Connect with your fellow conference attendees in this luncheon working session, created to help you put key concepts into practice. We’ll use this time to explore scenarios that highlight challenges facing deans and academic leaders in fundraising and then work as a team at your tables to develop strategies to meet them.

For many, the idea of making an ask for support is the most daunting aspect of Development. The truth is, with preparation and practice, your confidence and comfort will increase dramatically. In a series of role plays, we will consider not only the sort of preparation required to ensure your meeting is fruitful and enjoyable, but also what a conversation during an actual visit might sound like.

This session will focus on cultivation and stewardship and the importance of developing rapport and an effective working relationship, understanding expectations and intent, executing a productive project management plan, and strategic communications with all stakeholders including the donors, university administration, advancement executives, and the broader university community.

For all the assets faculty bring to building relationships with alumni and supporters, it can take some time to discover shared goals with them in advancement work. For this workshop, we’ll look at some ways of inventorying shared interests and goals with faculty related to this work, and then spend some time applying that to your own domain toward new collaborations with them.

Enjoy this opportunity to hear directly from 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.

Campaigns are now ubiquitous in college and university fundraising. What used to be periodic efforts to increase funds raised for projects or buildings are now regular and sustained fundraising efforts that are more frequent, longer in duration, and pursue ever larger goals. We will review the basic planning framework of a campaign, review the stages of a campaign, and explore the dean's role within it. All the basics of a campaign will be covered. By the end, you will be able to differentiate between a capital and comprehensive campaigns and outline what role your institution expects of you.

Creating development strategy is critical to an effective fundraising effort, and is less daunting than you think. We will explore the fundamentals of how deans and development professionals can craft and execute a solid development strategy in a way that will transfer to any context.

Have additional questions about your specific Campaign? Attend this follow-up session to get answers on all things campaign-related.

As a dean, what metrics should you review to assess the health of your development program? While advancement programs have access to robust information systems it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lost in the data. Leaders need to focus on data that drives productivity. This session will help you think about using data to determine staffing, prioritize prospects, and allocate resources, as well as develop meaningful scorecards that lead to positive advancement outcomes.

Ethical issues are more top of mind than ever in development. Transparency, accountability, and the highest ethical standards of personal and institutional conduct are vital to our success. In this interactive session, we’ll review ethical issues related to our work in development and consider the tools and approaches we use to ensure we all remain on the highest ethical ground. We'll then wrap up the conference with an opportunity for final thoughts from the Faculty and recommended next steps as you go back to your institutions.