The Erica Waasdorp Scholarship Fund
The Erica Waasdorp Scholarship Fund was established in 2023 to support fundraising professionals’ attendance at The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA) Foundation’s educational programs and events. The funds may be applied as scholarships to help underwrite or offset conference, training, and other professional development registration and participation fees.
We will announce opportunities for TNPA members and nonmembers to apply for scholarships to partially or fully cover event registration fees. Eligibility and the number and amount of scholarships available may vary by event. The first Erica Waasdorp Scholarship awarded by TNPA Foundation was to a 2024 Nonprofit Fundraisers Symposium attendee.
Erica Waasdorp is President of A Direct Solution, located on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She works with nonprofit clients all over the country and internationally, helping them with their appeals and monthly giving. Erica published two books on monthly giving that have become go-to resources for fundraisers building sustainer programs: Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant, published in 2012, and Monthly Giving Made Easy, a How-To Guide, published in May 2021.
Erica is well known for her involvement and volunteerism with industry associations, including The Nonprofit Alliance (TNPA); Association of Direct Response Fundraising Counsel (ADRFCO), which merged with TNPA in 2019 to form the ADRFCO Council; and National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC), whose members formed the TNPA Catholic Development Council in 2019 after NCDC’s closure. In 2024, she led a project with TNPA to compile sustainer operations expertise from industry colleagues, now available as “Sustainer Best Practices and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions: A Go-To-Guide.” She was also a key expert in TNPA’s successful effort to largely exempt nonprofits from new recurring payment requirements by Mastercard in 2022. She advised on data demonstrating that nonprofits’ recurring donation programs fall well below other industries’ rates of disputed charges. She is a tireless advocate for responsible and respectful stewardship of recurring giving donors.
The Erica Waasdorp Scholarship Fund is yet another way that Erica is giving back to her industry to fuel the future of successful nonprofit fundraising, and we are grateful for her generosity and partnership.
