Gift agreements are the foundation for fostering strong, long-lasting relationships with donors. A well-crafted gift agreement not only ensures clarity and alignment between the organization and the donor but also plays a crucial role in effective donor stewardship. In this session, Christina Chase, C.P.A., J.D., the CFO and COO of the UC San Diego Foundation, will share valuable insights and practical advice on creating and negotiating gift agreements that strengthen donor relationships and encourage future giving.

Whether you are a seasoned fundraiser or a nonprofit administrator, this session will provide you with the technical knowledge and practical tools needed to create gift agreements that foster trust, transparency, and long-term sustainability for your organization. Join to learn how to leverage the power of effective gift agreements in building stronger donor relationships and securing future gifts for your organization.

Join us to discuss the potential for automation, integration and AI in your foundation environment, and how you can empower and elevate those on your team using these tools. Where do you start and how can you use these tools in your leadership role in the next 5 years? We will discuss some examples of how automation, integration and AI are currently being used in our day to day and think future forward to possibilities where these tools allow us all to work smarter, not harder! Come prepared to share your ideas and experiences with automation, integration and AI or any other data driven projects you have been involved with!

Change is often discussed in our business. We make predictions, we adjust to our university's changes in leadership, in strategic plans, etc. We can fall victim to diverting our focus as foundation leaders to all the activities that are "fundraising adjacent" and divert our energy, our resources and our teams away from some of the basic tenants in our business that are timeless...the fact that meaningful, values aligned, authentic fundraising has been and will remain a critical component to the impact of higher education creates for our world. This session will feature a discussion and Q&A about what will change in our space, what will not and how we navigate our foundations to best serve the perpetual mission.

How do you figure out what is the correct thing to do when confronted by a challenging situation involving a donor or your organization? It is rare for a decision to be clearly and obviously right or wrong, so what tools exist to help fundraisers discern how to uphold the highest standards of professionalism? In this session, participants will have a brief introduction to ethical principles in the fundraising profession and then will review and evaluate 5-8 real world ethical scenarios covering everything from donor/fundraiser relationships, planned giving, donor influence, and organizational expectations for fundraisers. Particularly designed for newer members of the profession, this session will be highly interactive and participatory and will include time for discussion and questions.

Overview
In today’s philanthropic landscape, effective stewardship is crucial for building lasting relationships with donors and ensuring sustained support and retention of donors. As one of the few Stewardship departments in the country housed within a Marketing & Communications team, this session will focus on a reimagined stewardship program by detailing the development of a comprehensive stewardship handbook and the implementation of an innovative student scholarship “thank you” process, that went on to become a nationally award-winning CASE event, "Notes from the Nest." A key emphasis will be placed on fostering collaboration and partnership across campus and within the provost's office to enhance stewardship efforts.

In this session, both presenters will discuss how they stripped down the quarterly investment allocation process and rebuilt it from scratch leveraging process improvement, technology, and changes to investment philosophy. Designed around fund management best practices while allowing for the occasional exception, what used to be a multi-day process is now completed in a fraction of the time because of this partnership and leveraging of technology.

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.

In this engaging session, our speaker will share their journey through the ups and downs of their first year in fundraising. Discover essential research techniques to identify and connect with potential donors, learn how to build powerful collaborations across departments, and explore innovative strategies that can transform your approach to advancement. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, this session promises practical insights, inspiring stories, and a fresh perspective on navigating the dynamic world of higher education fundraising. Don't miss your chance to elevate your skills and soar to new heights!

Thank you for attending!