Robert Easly named Vice President of Membership for the Greater Baton Rouge Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals
Baton Rouge, LA - The Greater Baton Rouge Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals is excited to announce Robert Easly, Jr. as the new Vice President of Membership. Robert has served as the Director of Advancement of the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences for the last 2 ½ years. Prior to joining the Southern University Agricultural Family, he worked as an Extension Associate for the Louisiana State University Agricultural Research and Extension Center. As a two-time Southern University College of Agriculture graduate Robert strongly advocates increasing the number of minorities working in the agricultural, food, and natural resources industries.
As an undergraduate student, Robert was exposed to fundraising while working as an intern for the Southern University System Foundation. In his two-year role as a Jag Talker, Robert’s main responsibility was to call and thank donors of Southern University and learn the true meaning of philanthropy, stewardship, and how this type of support makes education accessible to those with the greatest need. Shortly after graduating, he joined the Southern Foundation full-time as the Program Director. In this role, Robert was responsible for activating philanthropic dollars raised by the organization. “My understanding of fundraising was changed when I had to come face-to-face with the many problems our students face. It made me advocate more to my family and peers the importance of giving.”
After more than eight years of fundraising experience, Easly is now stepping beyond the realms of the campus and into the community. Currently, his efforts in the community include more than $1 million dollars in funding to eradicate and mitigate the effects of food insecurity.
“This appointment means so much to me. AFP has given me an opportunity to connect with other fundraisers in the community and collaborate to solve real problems in our own backyards. I look forward to sharing with others the many benefits to membership!”
The mission of AFP empowers individuals and organizations to practice ethical fundraising through professional education, networking, research, and advocacy. It champions ethical fundraising; fundraising professionals work to increase public trust in charitable giving.