“It’s incumbent upon the development officers to really advocate for AFP and membership in AFP.” – Susan Hosbach

In this episode of The Beacon Podcast, Lighthouse Counsel President Jeff Jowdy speaks with Susan Hosbach, chief development officer of the Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Tenn., and immediate past chair of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy. Susan has long been involved with the Association of Fundraising Professionals, fulfilling roles on the board of directors, including vice chair for both the membership services and external relations divisions. 

In this episode, Susan discusses AFP and answers: 

• How important is it to be engaged with AFP as a fundraising professional?
• What changes have you seen happen in AFP throughout your time with the organization?
• What advice would you give to a fundraiser who would like to get involved in AFP?
  

About our guest

Susan Earl Hosbach, CFRE, joined Adventure Science Center in May 2015. As the chief development officer, Susan is responsible for leading all fundraising and community relations initiatives. 

For seven years prior, she was president & CEO for PearlPoint Cancer Support. The prior 14 years, Susan was vice president of development and marketing for Cheekwood Botanical Garden & Museum of Art; vice president of resource development for Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee; and vice president of external relations for Second Harvest Food Bank. She has over 26 years of nonprofit fundraising and marketing experience in Nashville.

Susan is the immediate past chair of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Foundation for Philanthropy. She served on the AFP International Board of Directors from 2001 to 2006, as vice chair for both the membership services and external relations divisions. In 2011, Susan received AFP’s highest volunteer honor as the Barbara Marion Leadership Award recipient. She was named the 2002 Fundraising Executive of the Year by AFP Nashville Chapter, where she is a past president.

A frequent instructor on a variety of fundraising and board development topics, Susan is a community leader. She was named as one of The Nashville Business Journal’s 2011 Women of Influence and a 2012 Woman to Watch by The Nashville Medical News. She is a member of Downtown Nashville Rotary, an alumni of Leadership Middle Tennessee and Leadership Franklin, and a past chair of the Williamson County Library Foundation. A member of CABLE, she chaired the 24th Annual Nashville ATHENA Awards.