8:00–11:30 AM Pre-conference Workshop: Developing Management Skills for Gift Officers
Designed for gift officers who have been given new management responsibilities or may have inherited additional staff, this pre-conference workshop will give you strategies and tools to create an effective and cohesive environment for those you manage. You will identify elements to build strong professional relationships, staff retention and team management.
This workshop is designed for gift officers that have are moving or will be moving into a management role or recently have increased responsibilities at their institution.
Noon–1:00 PM Conference Check-In Welcome to Chicago! Please stop by the registration desk starting at noon to check in and pick up your conference materials.
1:00–1:15 Conference Welcome
Join conference chair Dondi Cupp and the faculty to set the stage to make the most of our time together.
1:15–2:15 The Mindset of a Major Gift Officer
The expectations placed on major gift officers are wide-ranging and require a diverse blend of skills applied in unique situations. Developing your core competencies will contribute to your long-term success but it all starts with having the right outlook and approach. The faculty will lead a fast-paced look at the mindset required to thrive as a successful major gift officer in the 21st century.
2:15–3:30 Trends in Philanthropy Get insights on the education landscape, trends in philanthropy, the role of technology, next generation philanthropy and the rise of entrepreneurial philanthropy. Come ready to share what you are experiencing on the road and in the office.
3:45–5:00 Conversation with a Philanthropist
5:00–6:00 Networking Reception Join conference speakers and your fellow attendees to network and socialize after the first day of the conference. Drink tickets and hors d'oeuvres will be provided.
6:00 Conference adjourns for the day Dinner on your own. Small group dine-around sign-ups will be available at the registration desk for attendees looking to join a group for dinner at nearby restaurants.
8:00–9:00 AM Continental Breakfast and Roundtable Conversations
9:00–10:15 Habits of Highly Effective Gift Officers The most important factor in success (or lack thereof) as major gift officer is YOU. With the right mindset, hard work and by forming the right habits you can dramatically increase your chances for success. How you approach, plan, execute and track your work matters. This session will help you identify characteristics and habits of highly successful major gift officers from goal setting, to persistence, to a laser focus on relationships and results.
10:30–11:30 Elective Sessions (choose one):
Asking Strategic Questions & Mastering the Art of Listening
As the immediacy of texting and social media dominates our communication, explore the art of listening as the key to building and growing strong relationships with prospects and donors.
Stewardship as a Move One of the marks of a great fundraiser is the ability to work with a donor through the cycle of cultivation and stewardship to close increasingly large or repeat major gifts, something that can only be done with great stewardship. The face of philanthropy is changing and stewardship is changing with it. This session will focus on understanding the internal and external landscapes of stewardship and the opportunities that they present for front line fundraisers to cultivate major gifts.
11:30 AM–1:00 PM Lunch on your own
1:00–2:00 Elective Sessions (choose one):
Managing Your Life on the Road
Taking in the local cultural offerings, listening to the local public radio station, and taking a hike or a walk around town can be part of a good major gift road trip. Designing productive trips to cultivate relationships with donors and potential donors is enhanced when the gift officer is curious about the location and is able to enrich the donor conversation with knowledge or questions about the place the donor calls home. When on the road, some gift officers limit donor visits to three, others reserve dinners to eat alone. This session will explore strategies that help you prioritize your outcomes while balancing your bandwidth to design fruitful (and fun) trips on the road.
Using Blended Gifts with Donors Donors are increasingly diversifying the ways they give and advancement professionals need to be as creative as ever to meet their needs. This session will help you think through strategies for donors at different stages of their philanthropic giving. Asking for blended gifts – combinations of annual, major, and planned gifts – allow for the donor to do everything from kick the tires and “test” the organization to making leadership gifts and ultimate gifts. We will cover first time major donors, impactful repeat major gifts and ultimate gifts through case studies and examples.
2:00–2:15 Transitional Break
2:15–3:15 Elective Sessions (choose one):
Making the Most out of Discovery & Qualification Visits Good discovery starts with two things: 1) identifying prospects by evaluating the spectrum of support and engagement they’ve shown to your organization or institution; and, 2) strategically reaching out to those that need to be nurtured and effectively “qualifying” future philanthropic potential. This session will help you think about how to evaluate your data to identify desirable prospects, and offer strategies to build your skills to have strategic conversations, and ask certain questions that compel you to do the most important thing in a meeting – listen. Effective discovery will help ensure that your portfolio delivers consistent and powerful results.
Working with Campus Partners to Drive Collaborative Fundraising
Development work can no longer be done in silos, with development officers solely representing a major project or idea; instead, the increasingly savvy donor wants to hear from the experts as well. This session will cover how to maximize and manage institutional academic partnerships for larger gifts.
3:30–4:30 Elective Sessions (choose one):
Practicing Inclusive Fundraising
How can – and how should – higher education development approach fundraising opportunities within diverse communities? This session offers some ideas on how fundraisers and institutions can reflect on their practices, content, and outreach to respectfully and effectively engage donors whose philanthropy may be consciously informed by race, gender identity, orientation, able-bodied status, and a range of other identities. After reviewing some examples, participants will also have the opportunity to share challenges and successes, in the spirit of a candid dialog aimed at helping our work reflect our personal values and institutional missions, and the diverse constituencies we serve.
Portfolios & Performance – Taking a More Strategic Approach
Successful major gift fundraising requires taking a strategic and balanced approach to portfolio management. It also requires a strong alignment between fundraising activities, goals and other factors that contribute to your success. Explore concepts designed to help build effective portfolios and achieve higher levels of success in today's metrics-driven fundraising environment.
4:30–5:30 Day 2 Wrap-Up
5:30 Conference adjourns for the day Dinner on your own
8:00–9:00 AM Continental Breakfast and Roundtable Conversations
9:00–10:15 Mastering the Art of the Ask You have done everything you can. You asked all the right questions and listened to understand. You engaged the donor in meaningful and productive ways. You shared institutional priorities and identified the RIGHT purpose for this donor or donor family. Now it is time to solicit. In this session we’ll secure the solicitation appointment. We’ll explore how planned giving opportunities solve donor issues, think through a layered ask, work on your request script, and practice having the artful conversation that will result in a joyful and generous YES.
10:30–11:30 Panel Discussion on Professional Development & Career Growth