On September 30, Delbarton celebrated Craig Paris ‘82 as he was honored with the Excellence in Philanthropy Award granted to him by Associations of Fundraising Professionals New Jersey Chapter (AFP-NJ).

For his more than 34 years of dedicated work, Paris was nominated for this award in recognition of his active role in creating the culture of philanthropy at Delbarton that is seen today. He has cultivated thousands of donors from the parent and alumni constituencies over the years. With his extensive knowledge of every Delbarton alumni class, Paris has built an extremely active Alumni Board, with committees and subcommittees and over 300 class reps. 

Craig has also been very innovative in creating successful plans for Delbarton’s fundraising, bringing in over $135 million for the school. The Delbarton Fund has grown from $300K in the late ‘80s to now being over $3.8 million. This fund was created to sustain and nurture the excellence our students bring to Delbarton School.

The virtual award ceremony was viewed in Spada Commons as awards were given out to other important AFP-NJ recipients. The ceremony wrapped up with a brief speech from Paris as he thanked his advancement team and Fr. Michael for their continued support. “I’d like to thank our headmaster Fr. Michael Tidd and former headmaster Br. Paul Diveny for their tremendous support. I’d like to thank my amazing advancement team. In particular, I’d like the thank Heidi Williamson, my assistant, and the Delbarton Fund Director, Maria VanKirk. This would not be possible without them. I also want to thank AFP for this tremendous award.”

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), which represents more than 31,000 members in 240 chapters throughout the world, advances philanthropy through advocacy, research, education, and certification programs. AFP fosters the professional development of fundraising professionals and promotes ethical standards in the fundraising profession. For additional information you can visit the AFP website.

Enjoy some more of the pictures from today's celebrations below...