Annual Giving Workshop 2024
Learning Objectives
- Highlight key fundamentals in annual giving.
- Discuss proven and emerging practices to maximize results in direct mail, phone, and online giving programs.
- Enhance your interpersonal skills to build strong professional relationships.
- Analyze data and research regarding current and future trends in annual giving.
- Strategize how to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders about the value of annual giving.
- Identify the effectiveness of appeals and apply lessons for more powerful solicitations.
Who Should Attend
- Long-time development professionals with new responsibilities in annual giving who would benefit from fresh ideas and the opportunity to network with others in the field.
- Newcomers and intermediate-level professionals in annual giving.
Meet Your Chairs
Colin Hennessy
Colin Hennessy brings over 15 years of professional fundraising and management experience with expertise in annual giving, alumni engagement, segmentation strategy, data analysis, and more. He is recognized as an industry leader with a proven track record of developing philanthropic pipelines through thoughtful interventions informed by behavioral economics, data science, stewardship, and engagement.
As Vice President for Alumni and Donor Engagement, Colin leads a team dedicated to supporting the University of Iowa through thoughtful and innovative engagement and programming—overseeing alumni engagement, communication and marketing, events, and stewardship efforts.
Before joining the UI Center for Advancement in 2022, Colin held leadership positions at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago. In addition, he was a senior vice president and practice area leader at the fundraising management consulting firm Grenzebach Glier and Associates. Colin earned his bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies from the University of Iowa, a master’s degree in adult and distance education from the University of Phoenix, a master’s in public policy and administration from Iowa State University, and a doctorate in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the 2019 Diane Thompson Award Winner for Excellence in Annual Giving from the Northeast Annual Giving Conference Association. In addition, Colin is a CASE Crystal Apple Award-winning speaker and teacher, in addition to the numerous CASE Circle of Excellence Awards presented to teams under his leadership.
Megan Rajski
Megan joined Fairfield University, a private Jesuit Catholic University, in Fairfield, CT during the summer of 2021 as the Director of Annual Giving. In her role she oversees and collaborates on a robust portfolio responsible for contributing $3.3 million to the Fairfield Fund and leads strategy on alumni participation efforts. She directly oversees the Reunions, Leadership Annual Giving, Senior Class Gift, Young Alumni, & Telefund teams. Additionally Megan spearheads Giving Day efforts and all direct marketing strategy and execution.
Prior to joining Fairfield, Megan was Senior Associate Director, Donor Participation and Annual Giving for the University of Chicago, where she oversaw strategic initiatives supporting annual giving and donor participation goals. Present for the planning and execution of the creation of Giving Day, Megan’s responsibility and ownership of the program grew in the 6+ Giving Days and under Megan’s leadership UChicago saw its most successful day raising an institution record ($10 million raised in the 2021). She credits her success in exceeding goals and driving revenue and alumni participation at UChicago by ensuring the use of multi-channel solicitation strategies, data analytics, wide segmentation integration and diverse and mission focused messaging. In 2019 Megan received the UChicago Gates Award, voted on by her colleagues for outstanding contributions to fundraising.
Before joining University of Chicago, Megan spent four years with the Alzheimer’s Association, one of the top 50 non-profits in the US, where she was project manager for direct marketing efforts in acquisition, renewal and upgrades to 10 million+ donors. Prior to her work in Annual Giving, Megan spent seven years in university admissions, at Illinois Institute of Art and Westwood College, both in Chicago.
Megan received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Theatre/Television Arts from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, IN, and an MBA from University of Phoenix(before it was cool to be online. She is ever present in the AG space as a presenter and organizer for annual giving conferences, and spent 10 years involved with the Board of Directors of New Leash on Life, an animal rescue nonprofit.
General Sponsors
