11:30 AM–1:00 PM

Registration

1:00–1:30 PM

SAI Welcome + Activity

1:30–2:15 PM

Getting Started – What You Need to Know

Shara Freeman Hoefel, Assistant Head of School for External Relations, Francis Parker School

Mark Aimone, Director of Advancement, Wilbraham & Monson Academy

Starting your Independent School Advancement Journey? We've got you covered. We will share the top ways to be awesome in advancement. Through stories and digestible lessons, you'll walk away with action steps and information that you'll be able to use the minute you get back to your desk.

During this session, you will be able to:

• Apply key phrases and terms commonly used in fundraising
• Define an aspect of their work in simple terms
• See the value in their role and how it can impact an institution

2:15–2:30 PM

Refreshment Break

2:30–3:45 PM    

Elective Sessions

• Annual Giving Fundamentals
  
  Amy Smucker, Assistant Head of School for External Relations, Berwick Academy
  
  What is Annual Giving? Annual giving fuels the mission and vision of your school and is at the center of every strong advancement program. Annual gifts provide critical resources for the school and serve as the gateway to philanthropic engagement. After this introductory session, you will have a solid understanding of the role that the annual fund plays with your constituents and how it supports the school’s budget. Discuss annual fund terminology, learn how to create solicitation calendars, set annual goals, explore methods of solicitation, giving, and executing giving days. This session will assist you in making your annual fund an engaging and fun part of your advancement program.
  
   
• Advancement, the Board, and The Head 
  
  Mark Aimone, Director of Advancement, Wilbraham & Monson Academy    
  
  David Smith, Director of Advancement, Saint Ann's School    
  
  
  
  
  
  During this session, you will be able to:

•    Identify the Board's key responsibilities

•    Recognize the characteristics of a successful Board of Trustees

•    Understand the governance function of a Board

•    Understand the Board role in fundraising

•    Explore the relationship between governance and management

3:45–4:00 PM

Transition Break

4:00–5:15 PM

Elective Sessions

• Alumni Program Fundamentals
  
  Jen Fifer, Director of Institutional Advancement, The Episcopal Academy
  
  What is the purpose of your alumni relations program and how can you strategically inform and engage alumni? Learn how to create a program that builds loyalty, identifies new volunteers, and influences your school’s enrollment and philanthropic goals. Discuss how to develop engagement strategies that cover the alumni life cycle (i.e., events, networking, mentoring, reunions, and class giving) and share ways to measure success with alumni metrics.
  
  
  
  During this session, you will be able to:
  • Understand the core principles of effective alumni engagement
  • Inspire, inform, and involve alumni in the life of the School
  • Develop alumni communication strategies utilizing various channels
  • Design engaging and diverse alumni events and activities
  • Recruit, manage, and engage alumni volunteers
  • Evaluate an alumni program
  • Implement changes to improve overall effectiveness
    
     
• Major Gifts Fundamentals
  
  Brent Caburnay, Director of Development, Francis Parker School (Chicago)
  
  
  
  With the stakes high to secure significant funding for your organization, major gifts can be an intimidating process for even seasoned development professionals. But effective use of the donor cycle will help guide you through the steps toward a successful major gift ask. Define a major gift for your institution, understand the essentials of a major gift program, and learn how to establish a prospect management system. This session offers all the basics to help demystify major gifts and set you up for success.
  
  
  
  During this session, you will be able to:
  • Understand the progression from annual giving to major gifts
  • Utilize the gift pyramid to best prioritize your time and effort
  • Apply the 5 key stages of the donor cycle for major gift success
  • Engage volunteers and natural partners in the cultivation and solicitation process
  • Determine key factors to consider for a successful ask
    
     

5:15–6:30 PM

SAI Welcome Reception + Building Relationships

7:00 PM

Dinner on Your Own

8:00–9:00 AM

Continental Breakfast–Table Topics

9:00–9:15 AM

SAI Morning Announcements

9:15–10:30 AM

Building Your Narrative

Christina Maher Holt, Assistant Head of School for Advancement, Episcopal High School

What is a school’s narrative and why does it matter in the world of advancement? Do you know your school’s mission statement? Its values? Its history? Its strategic plan? How can clear, consistent, and powerful messaging lead to increased engagement and success in fundraising? Explore the multitude of ways your school’s story is told and learn how you can more effectively bring your mission and values to life in your advancement work. Bring your story to life, whether to strengthen the annual fund, build the endowment, or shape a campaign.

10:30–10:45 AM

Coffee Break

10:45–Noon

Elective Sessions

• All About Campaigns
  
  Christina Maher Holt, Assistant Head of School for Advancement, Episcopal High School
  
  
  
  Independent school campaigns are complex, intense, and demanding. Learn how to assess the readiness of your team, leadership, and community in preparation for a large capital or endowment campaign. Once a campaign is underway, what does it take to hit the goal? Explore the essential elements of a successful campaign, including the case for support, volunteer leadership, and prospect management.
  
  
  
  During this session, you will be able to:
  • Identify the components and phases of a campaign
  • Recognize when is a School ready for a campaign
  • Understand how to develop a case for support and how to speak to that case
  • Engage in conversations around donor recognition and naming opportunities
    
     
• Parent Engagement
  
  Jen Fifer, Director of Institutional Advancement, The Episcopal Academy
  
  Mark Aimone, Director of Advancement, Wilbraham & Monson Academy
  
  
  
  Independent schools have cultivated a robust culture of parent engagement and generosity, yielding transformative results for these institutions. So, what's their recipe for success? It begins with active involvement and honest conversations about the impact of charitable giving. In this session, we will explore practical approaches and effective strategies employed by schools in their engagement and fundraising efforts. These valuable insights can be adapted to any educational institution, regardless of its scale.
  
  
  
  During this session, you will be able to:
  • Identify the parent life cycle at the School
  • Understand that the parent role with the school is critical to success
  • Recognize the value of parent engagement in advancing the School
  • Develop programming that educates families about the power of philanthropy
  • Learn how to manage complex relationships between the School and parents
    
     

Noon–1:30 PM

Lunch on Your Own

1:30–2:45 PM

Elective Sessions

• Advanced Annual Giving
  
  Amy Smucker, Assistant Head of School for External Relations, Berwick Academy
  
  
  
  How do you design a successful annual giving campaign? Annual giving is more than asking for giving participation and bridging the gap between tuition and the student experience—it is about building a pipeline of loyal donors who will answer the call during a campaign and transformative giving effort. Learn how to design, implement, and steward a successful annual giving campaign, including ways for launching or advancing giving days, accurately segment constituents to ensure concise reporting, build realistic gift pyramids, effectively manage volunteers’ time and talent, and properly recognize every gift to your school.
  
  
  
  During this session, you will be able to:
  • Develop alternative annual giving strategies
  • Dive into metrics
  • Build a gift pyramid
  • Define the role of participation in the annual giving program
  • Understand the benefits and challenges of a volunteer network
  • Steward Annual Giving donors
    
     
• Advanced Major Gifts
  
  Mark Aimone, Director of Advancement, Wilbraham & Monson Academy
  
  
  
  What do you do when a donor wants to control all aspects of their gift to your institution? What happens when a major donor's child is having trouble in your school? How do you engage a donor who wants to give your organization a $1 million to start a program outside its mission? These are some of the difficult situations you may face as a major gift officer. Building on what was learned in Major Gifts fundamentals, this scenario-based session will allow us to dig into the fundamentals as we navigate the complexities of the giving relationship and achieve the best possible outcome for your institution and donors.
  
  
  
  During this session, you will be able to:
  • Develop an understanding of the complexities of a donor cycle
  • Learn strategies for leveraging your professional network to approach opportunities with donors
  • Put major gift prospect management strategies into effect

2:45–3:00 PM

Refreshment Break

3:00–4:15 PM

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging in Advancement

David Smith, Director of Advancement, Saint Ann's School       

Brent Caburnay, Director of Development, Francis Parker School (Chicago)



Why does Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) matter in independent school advancement? This session will explore how to build greater cultural competency across your advancement program: fundraising, alumni relations, communications, and special events.

During this session, you will be able to:

• Explain the importance of DEIB in advancement
• Evaluate programs and practices through a DEIB lens
• Build a community with a broader group of voices and perspectives
• Recognize the importance of soci-economic diversity in your school community and culture

4:15–4:30 PM

Transition Break

4:30–5:30 PM

Cohort Session #4: Personal Case Studies

6:00 PM

Dinner on Your Own

8:00–9:00 AM

Continental Breakfast–Table Topics

9:00–9:15 AM

SAI Morning Announcements

9:15–10:30 AM

Journey to Making the Ask

Amy Smucker, Assistant Head of School for External Relations, Berwick Academy

Jen Fifer, Director of Institutional Advancement, The Episcopal Academy

Are you nervous about asking for money? Do you need a new volunteer? Making the ask is the easy part. Getting to that point takes hard work, preparation, research, relationship building, and diligent planning. Review everything – from getting the appointment, to meeting preparation, to sitting down with the community member. Discuss tactics that make the job easier for fundraisers and volunteer managers, and clarify how the entire office can make this process more effective. Learn from faculty members and bring your own experiences to share with others.

During this session, you will be able to:

• Get an appointment with a donor
• Research and prepare for an ask
• Execute a professional and successful visit
• Deploy donor stewardship to close the gift

10:30–10:45 AM

Refreshment Break

10:45–11:45 AM

Cohort Session #5: Planning Next Steps

11:45 AM–12:00 PM

SAI Closing Remarks + Awards