This session will discuss the strengths and opportunities of a college-specific development officer versus a centralized model at Jacksonville State University (JSU). We'll explore how these different approaches impact fundraising effectiveness, donor relationships, and overall advancement strategies at Jax State.

"Every person on the planet has sass and smart-sass qualities in them." - Dictionary.com . Do you know and have the skill sets to solicit, acknowledge, and steward the gifts your charity seeks? What are the most important attributes in each category? If you've closed the gift and acknowledged why should you be included in the stewardship?

So you joined the road warrior club? Congratulations! But now what? Learn and connect with your fellow new and seasoned road warriors to "hit the ground running". Gain the tools of the trade to be a great fundraiser, travel easier, and advance your career, with a healthy dose of hilarious or jaw dropping stories from the field.

The higher education landscape is constantly evolving, presenting both challenges and opportunities for fundraisers. From navigating new regulations and technologies to adapting to the shifting priorities of students and donors, leadership must ensure their institution operates at the highest level and utilizes current best practices. A robust suite of highly-tailored policies and procedures can be the key to ensuring your college is equipped to serve your communities and prepare for a bright future. The Broward College Foundation and CCS Fundraising recently partnered on an audit to assess the current state of the foundation’s policies and procedures. This collaboration led to the development of a new, comprehensive suite of policies designed to enhance operations and protect against emerging threats. Join CCS and BCF as they discuss the essential policies your institution needs to support enhanced operations and mitigate risks such as digital currency gift acceptance and naming policies in the age of cancel culture.

Frontline fundraising has long been a holdout in advancement’s data-driven renaissance. This is where the art, rather than the science, of fundraising was paramount. The importance of data as the currency in relationship-based giving programs, however, has never been greater. From well planned and managed cadencies to qualify, cultivate, and close major gifts to collecting and recording data points that will be foundational in predictive modeling, it has never been more important for gift officers—and the programs whose success they power—to be data minded.

This session will invite gift officers to reevaluate their relationship with data and own their opportunity to manage their portfolios and prospects with their role in managing data to maximize insights in mind. It will also focus on how fundraiser managers and advancement services professionals can partner with gift officers to manage a data-forward frontline fundraising program.

1 in 9 people ages 65+ is showing some sign of cognitive impairment, which is also the same age as the average major gift donor in the United States. Encountering an elderly donor in cognitive decline is inevitable as advancement staff, yet few know how to ethically and legally handle this situation when it arises. Is your institution prepared? This session will teach attendees how to spot the signs of cognitive impairment and what best practices their team should implement when faced with an older donor who has cognitive impairment issues.

A healthy, highly engaged school culture is perhaps the most powerful strategic advantage for Advancement professionals–and is a source of greater joy in this work. But culture is easier to feel than to measure. The values and beliefs that are expressed as important may not be reflected in what faculty and families actually experience. Culture is less about happy people and more about energized and engaged administrators, educators, and staff who are united in purpose and behavior while being able to effectively solve hard problems together. How do we develop the leadership and habits that most contribute to an authentic and sustainable culture? In this workshop we will explore the 12 Disciplines of Excellent School Leadership, clarifying the perspectives and practices that reliably enable us to love and lead all stakeholders in school leadership more effectively and cultivate a healthy, vibrant organization which directly impacts Advancement at all levels.