The program takes place 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM ET (US & Canada) as follows:

Day 1: Wednesday, February 23

11:30-11:45 AM

Welcome and Setting the Stage

11:45 AM -12:45 PM

Opening Keynote/Plenary

The Gifts of Black Folk: How the History of African American Philanthropy Can Inform Independent Schools' Quest for Racial Equity in Advancement

In this keynote presentation, participants will explore elements of the past and present of African American philanthropy as a way to provide insights into advancement's current grappling with diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Featuring leading research on diverse philanthropy, the presentation will use historical and contemporary storytelling to engage important themes that help advancement leaders better connect with diverse alumni and stakeholders of Independent schools. Participants will learn how to:

• Apply the 5 historical practices of Black generosity to facilitate engagement by diverse alumni today
• Engage the "Complicated Love" that many alumni of color have for their alma maters
• Address several interpersonal and institutional barriers to the engagement of alumni of color

Speaker: Tyrone McKinley Freeman, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies, Director of Undergraduate Programs, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. Featured Guest: Jan Abernathy, Chief Communications Officer, The Browning School

12:45-1:00 

Stretch Break 

1:00-1:45 

Elective Sessions (Select One): 

The Rules of Engagement: Identifying, Benchmarking, and Increasing ROI

While engagement is a flashy buzzword we all love, what does it mean when you operate in a metrics-driven environment? It’s easy to say you have a really engaged donor or alumni base, but what specifically are you doing to prove it? When it comes to engagement, transparency and consistency matter. In this session, Graham-Pelton Vice President Meg Bailey, and University of Chicago Laboratory School Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Development Damon Cates, will share their experiences to help you learn: unique ways to employ engagement metrics in all your fundraising efforts; how to incorporate engagement as a metric in a campaign; and how to build a thriving engaged donor and alumni base with a 100-day engagement strategy.

Speakers: Meg Bailey, Vice President, Graham-Pelton and Damon Cates, Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Development, University of Chicago Laboratory School

 

The Right Image: A Crash Course on Working with Photos and Photographers 

Do you have the latest iPhone or does your assistant have a digital camera? Is one of your volunteers a weekend photographer? Then you must have the photography you need at your disposal—or do you? When creating print or digital communications to recruit families and raise money, there are two equally important elements to make your best case to prospective families and potential donors—the right words and powerful images. None of us would accept poor grammar or misspellings, but all too often we settle for images that are badly composed, too dark or out of focus—the visual equivalent of that glaring typo we all dread. As the staff member who is responsible for the images that represent your school, an understanding of what makes a good photo is as important as being able to recognize quality writing. This workshop will provide a crash course on the different types of photography and photographers, what to look for in a good photo, and how to hire a photographer and what you should expect them to deliver. The images you use are essential to your school’s image--learn how to make them count.

Speakers: Allison Hall, Director of Marketing and Communications, Malvern Preparatory School and Nancy McDonald, Principal, Leapfrog Group

 

The Road to DEIB in the Advancement Space: The CASE Opportunity & Inclusion Center

Established in 2021, the CASE Opportunity and Inclusion Center (OIC) exists to provide a body of work and services to assist advancement professionals enhance their proficiencies in serving more diverse university communities. In this session, schools will learn about the DEIB tools and resources that CASE and the OIC can offer in addition to DEIB strategies for advancement professional growth and organizational change.

Speaker: Benjamin Fiore-Walker, Ph.D., Sr. Director, Opportunity & Inclusion Center (OIC), CASE

 

1:45-2:15 

Stretch Break 

2:15-3:00 

Elective Sessions (Select One): 

Oh Yes You Can! Podcasting for the Uncertain 

Podcasting is the rage, and it's easy to see why, at least from the listener's perspective – ease and convenience delivered asynchronously and in bite-sized chunks to the comfort of one's earbuds. But if you're in a small shop, or don't have specialized technical know-how, it can seem daunting, maybe even impossible. That's what we thought, too. But we jumped into the deep end anyway. In the fall of 2020, The Pike School's three-person advancement office created an effective 4-episode podcast series – and in the process uncovered a well-kept secret: it's NOT as difficult, time-consuming, or expensive as you might think. Fifty dollars, a wing, and a prayer later, we're here to share our experience. We'll explain briefly why we decided to podcast, then show you lots of easily available tools you can use, provide insight into how we made it manageable from a personnel AND cost perspective, and why we're so excited to have taken the plunge – and why we think you should jump, too! We did it, and we know you can too; come hear our tale! 

Speakers: Rod Boyer, Director of Advancement and Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, Associate Director of Development

 

Never Too Small for Major Gifts: Building a Program for Any Size Department 

Most Directors of Development and Heads of School know major gifts are critical to a school's philanthropic strategies, but, especially in smaller shops, it can sometimes be hard to define what that program should like, how it should be organized, and how many staff members should be utilized as prospect managers. In this session, attendees will walk away with a higher-level understanding of how a well-organized major gifts program can focus work and make smaller shops more efficient and not "spread too thin", as well as how to get started and how to create the metrics that will lead to a data-driven development strategy. 

Speaker: Jennifer Devine, Assistant Director of Development, Church Farm School

 

Bigger Fish in A Smaller Pond: Transitioning from Higher Ed to Independent Schools

The career path from higher education fundraising to independent school advancement is a common one, yet many professionals find themselves disoriented in their first few years on the job. Through examples and case studies, participants will explore how to "translate" their well-honed higher ed skillset into success in the independent school world, and to have fun while doing it! Great for folks making the transition themselves, or for those supervising employees making this transition.

Speakers: Mantra Robinson, Director of Advancement, The Head-Royce School and Rachel Spaulding, Head of Advancement, The Wheeler School

 

3:00-3:30 

Stretch Break

3:30-4:45

Day 1 Closing Plenary

Forecasting the Annual Fund: The Updated Data and What They Tell Us

Join us to review the updated Schools' Pulse Survey on Annual Giving in FY21, as well as other surveys from the past year. Look with Ann Snyder, Director of Independent Schools (CASE), at what the data mean for us right now and what they may – or may not – tell us for the future. As an update to our Spring 2021 content, we will take a critical look at what’s happening around the country in annual giving and parent and alumni participation. We will also look at both anecdotal and statistical trends that will likely impact advancement work in the next 12-18 months.

Speakers: Hans Mundahl, Senior Director, Professional Development, The Enrollment Management Association; Brendan Schneider, Founder and CEO, SchneiderB Media; and Ann Snyder, Director of Independent Schools, CASE

4:45-5:15

Networking Opportunity

5:15 

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Day 2: Thursday, February 24

11:30 AM-12:15 PM

Small Group Conversations/Affinity Groups

12:15-12:45

Stretch Break 

12:45-1:30

Elective Sessions (Select One):

Welcome to the Family: Helping New Families Acclimate in a K-8 Environment 

In K-8 schools, new families are very often also new to the world of independent schools in general. The notion of fundraising beyond the cost of tuition can be unfamiliar and intimidating. Advancement professionals need to approach these families with great care, educating them about the role of philanthropy and its importance in maintaining a robust and thriving educational experience for their children, all be "making an ask.". This session will give you a roadmap for working with new families throughout their first year. Examples of successful orientation events, social events and educational materials will be shared.

Speakers: Linda Corcoran, Director of Engagement and Philanthropy and Georgia Zasier, Head of School, Far Hills Country Day School

 

CASE AMAtlas: From Global Standards to Global Data 

Discover the latest trends that impact advancement within your independent school, across the country, and around the globe. CASE’s new Global Reporting Standards are foundational to the ongoing work of AMAtlas and address the dynamic landscape of an ever-evolving advancement profession.  Learn more about what is included in the new standards, why they matter, and how these new standards will intersect with AMAtlas surveys to provide global metrics and benchmarks. The CASE AMAtlas team will also share recent findings from our benchmarking surveys, including the Voluntary Support of Education and Alumni Engagement Metrics, and provide a sneak peek at data from our Core Metrics pilot (focusing on creating global metrics) and new Campaign Survey. 

Speaker: Cara Giacomini, Vice President, Data, Research, and Technology, CASE

1:30-2:00 

Stretch Break 

2:00-3:15

Featured Elective Sessions (Select One):

Alumni Relations: Copy and Share Everything

Engage in small groups with fellow alumni relations professionals to discover fresh ideas and new ways to efficiently and effectively reach your objectives. Topics will be determined based on current trends in alumni relations but could include: event follow up, affinity programming, communications, volunteer management, and more. This is an audience-participation session so prepare to share!



Speaker: Katie Young, Director of Alumni Relations, Greenhill School 

Making The Ask Takes Practice, Practice, Practice!

The objective of this session is to practice making the ask as many times as we can during the 75-minute session. In every sport, coaches’ emphasis practicing the basics on a daily basis so they become ingrained in the athlete. As advancement and development professionals, we need to practice the basics of making the ask over and over again. Donors and prospective donors will feel more comfortable if we feel more comfortable. Join us in this interactive session where we will practice the ask.

Speaker: Jeff Dudley, Director, Leadership Engagement, The St. Paul's Schools

 

3:15-3:30

Stretch Break

3:30-4:30

Closing Keynote/Plenary

Momentum & Advancement: Conversations in the Trajectory of our Industry

Join conference chairs Jan Abernathy and Caroline MacDonald, along with other distinguished panelists to discuss innovation in advancement and maintaining momentum at a pivotal point in school history. From considering what advancing our institutions truly means to looking at difficulties in maintaining momentum and strategic thinking amidst continued uncertainty, our panelists will discuss big questions facing independent schools, as well as predictions for a Covid-endemic world and its impact on fundraising, communication, and alumni relations.

Speakers: Jan Abernathy, Chief Communications Officer, The Browning School; Scott Erickson, Head of School, Phillips Brooks School; Emilie Henry, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, The Westminster Schools; Caroline MacDonald, Director of Advancement, American School of Paris; and Ann Snyder, Director of Independent Schools, CASE

4:30

Conference Adjourns