A few months ago, the world’s first fully autonomous fundraiser interacted with its first assigned donor. During this time, two dozen+ nonprofits joined together as cohorts to engage donors with an AI-powered Virtual Engagement Officer but more importantly research, develop, and accelerate the deployment of autonomous fundraising for our entire industry.

All nonprofits can relate to the fact that they have more donors and alumni than they have fundraisers with capacity to build relationships. This is precisely where autonomous fundraising changes what’s possible.

In this session, cohort members will present the results they’ve seen from autonomous fundraising – donors engaged, dollars raised, and pipeline built, in addition to their experience being the first organizations in the world to deploy a Virtual Engagement Officer to a portfolio of their donors.

We’ll present what we learned, what we got right, where course corrections were needed, and how we navigated AI in a field defined by relationships. We’ll share all of our findings including portfolios for autonomous fundraisers, sourcing engagement content independently, accuracy, transparency, ethics, and more.

Finally, we’ll conclude by looking at where we are going, how we can continue to further personalize donor journeys, push the outer limits of technology, and more. *CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1 CPE for this session.

In turbulent times many smaller institutionally-related foundations (IRF’s) are seeking alternative economic models to be fully self-sustaining. The Kean University Foundation’s economic model is unique and, we believe, cutting edge. As we enter our sixth year in our restructuring plan, and embark on our first comprehensive capital campaign in more than 15 years, the Foundation employs all staff and absorbs the costs associated with staff benefits, human resources, information technology, legal, etc. This presentation summarizes the funding and spending plan for the Kean University Foundation as well as the organization’s competitive cost per dollar raised. *CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1 CPE for this session.

In the competitive realm of higher education, fundraising success relies on more than just passion and a great case; it requires a strategic approach. Participants will learn how strategic planning principles can inspire cohesion within fundraising teams while also enhancing their overall fundraising success.

In this session participants will learn:
• The key components of strategic planning.
• Strategies for fostering a culture of adaptability and innovation within your fundraising team through the strategic planning process.
• How to build bridges between fundraisers and their partners (such as Deans, University leaders, and engagement or communications branches), enhancing collaboration to drive fundraising success.
• Ideas for setting clear expectations that align with your organization’s vision.
• Best practices for building the tools and resources needed to support your fundraising goals. *CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1 CPE for this session.

Presidential transitions are a pivotal time for higher education institutions, but they don’t always happen when or how you’d expect. In the recent past, Oregon State University has experienced both planned and unplanned transitions. The OSU Foundation has learned that the way advancement offices manage relationships with donors, friends and alumni during these times is essential to the future of the university. Using concrete, real-life examples, this session will walk attendees through how Foundation and alumni teams can shape presidential transitions and foster strong presidential relationships with key audiences by creating a strong plan with measurable goals, tactics, milestones and impact reporting. *CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1 CPE for this session.