As a writer, what I’m about to say is blasphemous: sometimes the written word isn’t the best way to share impact. While many donors prefer the narrative retelling of their philanthropy, sometimes there’s a better approach. How to tell a given story is just as important as the why or the what and this session will share our techniques and approaches on choosing the best medium for the message. We’ll share how a few reports have evolved over the years, how the pandemic forced us to pivot, and what changes have stayed (and which have evolved further). It will also present an opportunity to share some tools we use to help us steward our donors, including Canva, Piktograph, and Shutterfly. While there isn’t one way to do things, we want to share some of the positive impact we’ve received by switching the medium for certain messages.

Whether your institution is in active campaign mode, celebrating the conclusion of one, or planning for the next; there is lots for donor relations professionals to be thinking about to be sure you’re ready for where you are and what comes next. This session will share key considerations for planning so that donors understand their impact, are recognized appropriately, and are engaged meaningfully in all phases of your Campaign – and always.

This show and tell style session will highlight custom gifts and experiences that will knock your donors socks off. We will highlight examples from a variety of organizations and keep the ideas flowing by passing the mic for you to share your examples as well. Come ready to leave inspired!

The past several years have reinforced what we have always known to be a key competency for donor relations teams. We are resilient, capable of more pivots than a television episode featuring a group of individuals living in New York City. We are a creative bunch that figured out how to deliver impact and gratitude in ways that did not involve hand signing letters or hosting in-person experiences. Our organizations are finding we must continue to support a mix of work options from in person to hybrid to remote in an effort to retain and recruit a workforce that now demands flexibility. This session will provide a framework and myriad of samples to support hiring, onboarding, managing, and thriving on a team that sits next to you in a physical or virtual office.

Professional conferences often double as group therapy for advancement professionals. You not only get to learn best practices and gather new ideas – you also have an opportunity to have your own challenging donor stories validated or hear new ones that dwarf the scale of your own. In this Festivus session you will have a safe space to air your grievances, but also the opportunity to hear ideas and solutions from others that will allow you to return to your institution with solutions for your biggest issues.

Building best-in-class and award-worthy fund reporting can be a multi-year process. In this session we will explore different styles of endowment reporting, how to find out which style is best for your donor relations program, and the steps needed to get there. Additionally, we will layout some of the dos and don’ts of endowment reporting and participants will share experiences on what worked, what did not work, and why.

Honoring donors by naming facilities is a fundamental aspect of philanthropy. However, as time passes, the significance and narratives surrounding these namesakes can diminish. What happens when a building or space is renovated or demolished decades after the name was established? In the absence of a naming rights agreement, it becomes vital to preserve and understand these naming stories. At Southern Methodist University, three teams collaborated, combining the efforts of donor relations, constituent records, and prospect research. Their joint objective was to uncover the forgotten narratives associated with the naming of various spaces and provide informed recommendations to university leadership in preparation for upcoming capital projects. By revealing the lost stories behind each naming, identifying relevant stakeholders, and bridging the past with the present, these colleagues helped the university make well-informed decisions as it looked to the future.

We’ve all had the experience – a donor who is willing to make a generous gift but wants to designate it to something that is completely misaligned with your institution’s priorities or values. In this session we’ll take several steps back from this circumstance and discuss the methods you can utilize to engage your institutional partners – from gift officers to academic leadership – in the process of educating your donors about your institutions strategic vision and philanthropic needs. Donors care about the institutions they support, and they want their funding to have the maximum impact. We will share tools about how you can remain donor-centric while ensuring that your campus’s needs are addressed and donor funds are effectively utilized for their intended purpose.

The magnitude of a $1,000,000+ gift has an incredible impact on the organization that receives it. When a donor makes the decision to give a gift at this level, it is often the result of many (many) years of cultivation and relationship building. At the University of Arizona, the Principal Giving and Stewardship teams have developed a collaborative, thoughtful approach to the announcement, acknowledgment, and recognition of principal level gifts. This session will provide an overview of how a strategic stewardship plan is developed, executed and examples of customized touchpoints. It will include a discussion of best practices as well as ways to collaborate with the Principal Giving team and development officers across campus to ensure the most generous supporters of the university see the impact of their giving.

This session will be designed to cover a smorgasbord of event topics. Join this session to learn top tips from event pros and how using a creative brief and audience strategist helped us enhance our events. We’ll even discuss how retiring giving societies allowed our event team to expand their audience while saving money!