LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Lead A Group
The Groups within AFN are a core part of how we weave change within the region. Funders of all interests and geographic footprints come together to build relationships and mutual understanding about promising strategies and identify opportunities. Within this environment that blends learning and action, you’ll find representatives from family foundations, regional banks and loan funds, community foundations, federal agencies, regional private foundations, and CDFIs. Group leadership is facilitative and collaborative so that all members actively participate in a supportive environment to pursue their shared interests.
Host On-site Learning Opportunities
If you have grantees and partnerships that you believe offer fruitful opportunities for members to deeply explore in-person, please reach out to AFN staff . We’ll work with you to hone your idea as a proposal for endorsement by a Group. If you seek funding from AFN we will ensure that your idea, in collaboration with one or more Groups, presents a strong case for AFN investment.
We look for integrated investment strategies, effective capacity-building approaches, or aligned community development activities that are demonstration projects tackling systemic barriers. Your learning opportunity can be a pilot that you are evaluating or a proven effort that you are scaling.
Sponsor an Event
The Network’s Gathering is an invigorating deep dive into current topics that affect our work as funders. It is also a chance to reinvigorate existing relationships with your peers and welcome newer members. This multi-day event features a combination of workshops to build your skills, panels featuring current work of our region’s funders, and targeted presentations such as by federal staff. A Program Planning Team creates a dynamic menu of blended learning. During the Gathering, we also offer site visits in the communities near the meeting venue.
Past site visits have included: a mountain bike trail project for economic development, a photography-focused arts organization supporting those with mental disabilities, a sanctuary for medicinal plant conservation, and a water purification plant for acid mine runoff. All of these types of event activities benefit from support and can reflect back to your organization’s particular areas of emphasis. Sponsorship also offers an opportunity for those funders or government entities who cannot provide membership dues but wish to participate in the Network. AFN may also seek to organize other field trips or one-day convenings throughout the year that would require financial or in-kind sponsorship. Please contact us for more information as to your interests.
Become an AFN Ambassador
In order to galvanize additional momentum towards the Appalachian Transition, communication and outreach are essential ingredients. Consider writing a news report or video post. The News & Resources section of AFN’s website is a great place to post new ideas, thoughts, and opportunities by and for AFN members.
In addition, personal interactions with other funders and cross-sector partners also helps to bring the idea of a network to life. Whether you are planning to attend a funder-related meeting or visiting with prospective AFN members, your presence can help attract new members and spread the word of our members’ collective work. We also welcome your ideas for conferences or funders’ tours where AFN staff might present or participate, as well as introductions to media outlets for writing blogs or articles.
Join the Steering Committee
The AFN Steering Committee is the main governing body and is responsible for the growth, development, and well-being of the Network. It consists of a set group of influential local, state, regional, federal, public, and private grantmakers and investors who are working collectively to guide the overarching strategies and shape the impacts of the Network.
They attend monthly virtual meetings and serve on at least one Group or ad-hoc committee. Annually there is a call for applicants made to the membership. The Nominations Committee meets to consider and recommend candidates based on the blend of skills, experiences, and professional networks envisioned for the Steering Committee.