businesses and nonprofit organizations tell their stories.

Don't miss Megan's presentation on harnessing the power of AI to take your nonprofit work to the next level!

https://www.afprockford.org/afp-events/the-comedy-of-change-session-information/