What if joy isn't the reward for a successful fundraising career, but one of the things that sustains it?

For seasoned development professionals, success often brings bigger goals, broader responsibilities, more complex organizations, and increasing expectations.

And somewhere along the way, it can become easy to lose connection with the relationships, purpose, creativity, and yes, joy that drew us to this work in the first place.

Join Cameron Hernholm, CFRE, Chief Advancement Officer at Frontiers of Flight Museum, for a candid Executive Conversation about what it means to build not only a successful fundraising career, but a meaningful and sustainable one.

Together, we'll explore:

Sustaining Personal Joy

How our definition of success evolves over the course of a career, and why protecting curiosity, purpose, relationships, and a life beyond our organizations matters to our effectiveness as leaders.

Leading for Joy

How experienced leaders can create cultures where talented people have the trust, autonomy, and space to do their best work while maintaining high expectations and accountability.

Creating Joy Through Philanthropy

How moving beyond transactions to create meaning, belonging, and genuine community can deepen relationships with donors, boards, volunteers, and partners.

Defining What Comes Next

How seasoned fundraisers can continue growing, contributing, mentoring, and finding satisfaction after achieving many of the traditional markers of professional success.

This isn't a conversation about working less, lowering expectations, or ignoring metrics.

It's a conversation about what makes a successful fundraising career worth sustaining, and how we can intentionally create more meaning, connection, and joy for ourselves and the people we lead and serve.

About Executive Conversations

AFP Dallas Executive Conversations creates space for experienced nonprofit leaders to step outside the day-to-day and engage in honest, peer-level dialogue about leadership, fundraising, growth, and the realities of doing this work well.

Not presentations. Not panels. Real conversations with peers.

Executive Conversations is thoughtfully curated for nonprofit leaders with 10 or more years of experience or those currently serving in an executive role.

Space is intentionally limited.

Registration: $20

The registration fee supports AFP Dallas and helps make future Executive Conversations like this one possible.

Bites and beverages will be provided by Frontiers of Flight Museum.