Day 1, Wednesday, Oct. 27

8:00-9:00 AM
Registration/Continental Breakfast

9:00-9:30
Welcome and Introductions

9:30-10:30
Best Practices in Gift Processing
For much of the brief history of advancement services as a profession, efforts to document best practices were relegated to exchanges on listservs or consultants who documented their clients' practices. In 2008, the Association of Advancement Services Professionals initiated the first attempt to compile comprehensive best practices for the profession. This session will examine some of the best practices now documented by this initiative, exploring how our gift-processing operations can best implement them in order to ensure that we are providing the best service for our internal and external clients.

10:45 AM-NOON
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Back to Basics: Gift Processing 101
  The process of receiving, reviewing and recording gift transactions involves an analysis of many pieces of data. A thorough understanding of IRS guidelines and gift reporting requirements will ensure that all data is collected and properly recorded in your system. Accuracy and thoroughness in this effort are essential in supporting efficient gift acknowledgement and donor stewardship.
• Advanced Gift Processing
  You've mastered the basics...now it's time to dig deeper. Over the past two decades, gift processing has evolved into what is likely the most crucial area of our organizations. With job duties and expectations increasing, it is necessary for us to continually expand our knowledge base. What was once considered the rare and unusual occurrence is quickly becoming the "norm." Join us as we discuss the complexities and solutions for handling a variety of gift scenarios, including planned gifts, pledges-conditional and contingent-mutual funds and more.

NOON-1:30 PM
Lunch On Your Own

1:30-2:45
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Taxing Issues: IRS Rules and Regulations
  Among life's certainties is the complexity and continued evolution of tax laws. Understanding and following the regulations pertaining to gift acceptance and processing is a key part of our job. Discuss general issues of gift substantiation regulations and review best practices for ensuring compliance, with an eye on serving our donors responsibly.
• Gift Crediting...Just When You Thought It Was Safe
  There are so many ways to give nowadays that it can sometimes be hard to figure out who actually gets the credit for a gift. Take a look at what types of credit are out there and who we should be receipting vs. acknowledging. Bring any scenarios you have with you.

3:00-4:00
CASE Reporting Standards and Management Guidelines
These standards and guidelines provide institutions with a common language, structure and consistency in properly recording and reporting private support. Everyone in your advancement operation needs to have an understanding of the requirements for receiving and acknowledging donations. Confusion and concern can arise when there are too many interpretations for how data is calculated and displayed, which may lead to a general lack of confidence in your reporting outcomes.

4:15-5:30
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Lockbox, Caging and ACH, Oh My!
  Ah, the comfort that we feel when we receive that check in our hot little hands! For years, actually centuries, gift processors have had that experience as part of their way of life. However, times are changing, and there are some new and not-so-new alternatives that we all need to consider in order to make certain that we are providing our institutions with the most efficient, effective and economical means of gift processing. This session will explore a number of alternatives to conventional, hands-on, gift and credit-card processing.
• Take That: Gift Acceptance Standards
  Sometimes it really is better to give than to receive. But it's easier to make that call when we have developed standards and policies to guide decisions over what gifts we will accept (or reject) and how we will handle them once the decisions are made. Review examples of gifts that require careful assessment and the steps required to craft a meaningful gift acceptance process.

5:30-6:30
Networking Reception

6:30
Workshop Adjourns for the Day
Dinner on your own

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Day 2, Thursday, Oct. 28

8:00-9:00 AM
Continental Breakfast/Roundtables

9:00-10:00
Policies and Procedures...The Checks & Balances of Gift Processing
We talk about them in everything that we do...yet, surprisingly, there are still a large number of development shops that operate without "the written word." Formal policies and procedures provide consistency and standardization for the daily work that we do and so much more. Explore the importance of data integrity and the many benefits for standard operating procedures. Whether you're looking to raise the credibility level in your area or save yourself the frustration of reinventing the wheel every time the same questions/issues arise, this is one session you won't want to miss.

10:30-11:30
I Can't Even Find My Parachute: Career Advancement
What strategies can we put in place to create career growth opportunities for staff members? What are the logical career paths for our team members? How do we create professional development plans that both measure current skills and competencies and identify opportunities to apply those skills in new areas? Discuss these and other issues with the panel.

11:30 AM-NOON

Faculty Firing Line and Conference Wrap-up

NOON
Workshop Adjourns

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