Each year, PIF’s Board of Trustees reviews grant applications and directs funding toward things like Ag Media Summit speakers and programming, scholarships and travel funds for Future Ag Communicators, international travel stipends, regional meetings and contest judging support. Over the past several years, annual giving has steadily increased, rising from $27,000 in 2019-2020 to more than $65,000 in 2025-2026.
PIF’s Board of Trustees are stewards of our organization’s financial legacy: an endowment that’s now worth more than $600,000. Our goal is to continue growing the endowment through a combination of market gains and fundraising so we can support agricultural communicators for generations to come.
Currently, PIF has 11 trustees, though our bylaws allow for up to 15. We also have several trustees whose terms will end this summer. That means there is room — and need — for additional volunteers who care about the future of agricultural communications. On average, the board meets six times a year via Zoom. We review and approve grants in the fall and plan our annual fundraiser in the spring and summer.
If you’re passionate about ACN, joining the PIF Board of Trustees is a great way to get involved and give back. Whether your expertise is in communications, fundraising, finance, leadership or strategic planning, we’d love to expand the skill sets – and sets of hands – around the table. To learn more about the Professional Improvement Foundation or express interest in serving as a trustee, please email PIF Chairman Katie Dehlinger at katie.dehlinger@dtn.com or contact any of our trustees.
Even if you don’t have the time to volunteer, you can support PIF by:
– Buying raffle tickets. This year, we’ll be raffling off a 3 day/2 night South Dakota working ranch experience, free registration to AMS for 2027 and more. While we conduct the raffle at AMS, everyone is welcome to participate, whether they’re attending or not. Please stay tuned for more details!
– Keeping your ACN membership current. ACN automatically donates $10 to PIF when you renew your membership.
– Making a donation. We accept donations all year round. You can find a link here.