New Orleans Calendar of Events

HELD IN NEW ORLEANS, AFP's 46TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE WILL FOCUS

ON FUNDRAISING IN CHALLENGING TIMES

Largest Gathering of Fundraising Professionals in the World

To Feature Michael Douglas, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Christopher
Gardner

The Association of Fundraising Professionals' 46th
International Conference on Fundraising, March 29 - April 2, 2008, in
New Orleans will feature more than 4,000 fundraisers from around the
world coming together to discuss ways to inspire donors and volunteers
in economically challenging times.



This year's International Conference on Fundraising, to be held at the
Morial Convention Center-New Orleans, will focus on every conceivable
aspect of fundraising-including direct mail, major gifts, online giving
and donor outreach to different generations-as charities face what will
be the toughest fundraising environment in many years. It will feature
several outstanding general session speakers, a distinguished speaker
series, more than 120 educational sessions and the largest marketplace
for fundraising and philanthropy in the world.



"With the global financial crisis affecting charities around the world,
this year's conference is more important than ever," said Paulette V.
Maehara, CFRE, CAE, president and CEO of the Association of Fundraising
Professionals. "As difficult as these times are, there are still
numerous success stories of charities raising significant funds, so the
conference is a critical forum for training, education and sharing of
experiences and strategies. We are excited to welcome fundraisers the
world over to our conference this spring in New Orleans to learn, share
and celebrate the vital work of ethical and effective fundraising."



During the conference, AFP will release the highly anticipated results
of its annual State of Fundraising survey, which will examine
fundraising in 2008. Another highlight of the conference is The Awards
for Philanthropy Banquet, which celebrates some of the most generous,
inspiring, and amazing organizations, volunteers and philanthropists
from across North America.



Exciting featured speakers include Academy Award-winning actor and
activist Michael Douglas, historian Doris Kearns-Goodwin, author of the
influential new Lincoln biography, Team of Rivals, and Christopher
Gardner, whose life was the basis for the movie, The Pursuit of
Happyness. In addition, AFP's Distinguished Speaker Series will feature
top-notch and innovative presenters covering a variety of charitable
issues, including online networking strategies, rebuilding after
disasters and leadership strategies in challenging economic times.



"In tough economic times, nonprofits face big challenges. Not only do
people tend to give less because they're uncertain about their finances,
but the need for charitable programs increases tremendously," said Robbe
A. Healey, MBA, NHA, ACFRE, chair of AFP. "This puts added pressure on
fundraisers to perform their jobs at the highest level and secure
support for important programs of all kinds. This conference is
dedicated to helping fundraisers through these times and uncovering new
ways to connect donors with effective and rewarding charitable causes."



The conference is open to the public and media credentials and press
info can be found at the "Press" section of the AFP homepage,
www.afpnet.org
<http://www.afpnet.org/ka/ka-3.cfm?content_item_id=24752&folder_id=887 >
. For more information please contact John Skendall, public affairs
specialist, at jskendall@afpnet.org or by phone at 703-519-8445. Visit
http://conference.afpnet.org for the full listing of sessions and
events.