Session Description: Come join us as we examine three areas of personal and professional growth for the emerging leader. In this workshop we will examine the differences between mentorship, sponsorship and coaching for your continued life-long growth and learning. With breakouts, group work and partner work, we will look at how to effectively grow your skills and leadership by utilizing and understanding these areas for continued growth. We will also learn about identifying these individuals, making the ask for their assistance and building the relationship for life long success.

While institutions have long attempted to improve access and equity across diverse communities of students and constituencies, many of these efforts face heightened scrutiny. Institutions in some states are being directed to remove the language about diversity from their materials; others are experiencing the call for removal of senior level diversity administrators and offices. Why is this happening and what does this mean for schools, colleges, universities, and the profession of advancement? This session will create awareness of legislative and regulatory actions under discussion and inform participants about the potential impact these policies could have on their institutions and on the work of advancement. It will explore why some communities feel excluded from DEIB conversations. Finally, the session will help advancement practitioners learn how to foster an environment in our work where all communities and constituencies can belong and thrive.

Session Description: This session will promote you to think critically about an organizational framework that empowers employees to set community norms and lead critical conversations, including with those who don't support a strong DEI vision, with confidence. As a gift officer, do you feel confident and equipped to have critical conversations with donors who have expressed their disapproval of DEI work? As an organizational leader, do you feel empowered to set community norms for donors who use language/ideology that is racist, sexist, homophobic, etc.? The racial reckoning of 2020 prompted many organizations to commit themselves to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, there is some trepidation around how to communicate with donors who disapprove of DEI work and how to set boundaries for donors who use problematic language. Our organizations need to create frameworks that empower our employees to set community norms and be confident in having critical conversations that foster trust, engagement, and learning with donors who don’t support our DEI visions. This session will promote you to think critically about your organization’s framework and how to maximize it. There will also be a case study to elicit reflection on how to handle critical conversations with donors. Please come prepared to reflect, engage, and learn!

Embracing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion starts with you! Learn a framework to help you incorporate the best practices of diversity, equity, and inclusion into your donor stewardship and engagement events. Get real and tangible examples of how diversity, equity, and inclusion show up in your special events. This presentation is about the internal transformations in fundraising processes and thought strategies necessary to engage, steward and retain “diverse” donors in our new era of philanthropy. Join us to learn a framework and develop an action plan to incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion best practices into donor engagement and special event programming.

The search sector has experienced a renewed commitment to Inclusion, Equity and Diversity. How can the nonprofit industry realistically and impactfully move the cause forward to diversify leadership and teams through executive search and more inclusive internal hiring practices? And, what are people of color candidates looking for and what attracts them to your open career opportunities? Hear from leaders in executive search on what they’re looking for in candidates and how they are coaching employers to focus on true inclusion and equity.

Session Description: For many non-profits, just finding enough staff and volunteers to keep day-to-day operations and established programs running can sometimes be a challenge. Instead of hiring additional staff, consider engaging volunteers to assist with the task of fundraising. Volunteer fundraisers can actually be more effective than paid staff. They too can view fundraising as meaningful work and can inspire others as they lead by example, encouraging them to also give their time and monetary resources. In this session, we will explore the basics of how to effectively engage volunteers in your organization’s fundraising efforts.

Atlanta International School represents 90 nationalities within the student, parent, and alumni communities and the constituents speak more than 65 languages spoken. So when a new Advancement Team went to troubleshoot the root causes of an Annual Fund in steady decline for more than 5 years, both in terms of amount and participation rate, the Team needed to revisit cross-cultural communication strategies alongside of the basics of cultivation and fundraising.

Session Description: Individuals who have established their own firms will share the good, the bad, and the in-between of starting a fundraising consulting firm. Hear firsthand from their experience of making that final decision to hang the "Open for Business" shingle and what that involved when deciding to leave their 9-5 job and take on the responsibility and needs of nonprofits that do not have a full-time fundraiser or simply need additional guidance or support. There's so much to consider, such as determining fees and compensation, the stress of educating passionate but sometimes novice nonprofit founders, and realistically balancing how many clients you must take on to pay the bills and turn a profit. Hear the experiences of four individuals who have established their own firms and ask the questions that will help you decide if you are ready.

Innovation is the practical implementation of ideas that result in introducing new goods or services or improving in offering goods or services. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society”. When you investigate the history of innovation and culture, you will see that socially accepted innovation lacks diverse contributions. The world is changing, and with diversity as a consistent talking point in almost every circle, more inventors of color are redefining for the first-time what innovation culture is and weaving it into everyday society. In this session, you will learn from those who broke through the cultural norms, like technologists like Farah Allen, Doll Avant, and investors. The audience will walk away hearing first-hand examples of how African American founders and corporate leaders are disturbing the norm with big success, the journey to funding the future, and how everyone can do their part to be the change.