Whether you work at a large, research university or liberal arts college, holistic and strategic fundraising planning is essential to effective relationship-building and stewardship with campus partners, campaign preparation and pipeline development. In this session, we will discuss the 15-month "Visioning Series" held at Stockton University: a series of meetings with deans, chairs, and faculty that identified funding priorities at each of the University's seven academic Schools and produced two deliverables: 1) a 20+pp strategic fundraising plan identifying all funding priorities for each School and 2) School-specific development brochures.

Giving Days are becoming more and more important to many institutions, and with that, the use of ambassadors to spearhead the Giving Day message is a vital component. This presentation will go over why ambassadors are important, how ambassadors have made a significant impact at Rutgers, how to get them ready for a Giving Day, and how to best leverage them to their full potential.

If you take a midnight train goin’ anywhere, you’re probably not going to end up where you want to be. Instead, plan your Journey! This session will take you through GW’s five-phase annual goal planning process as a case study. We’ll first cover how we leverage historical data and current plans to set ambitious yet achievable goals at the organizational, unit, and individual levels. Then we’ll dive into our data-based approach for individual gift officer goal planning – laying out a path to success that is ground truthed in real data, analyzing these blueprints to determine if they support the goals sufficiently, and identifying and addressing any gaps therein. Last, we’ll wrap up with a quick look at how our train got derailed by COVID-1.

For CASE and the field of advancement to fully live out its mission of leveraging education and lifelong learning to transform lives and society, we must work to ensure that the paths to institutions of learning are accessible to more than just the privileged few.  With this in mind, CASE created the Opportunity and Inclusion Center (OIC) to focus on strengthening the DEIB acumen within advancement, increasing the diversity pipeline for advancement professionals, and helping our member institutions assess their advancement operation’s cultural readiness to create a more inclusive environment. In this interactive session, institutions will learn how they can partner with the CASE OIC to recommit their energies and intensify their focus on diversity, equity and inclusion work.

There are many different theories about gift clubs or recognition societies. Countless hours can be spent talking in circles about a gift club for this and a gift club for that. What if we started over? What if we streamline our efforts? What does that look like? In this session we'll explore how the University of Buffalo has built one noteworthy university-wide gift club for all annual donors through the Loyal Blues, and how they are about to launch a university-wide gift club for lifetime donors, the University Founders.

Since its redesign in 2019, the Rutgers University Foundation website has driven significant and unexpected new fundraising. Its success results from a vastly simplified donor journey, data-driven messaging, and a content strategy focused on cause-based storytelling that puts front and center the many ways the university is making the world a better place.

Team-ups are not just for superheroes!   Building a bridge by creating strategic partnerships between Development and Advancement Services can empower teams to engage in innovative thinking, foster collaborative spaces, and supercharge changes within your organization.

In this session, we'll use real-life projects (and successes) to demonstrate these qualities in action and what happens when each team invites the other to the table as a strategic partner.

Recent alumni engagement is critical to keeping this key group engaged with their alma mater. In this session, we'll share results of our national survey on how recent alumni expect to engage and discuss the link between involvement in student organizations and engagement after graduation. We'll then share examples of how Fordham University engages students while on campus and connects with recent graduates to foster and grow their engagement and support. Participants will leave this session with data to inform their strategies and next steps to grow recent alumni engagement.

Discover ways to embrace your awkward and authentically connect with your prospects to inspire greater philanthropic investments. Unlock nimble communication skills and uncover prospect passions through curious questions and storytelling. Practice actively listening to understand, asking thoughtful questions, and developing forward motion to build prospect trust.

When the pandemic halted athletic competitions, Westminster College’s ability to pivot in the unknown proved essential to the success of its annual Clash of the Titans campaign. Buy-in from coaches, athletes, and ultimately its donors, helped them take on crowdfunding in an entirely new way. Special incentives and friendly competition added another level of excitement to participation, helping them to meet and exceed their goals.