Events

October Chapter Lunch Program - Ethics Program-"Nightmare on Development Street"

Join AFP Charlotte in its first ever Nightmare on Development Street at Birdsong Brewing, with a social hour for networking from 4:30pm 5:30pm and a frightening program from 5:30pm 6:30pm. Price includes a drink ticket and hors d'oeuvres.

As fundraising professionals, we know how deeply necessary ethical fundraising practices are to build confidence and trust. That said, we have all encountered circumstances that were questionable at best. Maybe it was an action/behavior taken by a donor, a corner cut by a boss, or a gift received under false pretenses. Join us as a panel of Charlotte nonprofit leaders share the best ways you can address these sticky and daunting predicaments. Please consider sharing your dilemma or question and we will have an opportunity to gain advice as you pose some of your toughest, and SPOOKY, nonprofit ethical dilemmas. 
Click here to submit. Don't be startled, all entries are anonymous, and we ask that you refrain from using names of people/organizations.

WAIT, there's more.... members that register a non-member guest, will both be entered to win a free AFP membership! If that doesn't give you chills! Just ask your guest to put your name in the box - "Who are you a guest of?" - on the registration form.

Meet our Panel:

Michelle Hamilton, CFRE, is a Managing Director at Carter, a team of 50+ executive-level consultants working in the areas of fundraising, governance, and organizational planning to advance philanthropy worldwide.
Before joining Carter, Michelle spent three decades as a nonprofit executive, developing and successfully executing strategies in annual fund, major gifts, capital campaigns, governance, and leadership development. Her career has included leadership roles at National Multiple Sclerosis Society - SE Texas, Houston Symphony, Dayton Philharmonic, Arts Council of Fort Worth & Tarrant County, and Crisis Assistance Ministry. Most recently, Michelle served as VP of Development for the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra from 2013 to 2021. During her tenure, the orchestra's endowment grew by $4 million, and individual giving increased by more than 25%.
Michelle is past president and a current member of the Board of Directors of the Charlotte Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). She was recognized as Charlotte's Outstanding Fundraising Professional in 2013. Michelle serves on the board of Tosco Music and is a founding member of Fair Play Music Equity Initiative, also in Charlotte.
Michelle's clients served include Angels & Sparrows Community Table and Resource Center, Arts Center at Fountain Park, Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, C-SPAN, Carolina Raptor Center, Catholic Community Radio, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, Charlotte Center for the Humanities and Civic Imagination, Charlotte Film Society, Charlotte Speech & Hearing Center, Hemophilia Federation of America, Hemophilia Foundation of Minnesota/Dakotas, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Roundup River Ranch, United Way of Greater Atlanta, US Chaplain Corps, Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, and WTVI PBS Charlotte.
A graduate of the University of Louisiana, Michelle and her husband Mark live in Charlotte, NC with their son Ian and their beagle Dixie.

Mike Blackwelder MBA, CFRE, Chief Executive Officer, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, is a nonprofit management and fundraising professional with over fifteen years of experience in the greater Charlotte area. He has an extensive background in a variety of organizational leadership and development strategies, as well as significant experience with management, strategic planning, advocacy, and nonprofit administration. His nonprofit career includes positions at United Way of Greater Charlotte, Boys & Girls Club of Cabarrus County, Safe Alliance, and PMA Consulting. Mike has served Smart Start of Mecklenburg County in various capacities since 2019, before accepting the position of CEO earlier this year.  At Smart Start, he leads a team of over 50 staff with a budget of nearly $40M with a focus on families and children ages prenatal-to-5, including early childhood education. Mike received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Campbell University, a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management and an MBA from UNC-Charlotte, and has been a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) since 2017. Mike is actively engaged with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Charlotte Chapter, where he served on the board of directors for 8 years, including Chapter President and co-chair of the NC Philanthropy Conference in 2019. Mike is being honored by AFP at this year's National Philanthropy Day as the Outstanding Fundraising Professional.  He is also currently part of Leadership Charlotte Class 45.