Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
CASE Simulcast

Day 1, Wednesday, May 11

NOON-1:00 PM
Registration

1:00-1:30
Welcome and Introductions

1:30-2:45
Why Annual Giving Matters
Annual giving is the base upon which all other good development work occurs. It is the lifeblood of current programs and the future of all successful major gift programs. The work we do in annual giving is incredibly value-added but often under-appreciated. This session offers a motivational endorsement of annual giving, a review of its important role, and makes the case for why annual giving matters.

3:00-4:00
The Economic Downturn: One Optimist's Guide to the Misery of Recession
The economy has struggled in the past two years unlike any other time in recent memory. Unemployment rates are the highest in years. State budgets are being slashed. Endowments are down. How can any of these events be construed as opportunities for your annual fund? Beth Braxton will share her optimistic outlook on how the economic struggles can actually benefit your annual giving program.

4:15-5:15
A Plan with a Purpose
Establishing a solid road map for your annual giving program is essential for sustained success. This session will cover the need for long-term and short-term planning, address common planning obstacles and suggest ideas for actually making planning fun.

5:15-6:30
Networking Reception

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

 [Back to top]

Day 2, Thursday, May 12

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

9:00-10:00
Habit Forming and Peer Influence in Alumni Giving
Both long-term habit forming and the influence of peers are hypothesized to have great effects on charitable giving. Using data collected from a large panel of alumni from a private selective research university, Jonathan Meer documents the existence and extent of these effects.

10:15-11:15
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Student Giving and Young Alumni (repeats at 2:00 PM)
  The Millenials are the largest cohort of individuals in history (surpassing even the Baby Boomers) and young alumni compromise 25 percent or more of alumni for most universities. This important demographic can make-or break-alumni participation numbers in all institutions. Using real examples from UNC, Penn and other institutions, this session will examine tactics for increasing engagement and giving from young audiences.
• Common Social Media Mistakes and How to Avoid Them (repeats at 9:45 AM on Friday)
  There are numerous lists of social media mistakes and rules for managing a social media presence. This presentation will provide things that are relatively easy for your annual giving program to address and build success upon.
• Stewardship: Not Just for Major Gifts Anymore (repeats at 3:15 PM)
  Regardless of gift size, today's annual fund donors expect more than a gift receipt acknowledging their contribution. Donors are looking to see the impact their philanthropy and the collective resources of the annual fund are having on the institution. As we recognize that retaining donors is essential for long-term success, creating robust stewardship programs for your annual fund donors across all levels is mission critical. In this session, we will explore the various messages and channels-events, e-mail, video and traditional mail-that have proven to be effective touches in annual fund stewardship.

11:30 AM-12:30 PM
Trends in Annual Giving
Annual giving is the one operation within development that is ever-changing. Twenty years ago who would have guessed that we'd be making gifts online or that we'd need to send more than two direct mail appeals each year to reach our goal? This session will cover national trends in annual giving including, participation to dollars raised; phone, mail and e-mail trends; and annual giving stewardship and giving societies. Come learn what's new in the world of annual giving.

12:30-2:00
Networking Lunch

2:00-3:00
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Leadership Giving: Opportunity Ahead! (Part 1 of 2)
  Armed with a keen sense of data, an exceptional eye for detail, the grey matter to manage multi-segmented response programs, and the resilience to recover from an offensive "no," it's clear why annual giving leaders are being asked to enhance leadership annual giving through personal visits. Join us for this interactive two-part session with emphasis on creation of a personal visit culture, systems and process for sustaining the effort and making the ask.
• Collaborative Partnerships That Work
  Due to the specialized nature of each department within university advancement, building partnerships within your division has become essential. Learn how James Madison University has broken down silos and developed collaborative relationships that are working to advance alumni engagement and giving. Be prepared to shake your own perceptions of "who does what."
• Student Giving and Young Alumni
  The Millenials are the largest cohort of individuals in history (surpassing even the Baby Boomers) and young alumni compromise 25 percent or more of alumni for most universities. This important demographic can make-or break-alumni participation numbers in all institutions. Using real examples from UNC, Penn and other institutions, this session will examine tactics for increasing engagement and giving from young audiences.

3:15-4:15
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Leadership Annual Giving: Opportunity Ahead! (Part 2 of 2)
  Armed with a keen sense of data, an exceptional eye for detail, the grey matter to manage multi-segmented response programs, and the resilience to recover from an offensive "no," it's clear why annual giving leaders are being asked to enhance leadership annual giving through personal visits. Join us for this interactive two-part session with emphasis on creation of a personal visit culture, systems and process for sustaining the effort and making the ask.
• Eleven Pages Every Annual Giving Website Should Have
  A review of the essential elements of a website that will attract and hold the attention of your constituents and increase your online donations. Even some of the basic pages are often overlooked by complex organizations-make sure you have all the core components of a successful page.
• Stewardship: Not Just for Major Gifts Anymore
  Regardless of gift size, today's annual fund donors expect more than a gift receipt acknowledging their contribution. Donors are looking to see the impact their philanthropy and the collective resources of the annual fund are having on the institution. As we recognize that retaining donors is essential for long-term success, creating robust stewardship programs for your annual fund donors across all levels is mission critical. In this session, we will explore the various messages and channels-events, e-mail, video and traditional mail-that have proven to be effective touches in annual fund stewardship.

4:30-5:30
Faculty Firing Line

5:00
Conference Adjourns for the Day
Dinner on your own

[Back to top]

Day 3, Friday, May 13

7:30-8:30 AM
Continental Breakfast/Roundtables

8:30-9:30
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Parents Fundraising: Engaging Philanthropic Parents
  Nevermind the helicopter and hovercraft labels given to parents today. If offered the opportunity and asked, parents will provide generous philanthropic gifts in support of your institution and their child's experience. Whether your parent efforts are achieving great results or just getting off the ground, come prepared to discuss strategies for engaging parents and encouraging their involvement as valued partners in your advancement efforts.
• No Donor Left Behind: Bringing Prospect Management and Annual Giving Strategies Together
  In many larger development shops, major gift, planned giving, and annual fund teams operate largely independently of each other. Explore the opportunities that exist by creating a coherent strategy that blends annual giving with prospect management to understand donor behaviors throughout their lifecycle. Using analytics, prospect management tools, and key annual fund strategies across areas, these integrated efforts allow an institution to cultivate relationships with donors from their initial annual gift through the development pipeline to the completion of a major or planned gift.

9:45-10:45
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Hiring and Retaining Staff
  Jack Welch says, "The team with the best players wins, so find and retain the best players." This discussion will examine how you can recruit and retain the best annual fund staff possible.
• Common Social Media Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
  There are numerous lists of social media mistakes and rules for managing a social media presence. This presentation will provide things that are relatively easy for your annual giving program to address and build success upon.

11:00 AM-NOON
Crunching the Numbers: Data-driven Decisions
Annual giving has the advantage of being the most measurable program in any overall development operation. But it is easy to become buried in numbers. Learn which metrics matter the most. This session will explore the key benchmarks for a good annual giving program, including retention, reactivation, acquisition, upgrading and participation. Discuss the important measures and industry benchmarks that will help you determine where your own program can improve. Gain ideas of how to use these key indicators to market your program to campus stakeholders. This session will also cover the role of benchmarking internally and externally.

NOON
Conference Adjourns

Back to top]