# It’s different over here

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/04/06/its-different-over-here/
- Published: 2006-04-06T13:17:22+01:00
- Author: Kevin Kibble

**There’s no way Lindsay Boswell could top his US counterparts opening of a convention.**

At the [43^(rd) AFP Conference](http://www.afpnet.org/international_conference) 
in Atlanta, after a cheesy intro from a convention sponsor, Paulette rose majestically
from the back of the stage amid fanfare, flashing lights and much dry ice, waving
regally to an excited, whooping audience.

Actually, to a few of us Brits lurking at the back of the vast plenary room, it 
looked as if she was rising out of a giant birthday cake – impressive staging though.

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This is my first experience of the AFP Convention of Champions and what strikes 
me is that coalface fundraisers over here face many of the same problems as their
UK colleagues. Talking to delegates in seminar sessions and those who come to our
exhibition booth, you soon realise that most work for smaller, community based organisations,
live sometimes isolated existences in the management structure, and have boards 
who just cannot or will not face up to the need for investment in fundraising.

There are some great sounding sessions in the programme though, for example, on 
Sunday afternoon I’m torn between **Ready, Set, Raise: Small Groups in Fundraising**(
plenty of capital letters here) – Entry level (0 – 2 years), midlevel (3-6 years)
and **Help! My Fundraising Programme is Dead!** (lots of exclamation marks too) –
Midlevel (3-6 years).

I might be a wee bit cynical but should a fundraiser with six years’ experience 
be running a dead programme? Either way the answer is always the same, send more
direct mail.

 * **[All conferenced out](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/06/06/all-conferenced-out/)(
   6 June 2006)**
 * **[Fundraising conference season’s end?](https://fundraising.co.uk/2006/12/07/season039s-end/)(
   7 December 2006)**