Day 1, Wednesday, January 13

LAYING THE FOUNDATION

Noon–1:00 PM
Registration

1:00–2:00
Welcome and Introductions

2:00–3:00
Opening Keynote Address: Recruiting, Developing and Inspiring Great Teams and Organizations
Keynote Speaker: Cynthia Harriss, Former President of Disneyland Resorts and Gap Inc.

3:15–4:30
Panel Discussion: Talent Issues on the Advancement Landscape
Managing the employee life cycle (hire to retire) including recruiting and on boarding, training and development, aligning and assessing, motivating and providing incentives, and retaining and promoting are all important parts of a comprehensive talent management suite. Tom Mitchell will facilitate a participatory discussion with knowledgeable experts in the advancement profession to address these and other important issues. 

• Hiring Development Officers is Never Easy
Don Gray will explore the "magical 7 personality traits" possessed by the best and most successful development officers.
• A New Era of Expectations
Peter Hayashida will discuss the growing trend of "evidence-based advancement." What to measure, how often and against what benchmarks?
• Retaining Your Best
Julie Pelzl will share her thoughts on promotions, bigger titles, more compensation and the challenges to retain your best without adequate budget support or having open positions.

Speakers: Don Gray, Retired Vice President for Principal Gifts, University of Wisconsin Foundation; Peter Hayashida, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement, University of California, Riverside; and Julie Pelzl, Vice President, Human Resources, University of Minnesota Foundation
Moderator: Tom Mitchell, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement, University of California, Irvine

4:30–5:45
Mentoring - A Valuable Piece to the Professional Development and Retention Puzzle
You've just hired a new development officer or promoted a colleague to manage other staff. Don't let those important decisions and investments stop there. A formal Mentor Program can provide outstanding developmental and leadership opportunities, continue to build internal organizational connections, and impact high performance and retention. This session will provide an overview with tools for establishing your own Mentor Program.
Speaker: Julie Pelzl, Vice President, Human Resources, University of Minnesota Foundation

5:45–7:00
Networking Reception

7:00
Conference Adjourns for the Day
Dinner on your own

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Day 2, Thursday, January 14 

MORNING: RECRUITING, HIRING AND ONBOARDING

8:30–9:30 AM
Breakfast and Roundtable Discussions

Topics

• Recruiting rainmakers
• Sourcing nontraditional candidates
• Growing your own
• Assess team needs; assess talent skill sets
• Tracking passive candidates
• Using personality instruments in hiring
• Interviewing best practices
• Using behavioral interview questions
• Developing and marketing your advancement shop's brand

9:30–10:30
Using Leadership and Vision to Create a Diverse, Talented Team
News reports are dominated by the accomplishments of America's most elite colleges and universities. But great advancement teams can create success in almost any environment. The advancement leader's role is critical in providing a framework for great accomplishments. In addition, the increasing diversity of our student bodies demands that we ensure that as our programs grow in achievement and innovation, they also keep pace with a changing society. This session examines the intersection between leadership, diversity and results in the advancement context.
Speaker: Peter Hayashida, Vice Chancellor, University Advancement, University of California, Riverside

10:45 AM–Noon
Elective Sessions: Recruitment (choose one)

• Leveraging Technology and Processes to Enhance Candidate Engagement
  The use of technology in the recruitment process is a new approach and requires a sense of innovation and risk-taking. Learn how the University of Michigan and UCLA have used a variety of applications and tools to increase and diversify candidate pools, keep current candidates engaged and interested in their career opportunities, and save time and reduce environment impact.
  Speakers: Christine Rawak, Assistant Vice President for Development, Talent Management, Finance and Administration, University of Michigan and Amy Rueda, Director of Talent Management, University of California, Los Angeles
• Onboarding: It Takes More Than a Week
  You never get a second chance to make a first impression, thus having a well-executed onboarding process is critical to long-term retention. The onboarding process begins before the staff member's first day and should continue well into the future. This session will focus on strategies and tactics that help new hires acclimate to their new role and organization.
  Speakers: Christy Cates, Senior Executive Director, Strategic Organizational & Talent Management and Zachary Smith, Senior Director of Strategic Talent Management & Director of Development, Health Affairs, University of California, Irvine
• Noon–1:15 PM
  Networking Lunch
  
  AFTERNOON: RETENTION

1:15–2:15
Retention Strategies Talk
Speaker: Rhea Turteltaub, Vice Chancellor of External Relations, University of California, Los Angeles

2:15–3:30
Developing and Implementing Performance Metrics
Speakers: Brian Chapman, President, Philanthropic Analytics, Grenzebach Glier & Associates, Inc. and Don Gray, Retired Vice President for Principal Gifts,University of Wisconsin Foundation

3:45–5:00
Elective Sessions: Professional Development (choose one)

• Building a Pipeline of Advancement Talent: Strategies on Proactive Recruiting, Internship Programs, and Career-Pathing
  Developing and investing in our talent is key to the success of our organizations. It is also one of our greatest challenges. Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Michigan have designed a number of creative and innovative programs that tackle this challenge. Please join us to learn about:

  • Creative and proactive recruiting practices and programs

  • Internal professional development programs that have laid the foundation to new career paths within the advancement profession

  • A development summer internship program that introduces undergraduates students to fundraising as a career
    
    Speaker: Jon Derek Croteau, Consultant, Witt/Kieffer and Christine Rawak, Assistant Vice President for Development, Talent Management, Finance and Administration, University of Michigan

• Effective Internal Professional Development Programs
  Speaker: Don Gray, Retired Vice President for Principal Gifts, University of Wisconsin Foundation

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

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Day 3, Friday, January 15

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

7:00–8:00 AM
Breakfast

8:00–9:00
The People First Approach: Building Your Own Human Capital Program
Poor retention rates in advancement programs seem to be at an all-time high in the profession. With the supply and demand issue contributing to high turnover in advancement, institutions are losing resources, not only in costs associated with personnel turnover and unfilled positions, but also the losses associated with the starts and stops of long-term relationships with their constituencies. Turnover contributes to poor morale internally, and ultimately, decreases staff effectiveness and workplace satisfaction. Focus on human capital management in advancement divisions has gained traction over the last few years, but it is not yet widespread enough. Cultivating and stewarding our staffs the way we cultivate and steward our donors needs to be a paramount goal for advancement divisions, more now than ever. This session will give you strategies that will help you adopt the People-First Approach.
Speaker: Jon Derek Croteau, Consultant, Witt/Kieffer

9:00–9:30
Book signing with Jon Derek Croteau

9:30–10:30
Final Questions for Faculty Panel/Feedback on Program
Speakers: Jon Derek Croteau, Consultant, Witt/Kieffer; Don Gray, Retired Vice President for Principal Gifts, University of Wisconsin Foundation; Julie Pelzl, Vice President, Human Resources, University of Minnesota Foundation
Moderator: Christine Rawak, Assistant Vice President for Development, Talent Management, Finance and Administration, University of Michigan

10:30–11:30
Closing Keynote Address: Retain the Best: Managing Workplace Stress
Keynote Speaker: Susan Parks, Founder and CEO, WalkStyles, Inc.
To retain your high performers, your organization will benefit from best practices from corporations. Learn how to incorporate wellness into your environment. Topics will include: reducing costs while raising productivity; building teamwork while promoting individual success; driving culture change leading to healthier environments; and more. Create a workplace in which each employee knows he or she matters, is important, and that he or she counts!

11:30
Conference Adjourns

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