All of us have moments at work where we have to have a difficult conversation. These are the moments when the stakes are high, opinions clash, emotions run deep or power dynamics come into play. While some may shy away from these dialogues to avoid conflict, mastering them can lead to significant benefits for individuals and boost organisational productivity. Join us in this engaging plenary session, where Tess will dive into the art of handling these conversations with skill and authenticity. She'll explore the topic with the audience, offering valuable advice on how to navigate these critical interactions effectively.

Major gifts rely on the successful identification of transformational wealth. However, this is no easy task! There are complex roles, assets, business structures and financial terms to navigate and value. Are we sure we are prioritising the right prospects, the truer sources of transformational wealth? Are we factoring all their assets effectively? Are we aligning our asks at the right time and in the right way? Join Jonathan Jeffery, Co-Founder of Pyro.Solutions & PyroTalks CIC, as he explores true sources of transformational wealth, outlining high potential roles and sectors, their assets, liquidity moments and ask planning, along with practical tips on identifying prospects that might be right before eyes.

Parental leave can pose challenges to the management and development of donor relationships for major gift fundraising teams. Prospect research teams are well positioned to provide support during these periods. We will look at how the University of Bristol Supporter Development Team worked closely with the University's Major Gift Fundraising Team to ensure continuity and effective prospect management across six instances of parental leave over four years. We will also look at how we utilised the opportunities and dealt with the challenges created by the provision of an additional fundraiser on a nine-month parental leave cover.

One thing we all have in common is how easy it is to make a mistake. So, rather than shy away from it, we'll be celebrating our failures and reflecting on how much we can learn from them. In this panel discussion senior professionals in the Advancement services sector will reflect how they've navigated a mistake or something that simply didn't work out as they expected in their professional (and sometimes personal) lives. As part of the wider CASE webinar series, this ‘Trials and Errors’ discussion will be chaired by Hannah Fox, Director of Alumni & Careers at Regent’s University London and Marie-Rose Delauzun, Head of Alumni Engagement at The Sutton Trust. They’ll be speaking to Kate Lawton (University of Oxford), Rob Spencer (University of Leeds) and Timon Fermin (Herriot Watt). Expect candid discussion on decisions they regret or unavoidable errors - and plenty of reassurance that you're not alone!

Same goal, different methods! In this session, discover how University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter built and enhanced their fundraiser pool management reports using two distinct interactive data visualization tools: Power BI and Tableau. You will gain insight into the metrics used to assess performance and monitor progress, the key data points used to provide a comprehensive overview of the pool, and how this information informs and shapes pool review discussions. This session is accessible to everyone, whether you’re part of a large team or working solo, and regardless of whether you have access to similar software.

This is the first of two sessions on scholarships and will focus on the 'what', 'why' and ‘how’. We’ll start by outlining the building blocks for success followed by a panel discussion with practitioners who will share success stories and answer your questions. We’ll cover: what constitutes a scholarship (vs bursary or prize); benefits for institutions/recipients; effective internal communications, governance and efficient processes to enable success.

Participants will explore how to ensure your culture and processes are optimised for campaign. Through the University of Warwick examples attendees will be guided through critical process's that ensure readiness and alignment with goals. You will gain insight and tools to bring your teams on a journey to Campaign readiness. Intermediate Level CASE Career level: 3 - 4

In 2023, the Cambridge Development Research and Due Diligence Team were given an ambitious target which, if met, could double the size of the prospect pool in just one year. Meeting this challenge would take creativity, experience, initiative and a little bit of luck. The project would involve a radical ramp-up of prospect identification, exploring new (to the University) jurisdictions and demographics, with all the attendant due diligence considerations. It would also involve a cultural shift; a new way of thinking, talking about and tracking research activity and the value we add. Join Development Research and Due Diligence Manager Natalie Burles to hear more about how Cambridge looked outside of its traditional donor pools and processes to tackle a global prospecting challenge, and the lessons learned along the way; on everything from prospecting, to due diligence, to data, and beyond.

We recently launched our first philanthropic campaign. In this session we will share how we prepared for a successful campaign launch event. We will cover what worked, what didn’t work and how we will do it differently next time. We will discuss data segmentation, data quality, sourcing a diverse range of known and new invitees, planning for and producing the event briefing, and working with teams across the office in a high pressure situation.

Join us for this interactive session where we’ll hear from experts Dr Marta Herrero (University of York) and Jonathan May (Hubbub). Marta is leading an academic research project focusing on developing our understanding of how fundraisers, philanthropists, and the nonprofit sector view the introduction and adoption of AI technologies for the purpose of fundraising and of incentivising philanthropy. Marta will give us an insight into her research findings ahead of the launch of the new Centre for Digital Innovation in Philanthropy and Fundraising. Jonathan is the founder of Hubbub Fundraising and an advisory board member for the new Centre. He will share his expertise in how AI is already supporting advancement activity, the opportunity it provides and some of the pitfalls we should avoid. We’ll seek feedback from the audience to share experiences of how we are using AI to enable the success of our advancement objectives, and we’ll leave you with practical tips on how you can use AI to support your role.