In today's ever-evolving workplace, it is crucial to develop effective strategies for managing up to your supervisors and navigating your organization's structure. We will explore the art of managing from your seat, providing you with insights and practical techniques to cultivate strong relationships with supervisors and peers while influencing the decision-making process. We will explore how to effectively communicate your ideas, and results to supervisors, ensuring your contributions are acknowledged and appreciated. Additionally, we will delve into techniques for growing your reputation and credibility and positioning you for success in today’s rapidly changing work environment.

Join us for an engaging presentation that explores the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) in the realm of educational fundraising. Uncover the potential of AI to revolutionize how institutions connect with alumni, build relationships, and secure vital financial resources. Come learn how AI can empower your institution to achieve new levels of fundraising success while fostering lifelong relationships with donors.

Regardless of how an advancement shop chooses to structure alumni relations and development, there are often natural opportunities for alumni teams to collaborate with development teams to engage prospective and current donors in meaningful ways. In this session, you will hear relevant examples of alumni professionals partnering with development officers to cultivate donors in the major gift cycle, while also providing alumni audiences with unique and special experiences. You will gain insight into the win-win opportunities that you can create in your advancement shop that lead to major gifts while also engaging alumni with impactful, alumni-centered programming.

From “annual fund in a campaign”: All of our institutions are either preparing for, in the midst of, or transitioning out of a campaign. There is no absolute truth about whether to integrate your annual fund and alumni engagement goals into the campaign, but there are some important considerations to address before you make your decision. And you may even discover mid-way that you want to go in a different direction. This discussion will explore some of the pros, cons, and factors to consider in deciding how, when or if to use your campaign to promote annual giving and alumni engagement.

Enhance your development strategy with this insightful session on collaborating with fundraisers to set and achieve meaningful goals. Learn effective techniques for aligning fundraiser objectives with organizational priorities, establishing realistic and ambitious targets, and monitoring progress. Explore best practices for fostering strong partnerships between development staff and fundraisers to drive success and maximize impact.

As a leadership annual fund or major gift professional, you can become a detective or anthropologist, uncovering clues to your donor's philanthropic interests, motivations and values. And, like a good detective or anthropologist, you have many different tools for gaining the information you need. In this session we will identify some of the critical skills needed to be a strategic listener and observer as well as an active participant in relationship building.

Do people read emails anymore? Yes—they do. But not the way you think. This talk will show you exactly how to write subject lines, optimize your links, and lay out your email copy so your message gets across. In this session, you’ll learn: How to write good subject lines that increase open rates. Typical email reading patterns and how to use them to your advantage. How to appropriately use formatting and white space. Recommendations on sentence structure and reading level. How to use links and buttons to guarantee click-through. A quick way to test if your email will get read. This session is useful for everyone, whether you send mass emails or just internal ones.

In the ever-evolving landscape of alumni relations and fundraising, understanding and leveraging the power of data is critical for success. This session will delve into the strategic use of metrics and KPI to drive alumni engagement and boost fundraising outcomes. Attendees will learn how to harness data to identify trends, measure engagement effectiveness, and tailor outreach efforts for maximum ROI.

Effective multimedia experiences leverage technology to “show” stories in new and interesting ways. Whether it be audio, video, animation, augmented reality, virtual reality or [insert technology not invented yet], none of these will resonate with your audience unless they have an authentic emotional story at their core. Ravi invites all around the proverbial campfire to unpack the primordial hooks and motivations of enduring storytelling. Collectively, we will examine how new and existing technologies can be integrated to serve content to emotionally engage both new and old audiences. In this session, you will:

• Learn how to identify core story forms within their brand and institutional messaging.
• Consider how time-based media can offer a new perspective on an existing story.
• Get inspired by how new media vehicles can be leveraged to support and extend an established advancement strategy.

Uncover the art of Impact Reporting in this insightful presentation, where we delve into defining impact and the diverse types of stories organizations can tell. Learn how to identify meaningful narratives with the help of advancement services and discover strategies to share these stories effectively, even on a limited budget. We'll cover practical tips for storytelling techniques and cost-efficient communication methods that highlight your organization's successes. Join us to understand how to craft and share compelling impact stories that resonate and showcase your organizations values.

Your head is full of everything you've learned about advancement. Now what? Where do you start? How do you pull together all the pieces for a successful program? How do you get the greenlight for a great new idea? We'll discuss ways to plan for success, whether you're managing an office, a program, a staff-or just yourself. We will cover the why, approaches for ensuring ROI, managing outcomes, aligning resources, and lead an interactive exercise to support the development of meaningful roadmaps.

Join your faculty for topic-based “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) sessions. Pick your topic and bring your questions; the discussion will be tailored to address specific questions attendees have about that particular subject. You’ll choose from annual giving, major gifts, personal solicitation, and management and strategy. This is a great way to get the answers you’re seeking at the 2024 Institute, and you’ll learn from the questions of others as well! Annual Giving - Skylar Beaver and Lishelle Blakemore Location: Major Gifts - Armin Afsahi and Trish Jackson Location: Management & Strategy - Karl Miller-Lugo and Jen McGrath Location: Personal Solicitation - Heidi Hansen McCrory and Jim Piatt Location: Technology - Colin Hennessy Location:

It is more than a meeting: it is ensuring success in every stage of a significant solicitation. We often think of a solicitation as a singular event, the moment when we "ask for the order." In this session, we will look at personal solicitation in a broader context, by discussing the five stages of the solicitation process, beginning with the call to request an appointment and concluding with post-solicitation follow-up. Our goal will be to understand how a thoughtful and rigorous approach to each stage can help ensure the best possible outcome in your solicitation of a high-potential prospect.

Turn up the heat on your cold calls and keep the door open after your first visit. Learn how to get the appointment, how to start the conversation and keep it on track, and most important, how to end the visit ensuring a productive next step. Have to solicit on that first call? We'll cover that as well. The development professional who masters and enjoys cold calls and first visits is destined for success.

Our best prospects are philanthropic partners already invested in our mission and dreams for the future. How effectively we thank a benefactor for a gift determines, in large part, whether an additional commitment will be made. Explore meaningful strategies to make your "thank you" an important step in cultivating that next gift.

Planned giving or gift planning is often thought of as complicated and highly specialized. Moreover, it can engender discomfort among donors, volunteers and staff with its focus on mortality. On the other hand, it is one of the most meaningful ways to work with donors to help them consider the legacy they want to leave to their families and other causes that matter to them. Come learn how you can work with colleagues, institutional leaders, and volunteers to hone your gift planning skills.

The future is here, but are we ready for it? Digital transformation is all the buzz within the higher ed Advancement industry, but very few organizations are successful in implementing comprehensive digital strategies. Applying a digital lens over traditional development work can help organizations reach further, faster and make donors feel well taken care of. Come discuss some of the industry trends around digital transformation and how this approach can fit into relationship-based work.

Join the full faculty to discuss your career in fundraising, lessons learned and unlearned, and take with you some final words of wisdom.

Join new friends and colleagues at one of Madison’s coolest venues, The Sylvee, for festive food, drinks, and music. Plan to bring your dancing shoes and favorite karaoke songs. Shuttle service will begin at 6:15 pm. Conference badge required for entry.