Explore the fascinating world of careers in international fundraising in this engaging panel discussion that delves into the unique differences and striking similarities across global fundraising practices. This session brings together experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds to share their journeys, challenges, and successes in the world of global philanthropy. Our panelists will delve into the essential skills and competencies needed to thrive in international fundraising, offer guidance on navigating cultural and regulatory landscapes, and provide practical tips to ensure success.

Whether you are a seasoned fundraiser looking to expand your horizons or a newcomer eager to make a global impact, this session will provide valuable perspectives and practical advice to help you chart a successful career in international fundraising.

Key Takeaways:
• Understanding the scope and significance of international fundraising opportunities
• Identifying key skills and competencies for global fundraising success
• Navigating cultural and regulatory challenges in different regions
• Practical advice and resources for career development in international fundraising
• Practical tips for adapting to various international contexts

Don't miss this opportunity to broaden your understanding and connect with fellow professionals who are making a difference on a global scale.

Whether you are a new school head or seasoned pro, we will cover the ways we can get comfortable with a conversation seeking significant gifts to your school. This session will cover the role of linking conversations to strategic direction, asking the right questions, ways to raise sights in a conversation, partnering with the advancement team and board, and how to discuss a gift of significance. This session will be limited to heads of school only.

Parents are essential partners to advance your school mission. But sometimes parent volunteer groups become exclusive and lack purpose. There are three ingredients to success: intentional volunteer recruitment, a big tent that is inclusive and welcoming to all, and a shared mission aligned to the school’s strategy. Join us for an enriching panel discussion with leaders from The Bishop Strachan School to learn how we built a powerful, inclusive and mission-aligned parent volunteer organization from the ground up - while preserving important traditions and building a positive school culture for all.

Traditional thinking around a Board’s involvement in fundraising campaigns may not align with present-day realities. In this session we’ll look at the shifting dynamics and highlight creative strategies to kickstart your next major fundraising effort. A key part of this work is redefining expectations of your Board’s engagement in the effort. Presenters will share candid insights to help you prepare for the important conversations with your Board. You’ll walk away with a clearer vision of your Board’s role and a roadmap to unlock their full fundraising potential.

$100 million campaigns are not the norm at independent schools, but the strategies deployed to execute them successfully should be. Join this session to hear advancement leaders who have led, or are in the midst of leading, these initiatives as they reflect on key learnings and challenges from these transformational campaigns. We’ll explore how these insights fit into the larger campaign life cycle—from the initial planning stages through public launch—and discover the pivotal roles volunteer leadership and Heads of School play in driving impactful educational advancement. From building authentic relationships, to leveraging data, to crafting innovative campaign communications and keeping staff motivated, this group has experienced it all and they’re ready to share their tried-and-true strategies that can help a campaign of any size reach its goal.

We have all heard the mantra, onboarding new families begins the moment they first set foot on campus during the admission process, but how do you operationalize that? Join Director of Development, Abigail Betts, and Director of Admission, Alex Ragone, to learn about their collaboration to create a seamless onboarding of new families, helping each family feel included and part of the community early in their transition. Walk away with actionable takeaways to work smarter and not harder, inspire your new parent onboarding, and increase parent engagement and giving. Come to learn how Abigail and Alex use strategic meetings, events, and communication to build a better transition process for new to Norwood families, that resulted in more engaged and philanthropic families.

This interactive workshop will look at two cases and then learn from you! We’ll look to our constituents and then ourselves as diverse professionals.

Firstly, we will look at how we build affinity work that supports our alumni constituencies. Events, mailings, Zooms book clubs. These wins demonstrate to our organizations that affinity based work, has powerful outcomes. For instance, in three years, the Black Alumni Reunion moved from 30 people to a 130 annual destination event!

While building affinity for our constituencies benefits the organization, we will next demonstrate how you can build an affinity group that supports you! Make the CASE for your NAIS institution to support affinities across institutions. Learn from the Diverse Professionals in Advancement, a collective made up of individuals not well represented in our field. Born from professional development conferences, grassroots meet-ups, and later supported by a one-time CASE grant, this group gathers diverse professionals across institutions within advancement for the goal of restoring our energy, expanding our network, and elevating the work that we do individually. Come hear how this model can be adapted across the country using your institution as leverage to build professional networks with colleagues.

Finally, we’ll close by hearing about you and your institutions DEI wins.

Educational institutions are trying to do it all - improve the student experience and learning outcomes, attract and retain the best faculty and staff, and keep their alumni engaged and feeling valued. Survey research can help schools better understand how their stakeholders are feeling and what is important to them, providing actionable data to drive improvement. Learn how to conduct your own survey research, even with limited resources, to make data-informed decisions that optimize your school's resources and foster better outcomes.

In today's rapidly evolving educational landscape, the intersection of communication and philanthropy is more crucial than ever. This session will explore how strategic communication practices can amplify philanthropic efforts, driving unprecedented success in fundraising campaigns.

Building on real-world experience—including the successful closure of the largest gift in ASL's history—this workshop will provide attendees with actionable strategies that leverage communication tools and philanthropic principles to enhance donor engagement and increase contributions.

Participants will engage in interactive exercises designed to simulate real-world challenges, such as crisis communication during major global events and managing donor relationships through transitions in school leadership. These activities will be informed by advanced insights gained from a Cambridge executive MBA program, with a focus on strategic management and organizational behavior.