This will be a deep dive into using Python to automate tasks and improve workflows where we will walk through the evolution of a reporting task as we apply different levels of automation to it.

We will start with a hands on lesson on partitioning a file into multiple files using Python. Building on this, we will present some of the next steps that you could take to improve that task using APIs and prepare it for sharing among an organization. Finally, we will discuss how you can build small workflows for immediate needs and then iterate on them to create a full process with Python that saves labor hours and improves accuracy on a variety of reporting tasks.

It’s been almost nine months since the world’s first fully autonomous fundraiser interacted with its first assigned donor. During that time, 11 higher educational institutions joined together as a cohort to engage donors with an AI-powered Virtual Engagement Officer (and a second cohort is now live), but more importantly research, develop, and accelerate the deployment of autonomous fundraising for our entire industry.

In this session, Jennifer Shimp-Bowerman of Bucknell University and Natalie Spring of VCU will present the results they’ve seen from autonomous fundraising – donors engaged, dollars raised, and pipeline built, in addition to their experience being the first organizations in the world to deploy a Virtual Engagement Officer to a portfolio of their donors.

We’ll present what we learned, what we got right, where course corrections were needed, and how we navigated AI in a field defined by relationships. We’ll share all of our findings including portfolios for autonomous fundraisers, sourcing engagement content independently, accuracy, data collection, and more.

Finally, we’ll conclude by looking at where we are going, how we can continue to further personalize donor journeys led by donor engagement data, how to push the outer limits of technology, and more.

Pipeline development is a major challenge facing our profession. Donor bases are declining, retention rates are sliding, younger alumni are less inclined to engage with their alma maters, and the principal gifts concentration is only increasing. The University of Nebraska Foundation has developed multiple data-driven, innovative strategies to “double down” on its pipeline development work. Combined, these programs have already resulted in 14,000 prospects contacted, 3,000 personal meetings, 300 qualified major gift prospects, $10 million in new gifts, and 82% retention of leadership annual donors. Explore the strategic intent, data, and processes leveraged to build a new, innovative approach to comprehensive pipeline development.

Han has Chewie. Kirk has Spock. Do you have a trusty sidekick? If you aren’t coding collaboratively with GenAI, you’re missing out on huge productivity gains. This session will provide detailed, practical strategies for incorporating ChatGPT into your coding process at every stage of development and level of fluency. Attendees will come away able to navigate the vast expanse between using ChatGPT as a glorified Google (or not at all) and the (false!) claim that it can replace the entire skillset of an analyst or developer. Examples will focus on Python and SQL but the strategies in this session are completely language agnostic.