A successful annual giving program thrives in a collaborative environment. Departmental silos limit donor participation and dollars raised on an annual basis. Scripps College changed the paradigm of philanthropy at Scripps by creating an interdepartmental committee, The Scripps Fund Committee. Learn how stakeholders were chosen, the role committee members play in the annual giving process, and simple ways to maximize your annual fund’s effectiveness and reduce your cost to raise a dollar.

This emerging and contemporary higher education philanthropy session is based on Dr. Peter Robertson’s doctoral dissertation consisting of an AERA award-winning qualitative research case study that explored the motivations by allies of the LGBTQ+ community for giving toward LGBTQ+ university causes. Findings revealed heterosexual and cisgender LGBTQ+ allyship affiliations, as well as their motivations for financially supporting LGBTQ+ campus programs and student initiatives. Both topics have not been academically explored, and the findings generated important recommendations for higher education advancement leaders. Today, higher education institutions must strive to connect and engage with its alumnx and all constituents in authentic, honest, and sincere ways, which can increase the likelihood and propensity of private support from this previously overlooked demographic: heterosexual and cisgender LGBTQ+ allies.

Ghostwriting, or writing for someone else, can be a frightful journey. In this session, learn top tips for taking a message (e.g. speech or letter) you’re writing for a dean, board chair, or other campus leader from request to delivery. How do you start? Where can you find information and inspiration? How do you capture someone else’s voice — even when you rarely interact with them? What processes can help create structure and momentum in successfully completing the project? We will also meet a few demons that can stand in our way — Imposter syndrome? Eek! Mean responses? No! — and share ways to slay them. To cap off the session, we will brainstorm ideas for messaging a few different scenarios.

This session will teach you how to grow and run a successful Give Day program at your own institution through the lens of Western Washington University's FY23 Give Day--one of the largest in District VIII, raising over $1.1 MM from over 3,100 donors--and how an Annual Giving team of just two people leveraged their relationships with peers, colleagues, campus partners, and external constituents to pull it off.

In particular, we'll discuss strategies to:

1. Plan and launch your Give Day successfully
2. Identify, prioritize, and build relationships with campus partners who will help your Give Day be most successful. Western has hundreds of people across campus participate in planning and fundraising on Give Day every year; it's quite unique and we'll tell you how to do it, too!
3. Leverage relationships with third-party vendors to help supplement the skills on your own team
4. Use Give Day to build your talent pool in Advancement, especially among young professionals
5. Use Give Day to build relationships with external stakeholders
6. Elevate your campaign with hero student stories told throughout your print, digital and social channels to reflect your university's values and culture.

We welcome discussion, so bring all your questions!

Come learn about UC Berkeley's Pipeline Development Program and how we're growing our pipeline with two lead generation strategies; Discovery Journeys and the Bubble Up Initiative. These innovative programs offer a new approach to identifying and qualifying prospects by blending traditional frontline efforts with mass communication outreach strategies. These programs streamline prospect qualification and deliver warm, vetted prospects to Gift Officers. This allows Gift Officers to spend more time building relationships and making the ask, and less time doing cold outreach. This reallocation of resources will empower your advancement department to reach thousands more prospects per year.

What does it mean to lead a philanthropy program that aligns with your school's values? Can philanthropy be inclusive and transformative at the same time?
Philanthropy is a powerful display of community engagement and when fundraisers lead with the school's values, the act of giving can foster a sense of joy and belonging for all members of the community. This session will inspire senior fundraising professionals, heads of school, and trustees to work in partnership to make all donors feel seen and valued. Attendees will walk away with tools for making the ask inclusively - honoring the donor and the needs of the school.

Ethics in philanthropy is of vital interest to all who work with donors, financial advisors, academic colleagues, and volunteers. Gift acceptance policies, state ethics requirements, the IRS, and others help guide our decision-making and help us make decisions. But, there are many, "What if's?" in philanthropy and this session will aid decision-makers in their pursuit to maintain high ethical standards.

This moderated conversation will dive into the crucial topic of nurturing diversity within the field of advancement. Attendees will gain insights into effective strategies for recruiting, retaining, including, and promoting talent from diverse backgrounds in advancement roles. We will share our own experience and practical tips to help organizations create inclusive and equitable environments, fostering the growth of talent from diverse backgrounds through early, mid, and senior leadership. Join us and participate in an engaging discussion that promises to drive positive change in your institution advancement staff.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a standard strategic tool for many industries. For most advancement programs, it presents an untapped opportunity to prioritize predictable and sustainable gift revenue, grow recurring giving, maximize ROI on fundraising costs, and catalyze other important strategic decisions. This session will provide context on AI in the broader environment, with special emphasis on AI in advancement and the opportunities that exist today, supported by real-world examples.

The act of visiting donors and prospects face to face has never been more important. This interactive session will frame why face to face work still matters for all development professionals and will provide tip and ideas for those at all levels of experience.