All Sessions
CASE-NAIS Independent Schools Conference 2024
CASE-NAIS Independent Schools Conference 2024
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1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CT
Figure It Out!
Difficult situations and seemingly intractable problems can be the seedbed for creative problem-solving and thinking outside the box. With the use of excellent storytelling, learn how some veteran administrators found a path forward, gaining traction on what seemed to be an impossible situation and turning it into something important and significant for the school.
Speakers: James Pattison, Advancement Search Consultant, Resource Group 175, John Farber, Managing Partner, Resource Group 175, Thomas Moore, Director of Advancement, The Kinkaid School
Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise
Experience Level: All Levels
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CT
Where Are We Going, and How Are We Getting There?
We are all on the same bus together, so rather than focus on who’s driving, let’s cut through traffic and get on the highway toward long-term financial sustainability so that your school’s mission can thrive in perpetuity. This multi-perspective panel of professionals with decades of combined success in higher ed and independent school business and advancement will illuminate how to tune up your revenue engine and reach further mile markers on the road to fiscal health. Work together effectively by sharing a mentality of stewardship as well as a commitment to transparency and making the business model work for you through the use of intelligent forecasting and metrics. Strong leaders in business and advancement who value partnership are better equipped to make the most of inevitable bumps – and glide through roadblocks – as they steer their school to its fullest potential. Join us to discuss how to lead your institution to its next destination faster, ultimately ensuring that the journey extends for generations to come.
Speakers: Alex Heiberger, Chief Financial and Operations Officer, The Madeira School, Jennifer Hillen, Chief Learning Officer, NBOA Business Leadership for Independent Schools, Emily Kasof, Chief Advancement Officer, The Madeira School, Alex Penry, Senior Director for Finance and Advancement, Headwaters School
Competencies: Strategic ThinkingBusiness and Financial Acumen
Experience Level: All Levels
Topics: Annual GivingMajor gifts
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CT
Elevate Email Rates: Affordable Ways to Surpass 70% Opens
Unlock the secrets of reviving lapsed donor engagement! Discover how a tailored drip campaign, sent directly from a work email, can astonishingly achieve over 70% open rates. Dive into this transformative approach, bypassing expensive mass email systems, and watch your click-throughs soar!
Speakers: Peter Gallo, Director of Development, Landon School, Lucas Metropulos, Managing Director, Metropulos Group
Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise
Experience Level: All Levels
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM CT
Planned Giving Pointers for Every Program
Add the planned giving arrow to your fundraising quiver. Programmatically and individually, schools and their fundraisers have much to gain from talking with prospective donors about planned giving. But many don’t. This session will explore key rationale for strengthening or building your school’s planned giving program and why you should be expecting every fundraiser to secure planned gift intentions from constituents. The session will also help attendees overcome the common stumbling blocks that often get in the way of having these conversations. In a case study, we will look at how one school used an historic bequest intention as a catalyst to increase the focus on planned giving. Whether in or between campaigns, discussing planned giving with your school’s prospects is good for your institution and your donors. Come and learn strategies for doing so.
Speakers: Elizabeth Farr, Senior Vice President, Grenzebach Glier and Associates (GG+A), T. Mark Aimone, Director of Advancement, Wilbraham & Monson Academy
Competencies: Strategic ThinkingIndustry or Sector Expertise
Topics: Major giftsPlanned giving
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM CT
Advancement Data Storytelling, Board Reporting, and Dashboard…oh my!
Harvard professor Howard Gardner wrote, “Stories are the single most powerful tool in a leader’s toolkit.” Advancement professionals and Heads of School are tasked with presenting complex advancement data to support mission-driven, data-informed change. Leaders can utilize data storytelling to clarify priorities, create shared understanding, and build a culture of leveraging philanthropy to fuel institutional progress. Effectively pairing data storytelling and data visualization allows for strategic agility and addressing tough questions from the leadership team and board of trustees. Dive into the art of taking the “numb” out of the numbers.
Speakers: Ari Betof, Co-Founder & Partner, Mission & Data, Dan Hickey, Head of School, Upland Country Day School, Mike Kegler, Senior Data Architecture and Visualization Consultant, Mission & Data
Competencies: LeadershipBusiness and Financial Acumen
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM CT
Code Red: The Urgent Lessons Schools Can Learn From Hospital Fundraising
Healthcare and education employ different financial models and yet the increasing costs in both sectors have led to intense pressure on fundraising staff. The pace can be harrowing, and the pressure intense. This interactive session will explore what we in education can learn from our counterparts in healthcare fundraising.
In general, hospital fundraisers operate in a world of need and speed. There is typically a shorter cultivation period as compared to the time we take building a relationship with alumni or parents. Development professionals may connect with patient prospects the day they are admitted for medical care or shortly thereafter. We will demonstrate how shortening the cultivation period with certain constituents can be just as successful in a school setting.
Urgent fundraising is also necessary as hospitals experience fluctuating revenue from their payers, from insurance companies to government contracts, and so many aging hospitals are in desperate need of renovation and replacement. What can we learn from the way hospitals managers and fundraisers respond to these pressures? We will look at short cuts and disruptive techniques some healthcare fundraisers have applied, from mini feasibility studies and mini campaigns, to the creative use of volunteers, the elimination of volunteer groups and heavier reliance on professional fundraisers.
Finally, participants will explore the transferable benefits of grateful patient programs and related family fundraising strategies. These programs provide a pathway that connects clinicians and hospital executives to fundraising. We will explore how your own school's life transforming student stories can provide a foundation to engage Heads of Schools and leadership in philanthropy training that feels authentic to all.
In general, hospital fundraisers operate in a world of need and speed. There is typically a shorter cultivation period as compared to the time we take building a relationship with alumni or parents. Development professionals may connect with patient prospects the day they are admitted for medical care or shortly thereafter. We will demonstrate how shortening the cultivation period with certain constituents can be just as successful in a school setting.
Urgent fundraising is also necessary as hospitals experience fluctuating revenue from their payers, from insurance companies to government contracts, and so many aging hospitals are in desperate need of renovation and replacement. What can we learn from the way hospitals managers and fundraisers respond to these pressures? We will look at short cuts and disruptive techniques some healthcare fundraisers have applied, from mini feasibility studies and mini campaigns, to the creative use of volunteers, the elimination of volunteer groups and heavier reliance on professional fundraisers.
Finally, participants will explore the transferable benefits of grateful patient programs and related family fundraising strategies. These programs provide a pathway that connects clinicians and hospital executives to fundraising. We will explore how your own school's life transforming student stories can provide a foundation to engage Heads of Schools and leadership in philanthropy training that feels authentic to all.
Speakers: Beth Crutcher, Director of Development, Lawrence Academy, Bridget Murphy, Chief Growth Officer, Graham Pelton
Competencies: Strategic ThinkingIndustry or Sector Expertise
Experience Level: All Levels
Topics: Major giftsParent engagement
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM CT
Making the Ask...Inclusively-- All of the Steps that You Need
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.
Speakers: Lauren Thornhill, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement, The Hamlin School, Tesha McCord Poe, CEO and Founder, Joy-Raising LLC
Competencies: Integrity and ProfessionalismLeadership
Topics: Diversity & InclusionMajor gifts
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM CT
Moving from Galas and Gimmicks to Being a Place Where Fundraising Can Thrive
Presentation High School was ready to let go of the complicated, old-school fundraising practices their community had relied on for decades. Their advancement team needed a simple yet elegant way to increase their fundraising capacity without all the clutter that comes with traditional models. Responsive Fundraising’s Three Lanes approach was exactly what they were looking for: a framework that could bend and flex as they matured their fundraising effort. In this session, Presentation’s President, Holly Elkins, and Chief Advancement Officer, Danna Davis, along with Responsive Founder, Jason Lewis, will share how the Three Lanes have afforded Presentation’s team clarity of purpose and clear performance indicators with an intuitive, relationship-centered approach to increasing fundraising capacity.
The Three Lanes approach is not a rigid prescriptive plan; rather, it is a below-the-surface understanding of how effective fundraising really works. In addition to providing a framework for planning and evaluating the program’s overall performance, the Three Lanes approach addresses common roadblocks that organizations encounter in their efforts to create a place where fundraising can thrive. All participants in this session will leave with an understanding of this approach, ideas for implementing it with an existing team, and metrics you can start tracking immediately.
The Three Lanes approach is not a rigid prescriptive plan; rather, it is a below-the-surface understanding of how effective fundraising really works. In addition to providing a framework for planning and evaluating the program’s overall performance, the Three Lanes approach addresses common roadblocks that organizations encounter in their efforts to create a place where fundraising can thrive. All participants in this session will leave with an understanding of this approach, ideas for implementing it with an existing team, and metrics you can start tracking immediately.
Speakers: Holland Elkins, President, Presentation High School, Jason Lewis, Owner, Responsive Fundraising
Competencies: Relationship BuildingStrategic Thinking
Experience Level: All Levels
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM CT
An Inflationary Tale of an Ambitious Building Project
Have you ever been part of a project or initiative that has changed in scope in the midst of planning due to changing needs of program, evolving economic circumstances, long range ambitions of your institution and/or all of the above? The need for the Marksman Athletic Complex at St. Mark's was born out of a devastating tornado that damaged most of the campus and leveled the school's primary athletic facility months before the pandemic. Replacing and enhancing this core facility represented the largest project in school history. The team at St. Mark's set out to secure required funding for the project in a short time frame, highlight the importance of annual giving, lay the groundwork for a comprehensive campaign and highlight the role of athletics as part of a robust curriculum. Learn and discuss how the execution of a monumental endeavor in the life of one school can apply to any team striving to achieve critical success when the goalpost is moving.
Speakers: Scott Jolly, Assistant Headmaster for External Affairs, St. Mark's School of Texas, Tim Crouch, Director of Development, St. Mark's School of Texas
Competencies: Strategic ThinkingIndustry or Sector Expertise
Topics: Major giftsSpecial Events
4:15 PM - 5:15 PM CT
Maintaining Advancement Momentum Through Leadership Transitions
As schools are challenged to maintain fundraising momentum through leadership transitions, hear how The John Cooper School has strengthened partnerships and accelerated its fundraising efforts to meet pressing capital needs and strategic objectives while onboarding a new Board Chair, Head of School and Chief Advancement Officer over the last 18 months.
Speakers: Beth Griffith, Chair, Board of Trustees, The John Cooper School, Stephen Popp, Head of School, The John Cooper School, Christen Wilson, Chief Advancement Officer, The John Cooper School, Dawsey Romero, Director of Advancement, St. John's School
Competencies: Strategic ThinkingLeadership
Topics: Major gifts