12:00 – 1:00 PM 

Conference Registration

Welcome to Chicago! Stop by the registration desk beginning at 12:00 p.m. to check in and pick up your conference materials. 

1:00 – 1:45

Conference Welcome, Overview, and Big Picture

Join conference chair, Skylar Beaver to meet the faculty, learn how to get the most out of your time at the conference and get a big picture overview of the field of Development.

1:45 – 3:00

The Fundamentals of Annual Giving

Whether you work in the department or not, understanding annual giving is foundational in successful development programs. This presentation will touch on common strategies, efforts and emerging trends; giving you a strong start for an annual giving specialist career or providing insight on how best to leverage the power of annual gifts.

3:00 – 3:30

Refreshment Break

3:30 – 4:30

Elective Session (choose one):

• Collaborating with Colleagues across Advancement
  
  This session will begin with a brief overview of different offices common within Advancement divisions and then focus on how to build partnerships, the importance of collaboration and give examples of important accomplishments that resulted from a cross-team effort.
• Creating Culturally Relevant Messages
  
  As a development officer, you will engage with alumni and donors from different cultures and identities. Research shows that individuals who represent these varying backgrounds view philanthropy differently, through their own cultural lens. Participants in this elective will be introduced to contemporary research that will shed light on giving motives for these communities. Case studies will also be used to help reinforce the information learned during the session.

4:30 – 5:30

Networking Reception

Join conference speakers and your colleagues to network and socialize after the first day of the conference. Drink tickets and hors d'oeuvres will be provided. Don't forget your business cards!

5:30

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own OR optional small group dinners; sign-up required

8:30 – 9:30 AM

Continental Breakfast, Faculty Office Hours, and Roundtable Discussions

9:30 – 10:45

Making the Ask

Let’s demystify the idea of “making the ask” by talking about the basics.  A solicitation doesn’t need to be anxiety-provoking! Let’s discuss the criteria that need to be in place before we are ready to talk about money. And, as importantly, let’s make sure that our prospects are ready to be asked! We will compile a high-level checklist and review the donor engagement cycle.

10:45-11:00

Coffee Break

11:00 AM – Noon

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• The Basics of Planned Giving
  
  As a newcomer, it’s easy to get lost in the acronyms of development LYBUNT, CGA, IRA, etc. We’ll focus on those typically found in the planned giving function and talk briefly about each. While many of you won’t be working on these gifts right away, it’s important to be able to identify prospects who should be referred to a planned giving colleague and understand the basics when needed in conversation.  You won’t leave this session an expert, but you’ll know what to listen for and the basics to get by.
• Impact Storytelling

  One of the most important donor engagement and stewardship activities is conveying to donors the impact of their gifts on your organization. This session will focus on how to tell and show those stories of impact and build and strengthen meaningful relationships with your donors. We’ll cover storytelling tactics and channels, from acknowledgements to campus visits and lots in between and beyond.

Noon – 1:30 PM

Lunch on your own

1:30 – 2:45 

Navigating the Intersection of DEIB and Advancement

As the student demographics of higher education changes each generation, development officers must be equipped with the understanding that they will need to develop skills to connect with a donor from any background. Participants will learn the business case for inclusive excellence; understand the different and evolving dimensions of diversity; the basic tenets of equity, and systems of inclusion; define cultural competency and link it to implicit bias; and discuss how cultural competency affects the work of higher education advancement professionals.

2:45 – 3:00

Refreshment Break

3:00 – 4:00 

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• The Cold Call and Your 1st Visit
  
  Turn up the heat on your cold calls and keep the door open after your first visit. Learn how to get the appointment, how to start the conversation and keep it on track, and most importantly, how to end the visit ensuring a productive next step. Have to solicit on that first call? We'll cover that as well. The development professional who masters and enjoys cold calls and first visits is destined for success!
• Working with Volunteers to Increase Fundraising Results  
  
  Volunteers are critical to our success in advancement.  From social media to leadership annual giving and campaigns, volunteer engagement can make the difference between success and failure.  Explore how to use volunteers to maximize your development work and learn the skills and strategies necessary to cultivate this successful partnership. 

4:00 – 4:15

Stretch Break

4:15–5:15

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• Deep Dive into Annual Giving Strategies
  
  There is no shortage of solicitation tools in annual giving, and every year we see new strategies and platforms added.  Walk away from this session with a better understanding of the many tools in our toolkit, how and when to use which strategies and how to measure success.
• Practicing Making the Ask
  
  It is time to put what you have learned into action. We will divide into groups and practice making an ask using several prepared scenarios.

5:15

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own OR optional small group dinners; sign-up required

8:30 – 9:30 AM

Continental Breakfast, Faculty Office Hours, and Roundtable Discussions

9:30 – 10:45

Campaign Planning 101

All of our institutions are either preparing for, in the midst of, or transitioning out of a campaign. In this session, we'll walk through a comprehensive campaign plan and review the essential ingredients for success.

10:45-11:00

Coffee Break

11:00 AM – Noon

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• Practicing Making the Ask
  
  Have questions about “Making the Ask”? Bring the questions that have transpired over the last few days and also be ready to put what you have learned into action. We will divide into groups and practice making an ask using several prepared scenarios as well as any of those burning questions!
• First Things First: Where to Focus Attention if Resources are Limited
  
  I see you. Yes, you—the folks who are in brand-new and/or one-person shops—you’re wondering what to do first when it comes to recognizing, engaging, and stewarding the donors and funds that are powering your programs. In this session, we’ll talk about the must-dos and the nice-to-haves to foster long-term relationships with your favorite philanthropists.

Noon – 1:30 PM

Lunch on your own

1:30 – 2:45 

Developing Major Gift Strategies

What makes a major gift major? How does this differ from annual giving solicitations?  We’ll cover the basics and help identify key factors to build into your strategies as you begin your work with donors.

2:45 – 3:00

Refreshment Break

3:00 – 4:00 

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• Fundraising as a Tool for Social and Reparative Justice
  
  Advancement organizations have largely been intentional about trying to maintain neutrality during times of institutional and social crisis. However, the most successful organizations have leaned into addressing issues in difficult times. During the session, we will define social and reparative justice, introduce case studies where institutions have faced difficult decisions around their past and contemporary history, and show examples of how advancement organizations met the needs of the institution while connecting with a broader alumni and donor audience.
• “What I Wish I Knew When I Started”
  
  With a combined 35 years in the industry, hear from Casey and Skylar as they share their list of things they wish they knew when they started in development. Bring any and all questions related to starting out in this career, learning about your institution, making the ask and more!

4:15–5:15

Donor Relations and Stewardship: A Shared Responsibility 

I’m a donor relations professional—and so are you! Everyone in development has a part to play in fostering meaningful, enduring relationships with donors. During our time together, I’ll share my definition and some guiding principles of donor relations and stewardship and give you an overview of the tools to develop and deploy to keep donors excited and inspired. 

5:15

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own OR optional small group dinners; sign-up required

8:30 – 9:30 AM

Breakfast

9:30 – 10:30

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• Asking Strategic Questions
  
  Strategic and generative conversations are at the heart of our work. Questioning and listening are powerful life skills. Quality questions elicit amazing information that will guide you in the solicitation process and help you build relationships on campus with your supervisor, peers and faculty members. Learn how to develop questions instead of talking points that will inform your gift strategy, advance relationships, and result in a joyful, generous "Yes" to your request for increased engagement with your institution, a significant gift to one of your priorities or for whatever you were hoping that volunteer or colleague would do to help you achieve your goals.
• Keeping Current and Knowing Your Stuff
  
  Today’s donors are sophisticated and smart. You need to be equally so by staying abreast of the facts and figures as well as the latest and greatest programs, people, and priorities of your institution AND world events that may influence the timing and amount of gifts. Jen will share a curated list of the resources that fellow conference faculty members and her MIT colleagues rely on to stay at the top of their game. And then she'll ask you to expand the list with your own additions.

10:30 – 10:45

Coffee Break

10:45 – 11:45

Closing Plenary: Donor Panel

Close out the conference with the opportunity to hear directly from remarkable philanthropists about their motivation and commitment to supporting higher education. This conversation will explore their experiences as donors, their philosophies for their philanthropy, and will offer insights into how they engage with institutions and what contributes to their decision to give. The discussion will also explore what our panelists expect from the institutions they support and their motivation to invest so generously.

11:45 AM – 12:15 PM

Faculty Q&A and Closing Remarks

Final questions, faculty perspectives and next steps as you go back to your institutions.

12:15

Conference Adjourns