We spend a lot of time thinking about how we take our prospects and donors on a meaningful journey through the development cycle. However, we often neglect those closest to home–individuals who are not only integral to a successful ask, but those who could help us from prospect identification to cultivation right through to solicitation and stewardship, and beyond. In this plenary, we will identify new ways of thinking and working effectively as a team within our own department and across the institution, with our deans and other academics, the enterprise and research office, our institutes and centres, in order to build a philanthropic culture across our institution.
12:30 p.m.
Lunch
1:25 p.m.
Plenary 2: The Buzz About Annual and Regular Giving
Speakers: Jimmy Buck and Deborah Carr
The annual & regular giving programme can be a hive of activity for your organisation–attracting new donors, cross-pollinating with other departments, and helping your fundraising efforts blossom. This plenary will look at the fundamentals of annual giving to help you build a strong, diverse base of loyal donors who will buzz back year after year, growing the culture of giving at your institution. We will explore new and emerging trends of annual and regular giving in higher education, medical philanthropy, and the arts. This plenary demonstrates how a thoughtful, integrated annual and regular giving programme can contribute to long-term fundraising success for major gifts, capital campaigns, legacies, and ‘bee-yond’.
3 p.m.
Elective 1 (Choose one of the following)
Effective Donor Cultivation
Speaker: Marcus Ward
Effective cultivation of prospects/donors requires a whole range of skills to re-connect and engage supporters with your institution. It should be done in an elegant and unforced way which is relevant to the individual (even bespoke)–and, for the best results, often over a lengthy period. Prospects who are new to or have lost touch with your institution need careful cultivation involving many types of activity (face-to-face meetings, digital and print communications, and events/reunions). Who in your organisation is responsible for this area? What steps do you take to gain trust? How much should you ask for, and how long should you cultivate before you make the ask? Donor cultivation is both an art and a science–and must be carefully planned. Systems and processes are important to track prospect movement, but nothing beats a strong personal relationship.
The Power of Sponsorship
Speakers: Liz Hawkins and Heather Hamilton
For a sponsorship to be successful, longstanding and mutually beneficial, it needs to be about more than a simple financial transaction. It is a relationship, and it needs a strong value proposition. How do we convince corporate partners that education, arts, and not-for-profit sponsorship is ‘mission critical’ and not just nice to have? What does a good corporate partnership look like and how can we foster long-term commitment, increased engagement, and innovation in adversity such as floods and global pandemics? This session will be an interactive exploration of building our case for support to form the perfect partnership.
Effective Strategies for Prospect Research, Tracking, & Management
Speaker: Diana Timming
We all know how important it is to effectively manage our portfolio of donors and prospective donors, to keep them engaged and cultivate good relationships, but how do you ensure that you are focusing your efforts in a strategic way while making sure that no potential donor is left ignored? In this session, we will look at ways in which prospects can (and should) be evaluated, tracked and managed, and how you monitor the process and demonstrate success.
4 p.m.
Refreshment Break
4:30 p.m.
Tutorial 1
5:40 p.m.
Elective 2 (Choose one of the following)
Mastering the Art of Effective Conversation
Speaker: Lorna Somers
Communication is the basis of strong relationships whether they are within our institution, with colleagues, or with our many external constituencies. But communication is most effective when delivered in a way that is credible, memorable, and incites action. Increasingly, the creativity and skill involved in artful storytelling are integral parts of excellent and effective communication. In this elective, we'll focus on understanding and practicing all the ingredients and skills required to be great storytellers.
Building & Sustaining Successful Partnerships with Volunteers
Speaker: Jimmy Buck
Volunteers can bring us to tears–sometimes of joy, sometimes of pain. Overall, volunteers have the capacity to extend your institution's efforts beyond measure. However, realising the full potential of your volunteers requires care, proper consideration, and effective communication. What are the fundamental practices you need to follow to work optimally with volunteers? What are reasonable expectations for staff and volunteers to ensure you have a positive, mutually beneficial relationship? Will it all be worth the effort anyway? How do you set boundaries? There are no ironclad answers, but this session will look at guiding principles for creating productive and respectful internal and external volunteer relationships that can advance your organisation.
Stewardship
Speaker: Heather Hamilton
Stewardship is one of the most important areas of the advancement profession. When you receive a gift, whether financial or in time, the best fundraisers know that the job's only half done. All of us know that stewardship is about thanking donors, and stakeholders generally, to demonstrate our appreciation of their philanthropy or volunteering. But what you do after receiving a gift is as important, if not more important, than what you do planning to secure it in the first place. This session will demonstrate the value of good stewardship, not as a transactional 'function', but rather a gracious and uplifting way of saying 'Thank you', and help you think about creative and authentic ways to build rewarding relationships with your supporters.
6:40 p.m.
Pre-Drinks and BBQ Dinner
7 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m.
Plenary 3: Major Gifts
Speakers: Deborah Carr and Marcus Ward
A major gift should be as transformational for the benefactor as it is for the beneficiary. In this plenary session, gain an understanding of how major gifts differ from other types of fundraising, the value they provide, and some basics in developing major gift strategies. Where do you start? How do you draw on support from within your organisation, including other giving programmes or engagement activities to build your pipeline of qualified prospects? How do you follow-up with individuals who self-identify, and engage those whom we identify through active outreach programmes that ensure we are getting face-to-face with our prospects? How do we find out what will inspire them to give? Once we determine interest, what next? Major gift fundraising is about strategy and process, but most importantly, it is about relationship-building and the art of inspiring potential supporters about the work we do and the difference they can make. Underpinning this are some clear techniques and disciplines that allow you to effectively manage a portfolio of satisfied donors. We'll discuss both the science and the art that positions us for success in raising major gifts.
10 a.m.
Group Photograph
10:15 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:45 a.m.
Tutorial 2
11:55 a.m.
Elective 3 (Choose one of the following)
Writing for Impact
Speaker: Lorna Somers
Having a clear, concise, and compelling story why your organisation needs philanthropic support is fundamental to any fundraising activity. But who decides what's in it? Whose job is it to write it? Is it really that important? This session explores the journey towards creating a powerful, impactful, and authentic case for support.
Charitable trusts and foundations are set up just to give money away–surely a fundraiser's dream come true, while corporations are designed to make as much money as possible for their shareholders– surely a fundraiser's nightmare, but it's not that simple! This session will explore the differences and similarities between fundraising from companies, charitable trusts, and foundations and the practical steps to secure their support.
Workshopping the Knotty Problems (Advanced)
Speaker: Jimmy Buck
This is the opportunity to focus–in a safe and supportive environment–on key challenges that you are keen to tackle. Are you, for example, struggling to engage with senior or academic colleagues? Are there times when you feel like you’re treading water? Are you wondering how best to resolve a complex issue? Bring your experiences and challenges. We'll explore ways to navigate around these issues to achieve the best results.
1 p.m.
Lunch
1:55 p.m.
Elective 4 (Choose one of the following)
Business Etiquette
Speaker: Lorna Somers
It's your first dinner meeting with top donors and your VC. You're responsible for the seating, introductions, and menu, and if that isn't nerve-wracking enough, you're confronted not only with more cutlery and glassware than you knew existed, but shrimp and artichoke appetisers to boot! It's not a bad dream; it's a day in the life of a fundraising professional. Join this swift primer to learn how to navigate the rapids of business etiquette and manners in today's workplace. We'll touch briefly on everything from leaving effective phone messages to tattoos and, ideally, it will leave you wanting to know more!
Preparing and Planning for Difficult Conversations
Speaker: Liz Hawkins
Fuelled by the pandemic, the last two years have seen a rise in global and civil unrest and political instability. Never have opinions about politics, health, civil rights, and personal rights become more polarised. Difficult conversations within the workplace, with our donors and key stakeholders are becoming more commonplace from everything to EDI issues, climate change, the right to work from home, and mandatory vaccination. In addition, as advancement professionals we may encounter unwanted overtures or excessive antagonism or criticism. This session will be an interactive workshop helping to plan for difficult conversations, communicate effectively during those conversations, and maintain a harmonious working relationship after difficult conversations.
Negotiating the Gift (Advanced)
Speaker: Marcus Ward
Sometimes an enthusiastic 'yes!' from your donor is just the beginning of a complex negotiation to close and celebrate a gift to your institution. Using case studies, this session will focus on the critical information, negotiation skills, key partners, and due diligence necessary to come to an agreement we can all be proud of and deliver on. It will also focus on the importance of having institutional gift acceptance policies in place, ideally before you need them. Importantly, this session will also help you determine when it might be necessary to say no, and how to approach that potentially tricky conversation.
3 p.m.
Tutorial 3
4 p.m.
Refreshment Break
4:30 p.m.
Plenary 4: Ethics and Managing Reputational Risk
Speaker: Nick Blinco
In most situations it is clear what course of action is right or wrong, black or white. Or is it? How do we ultimately reconcile differing imperatives based on ethics? What happens when ethics and cultural norms in one part of the world differs from another?
Scrutiny of fundraising practices and donor behaviour has never been more public or more intense. We have witnessed a high-profile national review of fundraising practices in the U.K., outrage on Twitter about a mega-gift from a hedge fund manager to Harvard, and articles in publications such as Forbes Asia questioning transparency and governance. This session tackles how we can learn from these debates and use ethics to guide our thinking, analysis, and behaviour. In this interactive session, we will focus on agreed ethical practices for fundraisers (CASE, AFP), review a sample charter of donor rights, and participate in a pop quiz!
6:15 p.m.
Dinner
7 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m.
Plenary 5: Campaigns
Speakers: Lorna Somers and Marcus Ward
This plenary explores how institutions can focus their energies and efforts in planning and delivering ambitious multi-year, comprehensive-yet-concentrated, fundraising efforts known as campaigns. Using examples and case studies, this session not only sheds light on what a campaign is but also how to become campaign-ready. A campaign can be a key enabler in building the culture of institutional philanthropy you and your leadership are seeking. Lorna and Marcus will outline how a campaign integrates all aspects of engagement, leadership and governance, strategic communication, and development programmes to advance the mission of the organisation. We will also take time to study lessons from some of the larger, completed international campaigns and what their success (and challenges) leads us to predict about fundraising campaigns as a global enterprise.
10 a.m.
Project Briefing
10:30 a.m.
Refreshment Break
11 a.m.
Tutorial 4
12:10 p.m.
Elective 5 (Choose one of the following)
Being Effective in a Small Shop
Speaker: Jimmy Buck
Working in a small development office can be deeply rewarding, particularly when establishing a new fundraising programme or witnessing the transformative impact of the gifts you have worked on. But oh, the challenges! This session is for the busy development professional who is already exercising their considerable ingenuity and wearing multiple hats, and yet still feels they need to do more. We'll cover strategies to help small offices make an oversized impact, and workshop some of the challenges that you may be faced with in your small shop.
A Successful Prospect Visit
Speaker: Lorna Somers
Wear your lycra–this is high impact aerobic preparation. There is little about making a successful prospect call that should be left to chance. Much of that success is a result of preparation, planning, and experience. Let's talk about how to best position ourselves for positive discussions and outcomes by looking at the dynamics of great, and not-so-great calls, visits, and meetings.
Crafting a Development Strategic Plan (Advanced)
Speaker: Deborah Carr
The word ‘strategic’ is often used, but how well is it understood? How do you define and embrace strategic thinking in your work? Does starting down the path of strategic planning feel daunting? A development strategic plan is your road map: an appreciation of where you are now, where you want to be and–most critical–how you will get there. We will discuss the fundamental components of strategic planning, including development objectives, resource implications, how to measure and evaluate progress, and how to adjust accordingly. This session will also focus on the critical importance of tying your development objectives to overall institutional strategy.
1:15 p.m.
Lunch
2:05 p.m.
Plenary 6: Legacy Giving/Bequest Fundraising
Speaker: Karen Brown
Legacy/bequest fundraising has the potential to raise significant funds for your organisation by channelling the support of incredibly generous people who leave a gift in their will. Legacies are not only a vital source of future funds for your institution but are also a highly effective and efficient way for the donor to give. Indeed, far from being an awkward subject, discussing how someone could use their assets beneficially after their death is often an easier conversation than asking for an immediate cash gift. This plenary explains how to promote this form of giving to your supporters–in print, by direct mail, and face-to-face–and how you can reciprocate and steward donors whose money will only reach you after their deaths. Guidance will be given on how to develop a successful legacy programme and how to conduct yourself when dealing with supporters, their families, and solicitors both before and after the realisation of the gift.
3:45 p.m.
Tutorial 5
4:45 p.m.
Refreshment Break
5:20 p.m.
Plenary 7: A Touch of Theatre!
Speakers: Jimmy Buck, Deborah Carr, and Liz Hawkins
Curtain up! Spotlights on! Actively asking is an essential skill for all development professionals, no matter what your specific role. This workshop will help equip you for success. We will use small group role play and scenarios so that you rehearse and practice in a safe space, establishing rapport and engaging the interest of potential donors, elegantly engaging with them so that you can comfortably, and respectfully, ask for their gift and continuing support. Bravo!
7 p.m.
Institute Dinner
7 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m.
Plenary 8: 10 Things I Wish I’d Known at the Beginning of My Career
Speakers: Jimmy Buck and Lorna Somers
If you're like most, you'll find yourself spending one-third of your life, if not more, working! To not only excel at your job but to truly enjoy it takes strategy and rigour as well as knowledge and experience. In this plenary session, Jimmy Buck and Lorna Somers will reflect on the 10 Things They Wish They’d Known at the Beginning of Their Careers. Learn how to enjoy and make the most of every step on your career journey!
9:30 a.m.
Refreshment Break
10:00 a.m.
Donor Panel: Special Guests
A special highlight for APIEF participants as we are joined by real life supporters of your institutions. Listen as they provide personal insight into their philanthropic experiences, and provide perspective and advice on building strong, open relationships between recipient institutions and the donors and funders that support them. This session will give you the opportunity to ask any burning questions you might have.
