This session will provide findings from survey results, provide tools to navigate conversations with dissenting opinions, and harness the power of honoring traditions and values of the past while forging a relevant and progressive future. Attendees will learn how to engage alumni and donors in a way that empowers them to join in the vision, and identify when to detach from donors who do not uphold the institution’s current mission and vision.

We all know that a robust donor pipeline is key to a sustainable, growth-oriented development operation. but how do we combine the relationship-building power of major gifts with the scalability of annual giving activities? The answer: Digital Experience Officers (DXOs)! In this session, you will hear how the OK State Foundation Annual Giving Team built a DXO program to engage and upgrade donors in the middle of the pyramid to identify and hand off the next generation of major gift prospects. Your presenters will share their experience building a program from the ground up, how they collaborated with peers to form a program that was right for their institution, and how the program has grown and changed in its initial two years.

This session focuses on how to develop a playbook centered on integral principles of fundraising that are too often an afterthought for organizations: stewardship, marketing, and communications. Few organizations have a built-in donor base and even those who do, must stand out when cultivating gifts. Whether a small department or a large university, this session will provide practical examples and tactics for unique and meaningful stewardship that inspires donors during acquisition, cultivation and recognition events. The session will hone messaging and marketing that focuses on your organization’s mission, purpose and impact that resonates with any audience including the business community.

Fundraising is often described as both a science and an art. In pipeline building, we often only focus on the science of the equation by moving prospects in one direction of the donor pyramid. In this session, attendees will learn artful ways to rethink the traditional donor pipeline and strategies for collaborating with annual giving, prospect researchers, gift officers, and clinicians. Flipping the traditional model of donor acquisition that starts with annual giving and leads to major gifts, this session will highlight stories of successful collaboration and partnership with different starting points. Attendees will learn how to use this new model to increase donor engagement, new donors, and gifts.

Donor relations pros and front line fundraisers rejoice. Let's work together to make fundraising magic. This session will provide a partnership roadmap for your fundraising shop. We'll fill your magic toolbox with proactive strategies, processes, and tips to dazzle even your biggest critics. You'll raise more money, make a bigger impact, and enjoy some belly laughs along the way.

Working with Parent Prospects and Donors: Best practices fundraisers need to know to start and enhance their work with parents. Giving from parents is an excellent way to identify new sources of philanthropy for your institution and many fundraisers aren't sure where to start. We'll discuss the differences between strategies for parent giving versus alumni giving, key data points to look for and best practices that can be implemented at any institution. This session is applicable for all levels of experience with parent giving.

Do you ever feel stuck with certain prospects or donors and are unsure of how to move conversations forward that may have stalled out (or never happened in the first place)? In this session, two frontline fundraisers will share their strategic process from moving prospects from stuck to solicitation and how they have partnered together to create a model of engagement that utilizes both of their skill sets and unique roles within donor and prospect relationships to expertly drive forward solicitation conversations and proposals.  Join this session to hear practical examples and case studies from this dynamic duo about collaboration and what to do (and not to do!) to generate activity and increase solicitations within your portfolios.