New Leader at Fundraisers’ Association Will Take on Financial and Policy Challenges

The Association of Fundraising Professionals has picked Mike Geiger, a veteran of the nonprofit world with expertise in financial management, as its next chief executive.

Mr. Geiger, 53, who starts his new job November 1, will replace Jason Lee. Mr. Lee served as interim president and CEO after the sudden departure in June 2016 of Andrew Watt, who had held the reins for five years.

The international association, with about 33,000 members, advocates for professional and ethical practices and provides education and research.

Mr. Geiger, a certified public accountant, has led the Chief Executives Organization, a nonprofit membership group, for the past five years. “He comes to us with many different skills that we hope will be a great asset to AFP,” said Ann Hale, chair of the fundraising organization’s board and chief development officer of the Anchorage Museum. “One of his priorities will be to continue to shore up AFP’s financial health — to help us diversify our revenue beyond our conference and memberships.”

Ms. Hale said the new leader also has a big job ahead this fall as Capitol Hill debates a tax overhaul.

“I am a CPA, so I understand tax law reasonably well, and I understand the impact of it,” Mr. Geiger said. “I want to get our message out. It’s a critical time for fundraising.”

The organization is hoping Mr. Lee will stay with the association, Ms. Hale says, “We’re talking with him about what his role would be. Jason’s got many skills that are vital to AFP’s success, especially since we’re going to be looking at public policy very closely.”

Money Woes

Mr. Geiger, a native of Copenhagen, moved to the United States to attend college at the University of Richmond. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from Northeastern University. Before joining the Chief Executives Organization, he served as vice president and chief financial officer of the German Marshall Fund of the United States and as CFO of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

He currently serves on the board of the Romanian-American Foundation, a grant maker that seeks to strengthen the economy and democracy in Romania.

Mr. Geiger has never worked exclusively as a fundraiser. However, he says, “I have tremendous respect for fundraisers. I know how hard they work. I want us to be there to help them have an impact.”

His expertise in engaging and retaining association members and in financial management will likely prove most useful to an organization that has experienced money woes in recent years.

The group laid off 10 employees just before Mr. Watt’s departure in 2016. In an interview with The Chronicle in the wake of his departure, Mr. Watt said the organization faced “significant financial challenges” and that he left because he didn’t feel his background made him well-suited to navigate those issues.

Both Mr. Geiger and Ms. Hale credit Mr. Lee with helping to turn the organizations’ financial fortunes around.

“AFP is in a far better position now because of his leadership,” Mr. Geiger says.

Ms. Hale notes, “We will have net positive assets this year for the first time in a very long time.”

Mr. Geiger is already looking forward to teaming up with his predecessor: “It’s going to be wonderful to work with him over the coming years.”

Attendance at the association’s annual international conference, held in San Francisco this past April, reached about 4,000, up slightly from recent years. Revenue from the event was also better than in recent years, Ms. Hale says, due in part to cost-conscious decisions made by Mr. Lee and his staff. Also, she acknowledges, “San Francisco proved to be a popular destination.” (Next April’s event will be in New Orleans.)

While many membership organizations have struggled in recent years, Mr. Geiger is confident about AFP’s future. “The thing with membership organizations is, they exist for providing value to their members. We will provide that value.”