African Professionals Network (APNET)
Your gift pays for a student's name being called
Scholarships, youth programs, entrepreneurship support, and the cultural events that hold Greater Cincinnati together. All of it runs on people who give.
Tax-deductible
Processed securely
Published filings
Giving to APNET keeps the work going, and growing
Every scholarship handed out on stage, every summer session run for a room full of students, every festival that brings thousands of neighbors together: none of it is funded by itself.
APNET has been building here since 2010 and has operated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit since 2016. Your tax-deductible donation expands what we are able to put on, how many young people we can reach, and how many local businesses we can help get in front of an audience.
You do not need to give at a level that feels heroic. Small recurring gifts are what let a small organization plan ahead with confidence.
Giving with confidence
Registered 501(c)(3)
Incorporated in 2016 and governed by a volunteer board of directors.
Public accountability
Our profile and filings are published. View our Candid / GuideStar profile.
Secure processing
Payments are handled by PayPal, Cash App, and Venmo. APNET never stores your card details.
Receipts and questions
Email apnetcincy@myapnet.org for an acknowledgment letter or anything else.
What a gift makes possible
Give any amount you like. These are the milestones that mean something to us.
Covers materials for a student at a summer program session.
Helps run a single workshop in financial literacy or career readiness.
Supports a young person through a full block of summer programming.
Funds a complete APNET scholarship at the standard award level, presented on stage at the annual gala.
Funds a scholarship at the top of our award range for a high school or undergraduate student.
Sponsors a table at the annual gala, seating your guests and funding the program at once.
Prefer to give monthly? A recurring gift of $10 or $25 a month is the steadiest support we receive.
Five priorities, one budget
Undesignated gifts are put to work across all five.
Scholarships and education
Direct awards to high school and undergraduate students of African descent in Greater Cincinnati.
Youth development
Leadership, financial literacy, career readiness, wellness, and personal development programming.
Entrepreneurship and professional development
Coaching, visibility, and connections for founders and members building their careers.
Culture and community programs
The festivals, mixers, and gatherings that hold this community together.
Capacity and sustainability
Staff, systems, and the infrastructure that lets every program above actually run.
Why we ask you to fund overhead too
Programs are easy to fund because they are easy to picture. The coordinator who answers a parent’s email, the accountant who files the return, the person who books the venue: those are harder to picture and impossible to run without. As APNET grows we need administrative and program staff, communications, financial management, technology, and organizational systems. An undesignated gift funds both the programs your community experiences and the people who make those programs possible.
Pick whichever is easiest
Card or PayPal
The fastest route, and the only one that lets you set up a recurring monthly gift. You do not need a PayPal account to give by card.
Set up a recurring monthly gift
On the PayPal donation screen, choose the monthly option before you confirm. Recurring gifts can be changed or canceled at any time from your PayPal account, without contacting us.
Give in honor or in memory of someone
Add the name in the PayPal note field, then email apnetcincy@myapnet.org if you would like us to notify the family or honoree.
Do I need a PayPal account?
No. The donation screen accepts debit and credit cards directly. A PayPal account is only required if you want to manage a recurring gift yourself afterward.
Cash App or Venmo
Scan either code with your phone camera. Best for quick gifts and for giving at an event.
Start a fundraiser
Turn a birthday, a milestone, or a company challenge into support for APNET. PayPal hosts the page and the money comes straight to us.
Other ways to move the work forward
Give your time
Four hours a year at an APNET event earns you a full one-year membership, and it is the fastest way to meet everyone.
Sponsor as a business
Corporate sponsorship puts your name in front of hundreds of attendees while funding scholarships and programming directly.
Spread the word
Share this page with someone who would care about it. Most of our support comes from a personal recommendation, not an advertisement.
Before you give
The questions donors ask most. Tap any to open.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
APNET is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so gifts are generally deductible to the extent allowed by law. Where you receive something in return, such as a gala dinner, the deductible portion is reduced by its value. We are not tax advisors, so please confirm your specific situation with yours.
How do I get a receipt or acknowledgment letter?
PayPal, Cash App, and Venmo all send an immediate transaction record. For a formal acknowledgment letter on APNET letterhead, email apnetcincy@myapnet.org with the date and amount of your gift.
Can I direct my gift to a specific program?
Yes. Add a note with your gift naming the program, or email us first so we can confirm we are able to honor the restriction. Undesignated gifts are the most useful, because they let us put money where the need is greatest that year.
How do I change or cancel a recurring gift?
Recurring gifts set up through PayPal are managed in your own PayPal account under automatic payments, so you can change or stop them at any time without contacting us. Email us if you would rather we handled it.
Can my company match my donation?
Quite possibly. Many employers match employee gifts to registered nonprofits, sometimes dollar for dollar. Search your company’s giving portal for the African Professionals Network, and email us if the form requires documentation from APNET.
Can I give by check, stock, or donor-advised fund?
Yes. For checks, stock transfers, donor-advised fund grants, or any gift you would like to discuss first, email apnetcincy@myapnet.org and a member of the team will walk you through it.
Is my payment information safe?
Yes. Every transaction is handled by PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo on their own systems. APNET never sees or stores your card or bank details.
Who can I talk to about a larger gift?
Email apnetcincy@myapnet.org and it will reach our team for strategic partnerships and fundraising. A person reads it.
Twelve students heard their names last year
Your gift decides how many hear theirs next year. Give once, or give monthly and let us plan ahead.
Questions about giving? Email apnetcincy@myapnet.org.