Join us for an engaging conference session that seamlessly combines the essential elements of crafting an annual plan with the power of effective stewardship. In this session, we will dive into the art of developing a robust annual plan while integrating an Engagement Calendar and Stewardship Matrix to ensure long-term sustainability and success. Discover the key elements of stewardship that drive organizational growth and donor satisfaction. Learn from industry experts and real-world examples as we explore successful stewardship practices that have yielded remarkable results. Leave this session armed with the knowledge and tools necessary to revolutionize your approach to annual planning and stewardship, enhancing your organization's impact and donor relationships. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your strategy and secure a prosperous future for your cause.

There’s nothing more exciting than receiving a big check from a donor. Or is there? Only 7 percent of household wealth is held as cash, yet 85 percent of charitable gifts are made in that form. Research shows that encouraging donors to make gifts of wealth (using non-cash assets) results in larger gifts to charities with greater benefits for the donor. In this session, we’ll look at three methods that leverage the power of shifting from disposable income: gifts of appreciated securities, qualified charitable distributions, and donor advised funds. Even small shops can benefit from incorporating these approaches into their work.

Often career advancement within higher education advancement requires moving into frontline fundraising or leadership positions. It takes a skilled person to balance the demands of leading a fundraising team while achieving personal fundraising metrics. So You Want Me To Lead AND Make It Rain, will help anyone new to management or leadership, offering tips, experiences, best practices, and discussions on balancing the demands of both worlds. Attendees will learn from others with similar roles, how to pivot leadership types, effectively manage up and down, be a champion for your team, and overcome obstacles that arise through the challenges of our work.

This session will provide tools to navigate conversations with dissenting opinions, and harness the power of honoring traditions and values of the past while forging a relevant and progressive future. Attendees will learn how to engage alumni and donors in a way that empowers them to join in the vision, and identify when to detach from donors who do not uphold the institution’s current mission and vision.

JHU recently completed a major CRM Project - a complete digital transformation of several data systems into one main fundraising CRM. How did they do it? How did their team and project thrive? Join the session to learn how the JHU team engaged with several partners to lead their team, their data and JHU through this change. Learn about the opportunities they took for business process improvement, staff development and overall operational efficiency.

Once upon a time, a few intrepid communicators at Brigham Young University embarked on a daring journey—one that would lead through thick forests of research, across deep oceans of campus conversations, and over soaring summits of strategic planning. On this journey of discovery, they found themselves listening for clues from consultants, campus partners, audiences, students, online data, and university leadership. In the end, what they learned helped BYU launch its first nationwide marketing campaign, grounded in good old fashioned storytelling and rooted in the institution’s mission and values. Now almost two years into the campaign, with hundreds of millions of ad campaign impressions, they have a quiver full of stories, a backpack stuffed with spreadsheets, and a fanny pack of ideas to share about how you can listen effectively to craft a successful marketing campaign.

Over the past 18 months, court decisions and public policy has drastically changed how higher education can approach DEIB. While academicians and student affairs personnel prepare for their work, advancement practitioners face our own unique challenges. This workshop is designed for all members of an advancement organization – from alumni engagement to development to Marketing and Communications. Participants will be taken through a framework that will allow them to examine their own organizations’ readiness to be nimble in this contemporary environment, ultimately to support a culture that will keep all stakeholders engaged. Additionally, participants will come away with tools to structure DEIB work in a way that is mission-centric and supportive of all communities.