Erica Joy WestHead of Individual Giving, Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative
Coach and Independent Consultant
I’ve always considered myself a lifelong learner. My endless curiosity, and the desire to continuously improve, only intensified after college.
From my early career to now, I pour myself into books, share and seek advice from colleagues, and attend countless educational symposiums, conferences, and workshops. Over the years, that investment has paid dividends. It has advanced my career and made me a stronger professional asset to the organizations I’ve served.
As a Board member of AFP-NYC and Conference Chair of Fundraising Day New York I’m proud to be a part of a community that provides the very resources that I’ve found so valuable throughout my career.
While the correlation between professional development and career productivity and growth may seem obvious, a recent Gallup poll reported that less than half of U.S. employees participated in any education or training for their current job.
As nonprofit professionals, the missions we’re advancing everyday are too important to approach with outdated thinking and strategies.
Fundraising is, at its core, deeply human work. It is built on trust, relationships, and a genuine understanding of what moves people to give. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is everything around it.
The world is evolving at a relentless pace. The political and social climate can shift overnight, influencing public trust, funding priorities, and even the language we use to talk about our work. Economic uncertainty continues to shape donor behavior and requires greater clarity and intention in how we engage.
At the same time, technology is changing how we work. AI is already transforming the way we research prospects, communicate with donors, and tell our stories. Even the way we consume information has fundamentally changed. Content saturation, misinformation and shorter attention spans are making it more difficult to break through all the noise.
All of this is reshaping donor expectations. I’ve been seeing a growing demand for more transparency, responsiveness, and a higher level of personalization from donors that wasn’t required a few years ago.
The profession is asking more of us. And I think we’re all feeling the pace of change and the pressure to keep up. This is why finding the right resources and community of people to learn alongside is so important right now. Growth does happen by trying to do it all on our own. My own growth has come through personal connections with others in the field, through honest conversations in safe spaces that challenge my thinking and push me to test my ideas.
This is exactly what AFP-NYC’s professional development programing, and Fundraising Day New York (FRDNY) are all about.
FRDNY brings together fundraisers at every level who are navigating these challenges together. Conference sessions offer practical insight and relevant strategies from some of the top thought leaders in the industry.
If there is anything I learned throughout my career, it’s that investing in your own growth is essential to doing this work well and advancing the missions we care about.
If you’re looking to be a part of a community that is actively shaping the future of fundraising, I encourage you to join us at Fundraising Day New York.
For more information and to register go to FRDNY.org. Early bird rates are available through April 1st.
Erica Joy West, Head of Individual Giving for Bergen Volunteer Medical Initiative (BVMI), provides free healthcare for working uninsured adults. As a skilled fundraiser with 20+ years in nonprofit and institutional advancement, Erica has shared her knowledge of community needs to help hundreds of individuals and corporations make a meaningful difference through charitable giving. Now, as the Charitable Investment Counselor with BVMI, she is dedicated to helping people realize their philanthropic ambitions, for themselves, their families, and society to affect change for healthcare in New Jersey.
In 2020, Erica began using her talents as a Master NLP transformational coach to empower female professionals to develop fierce self-confidence and make powerful shifts in their communication to transform their relationships. She is passionate about the personal and professional advancement of women by helping them amplify their impact to change the world. www.ericajoywest.com
Erica serves on the Board of Directors for the AFP-NYC Chapter, serving also Chair of Fundraising Day New York 2025/2026, Chair of Sponsorships and Partnerships, and Co-Chair of Communications.
