Donors—particularly major donors—are increasingly seeing their gifts as investments. And just like any corporate investor, they want to know their gifts’ ROI. Universities that leverage their president, chancellor, cabinet, and faculty chairs effectively to build authentic relationships with donors are the ones seeing the biggest returns in today’s philanthropic marketplace. University of Arkansas – Fort Smith has transformed its major giving program thanks to the relationships its Chancellor Terisa Riley and department chairs such as Kendall Ross have built with key stakeholders and donors. Since Dr. Riley arrived on campus three years ago, major giving has skyrocketed. The university is set to exceed its $75 million centennial campaign’s financial goal by 33 percent, with record individual gifts and giving levels.

To understand how other universities can build similar donor/president relationships, this presentation will focus on:

-the role of the university’s advancement office in the process
-qualifying and prioritizing the right donors
-ideal allocation of a president’s time to fundraising
-taking the first step in building the relationship
-the types of cultivation events or individual meetings that are most effective

Discover Texas State University's innovative strategic corporate engagement program, a pivotal step towards the coveted R1 status. Join us as we unveil a groundbreaking initiative that unites internal university stakeholders, aligning them with a singular vision and igniting powerful industry relationships. In partnership with UNITE Corporate Engagement, we'll delve into how this program opens doors to enhanced career services for students, support for academic excellence, expanded industry-sponsored research, and a boost for university-wide initiatives. Get ready to explore the future of corporate collaboration at Texas State University.

The expectations from a gift officer to their research colleague can often be summed up by the famous words of Jerry McGuire, "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!!!". While this may be true for some, we believe there is a better way, one of collaboration and communication. Please join us for a practical workshop where gift officers, researchers, and managers will walk away with some best practices on how to effectively collaborate and maximize fundraising success.

In the face of political and racial tensions spreading across the nation and the impact of a global COVID-19 pandemic that upended traditional norms, The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff reached a historic fundraising milestone, generating $10.1 million: the best fundraising year in school history! The success represented 200% growth over five years, moving UAPB from an average of $2M annually to the historic $10.1M high. Such fundraising success at a Historically Black College or University (HBCU), especially a small public university, is unprecedented. HBCUs face many challenges regarding fundraising and alumni engagement, but with creativity, perseverance, and non-traditional thinking, exceeding your fundraising goals can become more than just a plan! Join us for an engaging, transformative session and learn how we overcame extreme challenges and barriers to create a successful, comprehensive fundraising strategy.
In this session, you will learn the following:
• How to exceed fundraising goals even when your Institutional advancement office is understaffed, underfunded, and overworked!
• How to think beyond the urgent and immediate needs to grow your endowment.
• How to maximize time and resources to cultivate major donors.
• How to diversify fundraising to make corporate and foundation giving a base for expanding major gifts, scholarships, and endowment building.
If you have a small fundraising team with BIG fundraising goals… this session is for you!

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.

Discover the Power of Planned Giving: Join us as we delve into a College Foundation's journey towards establishing a robust legacy program. Learn firsthand how strategic investments paved the way to identify and engage planned giving prospects, securing invaluable future gift intentions. Explore the Path to Lasting Impact: Uncover the transformative potential of planned gifts in ensuring the enduring success and sustainability of your institution. Gain insights into effective strategies for cultivating meaningful donor relationships and fostering a legacy of support. Join us as we navigate the roadmap to securing your institution's future through intentional planned giving initiatives

Legal concerns in advancement aren't just for planned giving anymore. Whatever you do in advancement – fundraising, alumni relations, communications, or advancement services – knowing how the law affects your work could make the difference between celebrating success and a costly lawsuit. Learn from a "recovering attorney" and advancement veteran about key principles and situations to consider, whether you're planning an event, managing a fundraising campaign, writing a press release, maintaining a database, or organizing a reunion. You'll hear about plenty of real-world examples, so bring your hardest questions and toughest challenges to this lively, engaging, and interactive session – no retainer required!

ChatGPT is the fastest-growing app in history. For many users, this is their first experience with generative AI — technology that is designed to create content. And it’s their first time encountering how AI will transform how we live, work, and fundraise. In this interactive workshop, we'll talk about the rise of AI, help everyone understand generative AI and large language models, and talk about data protection and privacy. We'll then spend time in an interactive prompt engineering workshop, showing how generative AI can increase efficiency, generate ideas, and become a part of your daily work.

To fully flex your fundraising muscle you need buy-in from both the annual giving and advancement services sides of the house. How do you achieve the alignment necessary to drive meaningful results? The devil is in the data. GiveCampus analyzed aggregate data from 4,532 campaigns and 4,973 giving forms to identify what’s moving the proverbial needle in fundraising and what’s not. Find out from fellow higher education fundraisers how they’re leveraging that data to drive decisions at key stages of the philanthropic lifecycle, and how they got everybody—including advancement services—to back their biggest bets.