Lean into equity while raising more money from more people. Sound impossible? Join us and learn how Thacher School ditched its auction in 2020 and never looked back. It raised 2x the revenue from 5x the constituents, engaging parents, alumni, parents of alumni, grandparents, and friends. Even in a post-pandemic world, this innovative model has continued to work for Thacher. During this session, regardless of the technology used, you will receive the strategies and confidence to rethink traditional fundraising events, and ensure institutional sustainability. This is your chance to strengthen philanthropy while building community.

The Development Team at University Prep utilizes an engaged and motivated group of parent volunteers, Class Agents, in order to run a successful annual fund. Through comprehensive campaign materials and thorough communication, our volunteers drive participation and raise awareness about the important role the annual fund plays in our community. This session will share ways to engage volunteers, how to set them up for success, and the impact they have on results.

Increasingly the pressure is on to purchase the latest text-messaging software or use the latest trending social media tools to reach donors, not to mention to abandon things like phonathons and other “outmoded” forms of outreach. But in independent schools sometimes the “old-fashioned,” personal way is the best way to cultivate, engage, and retain donors, and to run your annual fund campaign. This session will focus on using everything from handwritten, personalized notes on solicitations and acknowledgements to lively phonathons to, yes, text messages and emails, to good old-fashioned phone calls and coffee dates to meet and exceed your annual fund goals, all while building good will among volunteers and constituents, and even having a little fun at your job!

Where do I even come up with my ideas for the next campaign? Have you ever struggled with how to bring a creative lens to your campaigns or appeals? GiveCampus and Blair Academy partner together to show you how to analyze, brand and create your own appeals. Utilizing a marketing strategy in a way that will capture your audience's attention and bring in the big bucks.

Schools, by their nature, are cyclical. Seasons ebb and flow, and life begins again with each academic—and fiscal!—year. In Advancement circles, nowhere is this more apparent than in the Annual Fund, which, as its name suggests, happens year in and year out—for better and for worse, a tradition in its own right.

But how much of your Appeal remains unchanged year over year? How much time do you invest in campaign development with so much already on our Annual Giving plates?

The Appeal is one of the most easily-overlooked elements of an Annual Fund but arguably one of the most important… It not only sets the tone for the year but also—in its ideal form—efficiently and effectively conveys a unique case for giving that resonates with parents, alumni, faculty, and friends.

Kickstart your Annual Fund Appeal by exploring the basic principles of concept-development and copy-writing (don’t be boring!), considering organizational theory (what is mimetic isomorphism, and what does it have to do with me?), and reflecting on the unique value proposition and differentiating factors of your own institution (what sets us apart?) to build a fun (and functional!) Appeal that keeps your Annual Fund fresh and your community connected.