Noon – 1:00 PM Registration Welcome to Chicago! Stop by the registration desk beginning at noon to check in and pick up your conference materials.
1:00 – 1:30 Welcome, Faculty Introductions and Conference Overview All Faculty Join conference leadership to meet the faculty and learn how to get the most out of your time at the workshop; highlighting conference programming and ways to begin your campaign blueprint.
1:30 – 3:00 Campaigns: Where We’ve Been and Pivoting for the Future CASE Competencies: Industry/Sector Expertise Speakers: Jessica Browning and Jim Bush The fundamentals of a campaign haven’t changed, but the methods and approach have shifted. Explore tried and true tactics, as well as key elements (for example, the economy, campaign priorities, trust in leadership, investor mentality) that are redefining the landscape of fundraising campaigns. More than ever, planning and assessing campaign readiness is critical as donors are increasingly focused on needs over wants.
3:00 – 3:15 Refreshment Break
3:15 – 4:15 Breakout Sessions
Building a Campaign from Scratch in Times of Uncertainty CASE Competencies: Leadership;Relationship Building Speakers: Dan Lee and Kristina Devine The importance of strategic planning, stakeholder buy-in and feedback, defining priorities that resonate with donors, launching a campaign in an uncertain economy. The importance of assessing donor readiness as well as theinternal readiness of leadership and the advancement office.
The Public Phase: What Comes After the “Not So Quiet” Quiet Phase CASE Competencies: Strategic Thinking Speakers: Jay Davenport and Joe Edens You made through the quiet phase and have officially announced your campaign to the world – now what? Your closest stakeholders have been involved in this campaign for years, but others have never heard of it. Dive into how to structure your campaign timeline with flexibility; explore strategies that build on one another while engaging the masses.
4:15 – 4:30 Stretch Break
4:30 – 5:30 Workshop Session: Executing a Campaign in Today’s (and Tomorrow’s) Environment CASE Competencies: Business and Financial Acumen; Industry/Sector Expertise Speakers: Rebecca Kocher and Melanie Norton A guided working session explore the “behind the scenes” of successful campaign elements – who are your stakeholders, describe your audience, what would you do to wow them and what would you do to engage without budget constraints, how do you scale for the resources available? Answer relevant questions to begin your workshop blueprint for how to execute a campaign, beginning with budgeting, for your specific audience.
5:30 – 6:30 Networking Reception Join conference faculty and your colleagues to network and unwind after Day 1.
6:30 Conference Adjourns for the Day
8:00 – 9:00 AM Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:15 Workshop Session: Framing A Campaign for The Audience You Have CASE Competencies: Industry/Sector Expertise Speakers: Joe Eden and Kristina Devine A “part two” workshop session to continue the work started on your campaign blueprint during day 1 - what is exciting in your campaign and how will you ignite your audience; how do you coordinate the work and messaging of “special teams” (principal giving, planned giving, corporate/foundation giving, alumni engagement, annual solicitations, athletics, etc.…) in your campaign planning; what are the non-negotiables of your campaign that tie it altogether? If you know your audience and resources, you can build impressive, multi-purpose materials that lead to a consistent brand and coordinated approach.
10:15 – 10:30 Coffee Break
10:30 – 11:45 Breakout Sessions
Supporting Presidents and Leadership During a Campaign CASE Competencies: Relationship Building Speakers: Rebecca Kocher and Dan Lee Guided conversation with participant suggestions/prompts/questions provided ahead of sessions on how to support leadership and advocate for priorities of the campaign.
Create Meaningful Volunteer Opportunities for Your Major Donors and Advocates CASE Competencies: Relationship Building Speaker: Melanie Norton Volunteers are essential to the success of a campaign, but unintentional “busy-work” can often have a negative effect for those donating their time. Explore ways to engage your volunteer committees and create meaningful opportunities for deeper connection to the institution’s mission (and often lead to larger gifts and more enthusiastic donors), while not monopolizing your advancement staff’s time.
11:45 AM – 1:30 PM Lunch on Your Own
1:30 – 2:45 Breakout Sessions
Campaign Analytics CASE Competencies: Business and Financial Acumen, Strategic Thinking Speakers: Kristina Devine and Rebecca Kocher From counting guidelines to making the most out of reports, a clear understanding of what/how/and when gifts will count toward your campaign in key. In this breakout session, we will review best practices for campaign reporting and discover how to use your data to be more effective and reach your target audience
Mini-Campaigns, Flash Campaigns, Leveraging Challenge Gifts, Giving Days, Targeted Capital Projects CASE Competencies: Industry/Sector Expertise Speaker: Joe Edens Whether planned as part of your original campaign timeline, or put together on the fly, explore how these smaller, more individualized initiatives can build momentum to generate larger gifts and increase participation within your larger campaign blueprint.
2:45 – 3:00 Refreshment Break
3:00 – 3:45 Flash Session: Strategies to Reduce Burnout for Your Staff During Campaigns CASE Competencies: Emotional Intelligence Speaker: Jay Davenport An open dialogue with advancement professionals to address burnout, how to recover from staff turnover, and navigating competing expectations. Join this flash session and share your tips and learn from real life experiences.
3:45 – 4:00 Stretch Break
4:00 – 5:00 Panel: Expecting the Unexpected CASE Competencies: Industry/Sector Expertise; Leadership Moderators: Jessica Browning and Jim Bush If there is one thing we can expect in fundraising, it’s the unexpected. This moderated panel discussion will tap into the collective experiences of your workshop faculty and others, on how to recover and thrive in situations that are hard to anticipate.
5:00 Conference Adjourns for the Day
8:00 – 9:00 AM Continental Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 Strengthening Prospect Management and Gift Officer Collaboration for Portfolio Optimization CASE Competencies: Relationship Building Speakers: Joe Edens and Dan Lee A focused and effective prospect management strategy is essential to the health of successful campaigns. Join this large group session to learn about real-world scenarios, suggested tools for collaboration, and how to prep your team for more consistent moves through a gift cycle.
10:00 – 10:45 Flash Session: Stewardship That Leads to Multiple Campaign Gifts CASE Competencies: Relationship Building; StrategicThinking Speaker: Kristina Devine Major gift fundraising is rarely about the first gift, but about the 3rd, 4th, and 5th gifts over a period of time. Review the metrics to watch to ensure the best major gift donor retention rates and discover rewarding follow-up strategies you can implement to help develop deeper donor relationships throughout your campaign.
10:45 – 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 AM – Noon Workshop Session: Closing a Campaign/Planning the Next Campaign CASE Competencies: Strategic Thinking Speakers: Jay Davenport and Rebecca Kocher Visualization is an effective technique in remaining focused on campaign priorities and guiding shared success. Capturing thoughts about the end we desire can help sharpen the final impact for a successful campaign. This final working session will lead you through a “finish line” exercise to clearly define a path you are on now and help to shape future campaign and fundraising initiatives.