Getting the attention of donors, alumni and other audiences is essential to meaningful engagement. This includes creating genuine connections to keep audiences engaged. So how to do you maximize these efforts without creating team burn-out?

This presentation will share how the University of Nebraska College of Business team capitalized on key event components to create on-going donor engagement, stewardship opportunities and educate future donors across multiple audiences. Discover more about how you can maximize events and event components to generate new funds, increase existing funds or garner new buy-in while stewarding current relationships and educating future donors. Gain insight about how to strategically capitalize on what you may already be doing to meaningfully impact donors, alumni and other stakeholders.

Portfolio management approaches are constantly evolving. From utilizing analytics to track portfolio performance to consulting with Prospect Development for routine portfolio reviews to determining the most helpful key performance indicators for leaders to stay up-to-date with their fundraisers' portfolios, today's fundraising climate requires a customized approach to portfolio management. Fundraisers contribute expertise about donors and prospects. Prospect development staff provide expertise with new ways to look at portfolios.

Join us as we discuss a unique hybrid approach to evolving portfolio management. This approach can be applied in large and small shops as a winning partnership with advancement services and development teams.

This session goes behind the scenes to see how one institution created an alumni recognition program that goes far beyond just recognition and created an intentional pathway for alumni involvement, strategic engagement and philanthropic support. Participants will hear from Advancement staff as well as a recent alumni honoree and a Dean to learn how the positive results of cross campus collaboration pay big dividends down the road.

In May 2019, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference involuntarily removed the University of St. Thomas from the conference, citing "lack of competitive parity" based on St. Thomas' athletic success. This created a need to find a new athletics home. The St. Thomas Board of Trustees made the bold decision to seek unprecedented reclassification directly to D-I, and in July of 2020, St. Thomas received long-awaited news from the NCAA that it had been approved. This move made St. Thomas Minnesota’s first private D-I collegiate athletics program as well as the first university approved to transition directly to D-I from D-III in the modern history of the NCAA.

The transition has required significant fundraising and advancement support to fuel its success. In this session you’ll hear about the key strategies employed to raise historic philanthropy – more than $130M to date on a goal of more than $250M. In addition, you’ll hear about how the university has made the case to donors in the context of the university’s larger trajectory.

Personal outreach to donors is labor intensive and can drain resources if gift officers are not engaging the right prospects. Morningside University combined behavioral characteristics and wealth screening to uncover prospects with both the passion and capacity to give. Overlaying AI with the process provided a higher level of precision and the ability to update the data through machine learning . The private university was able to quickly put the data into action to pinpoint priority major gift prospects, personalize cultivation and outreach, streamline portfolios, and forecast donor potential and overall ROI for their advancement program.

Half of alumni say their college didn’t prepare them for their career. Institutions struggle to provide career support to alumni at scale, because we’re naturally focused on supporting graduating students. Are we really there for alumni, long after graduation, as they navigate their careers? Are we making a promise that we don’t deliver on? Providing lifetime career support not only meets our mission, research shows that it can almost triple the giving rate for alumni who take advantage of it. Learn how the University of Nebraska embraced this lifetime education mission, and key steps you can take to start providing alumni the support they crave quickly and within your resources. Plus, learn key metrics and hundreds of alumni who used the services their alma mater offered to advance their careers.

Are you challenged with a daunting project and don't know where to begin? Have you put your ideas on a shelf where they have collected dust for 10+ years? Are you looking for ways to transform the work that you do? This session will present a case study of how the University of Nebraska Foundation reimagined its entire funds management process, moving from piles of paper to fully digital and automated fund creation and management. If you want to transform your work by tackling messy and complicated projects, this session can help generate ideas on how to do that.

Overview
University fundraising campaigns often heavily rely on the generous contributions of prominent leaders and high-net-worth individuals. These major donors can significantly impact the campaign's success by providing substantial financial support. However, it's crucial to recognize that the dedicated advancement staff working behind the scenes are equally vital to achieving fundraising goals. In this session, we will explore strategies universities can implement to ensure that their advancement staff remains engaged and motivated during leadership-driven fundraising campaigns.

These strategies will include:
1. Internal Strategic Communication
2. Goal Alignment
3. Involvement in High-Profile Campaign Components
4. Celebrating Milestone Achievement

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.

Do you ever resonate with that meme of the dog sipping coffee amidst chaos, calmly stating, "this is fine"? In our professional spheres where events, initiatives, leadership support, higher education, and fundraising converge, it's not uncommon to feel engulfed in flames, unsure where to begin extinguishing the fires. In the next 60 minutes, we'll delve into this common sentiment, validating its occurrence even among the most seasoned professionals. What may seem like an insurmountable dumpster fire actually presents invaluable opportunities for skill development. Through prioritization, delegation, productivity enhancement, time management, and mindfulness, we can transform crises into catalysts for growth. In navigating crises, we discover not only our resilience but also our capacity for growth. By embracing challenges as learning opportunities and proactively fireproofing our futures, we empower ourselves to thrive amidst chaos. Together, let's harness the flames of adversity to illuminate our path forward.