February 28 , 2011

To: AFP Friends and Supporters

From: Andrea McManus, CFRE, Chair, AFP

I am pleased to announce that on March 23, Andrew Watt will become president and chief executive officer of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).

Andrew has served as AFP’s chief programs officer since October 2007 and before that was vice president of international development. Prior to joining AFP in 2006, Andrew worked for nearly 10 years at the Institute of Fundraising in the United Kingdom, ultimately serving as deputy chief executive.

The board selected Andrew after an extensive, international search. We believe he is clearly the best choice to lead AFP at this important time for our profession. He will continue our core mission of educating fundraisers and maintaining the highest ethical standards. At the same time, he will guide the organization into a new era by attracting the next generation of fundraisers, strengthening our connections to nonprofit organizations and making AFP even more accessible to the charitable community worldwide.

Andrew succeeds Paulette Maehara, who is retiring after nearly 13 years with the organization. We thank Paulette for her tireless leadership and commitment during a period of significant growth and success at AFP. We wish her all the best in the future.

I know that Andrew and the staff are looking forward to continuing their work with you. We very much value our strong relationships around the world and hope to build upon them in the future.