Major donors at many colleges criticized their schools’ response to the Israel-Hamas war and publicly threatened to withhold charitable gifts. At independent schools, the pushback tended to be more focused on community letters. How can the advancement office navigate global events and extreme polarization to achieve goals? In this session, we’ll look at research findings from psychology, neurology, and political science to better understand why our society feels intractably divided. We’ll dive into tabletop exercises to work through challenging scenarios that independent school advancement offices face, and we’ll examine ways advancement can help to bring the school community closer together.

Join us for a dynamic session that delves into the realities of inclusive strategic planning for independent schools. Our presentation promises to ignite inspiration and share practical insights as we explore how to engage a diverse spectrum of stakeholders, including community members, parents, students, board members, and peer institutions. Discover proven methodologies and innovative approaches that foster a shared sense of purpose, harness collective wisdom, and cultivate a strategic roadmap that drives change and achieves results. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from seasoned experts and gain tools to engage your community and build consensus among stakeholders to create a united vision for the future for your school. When we plan together, we thrive together.

Hear how Oakwood has utilized a dual fund approach to annual fundraising. While maintaining our traditional Annual Fund campaign, we have also built a philanthropic culture around supporting our annual gala, The Special Event. We will share useful tips on how this singular event has driven significant revenue growth and doubled our endowment in 10 years.

Add the planned giving arrow to your fundraising quiver. Programmatically and individually, schools and their fundraisers have much to gain from talking with prospective donors about planned giving. But many don’t. This session will explore key rationale for strengthening or building your school’s planned giving program and why you should be expecting every fundraiser to secure planned gift intentions from constituents. The session will also help attendees overcome the common stumbling blocks that often get in the way of having these conversations. In a case study, we will look at how one school used an historic bequest intention as a catalyst to increase the focus on planned giving. Whether in or between campaigns, discussing planned giving with your school’s prospects is good for your institution and your donors. Come and learn strategies for doing so.

In the realm of philanthropy and fundraising, the concept of annual giving often brings to mind individual contributions. However, the success of an annual giving program is increasingly reliant on the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders. This session explores the idea of annual giving as a team sport, where the synergy between donors, volunteers, staff, and the broader community drives a shared mission forward and makes game-winning shots. By examining Westminster’s annual fund program and strategies, this session will shed light on the importance of fostering a collective mindset engaging all participants in the journey of philanthropy, and share tactics for how to develop an integrated fundraising and marketing strategy to increase donor acquisition and meet campaign goals.

Harvard professor Howard Gardner wrote, “Stories are the single most powerful tool in a leader’s toolkit.” Advancement professionals and Heads of School are tasked with presenting complex advancement data to support mission-driven, data-informed change. Leaders can utilize data storytelling to clarify priorities, create shared understanding, and build a culture of leveraging philanthropy to fuel institutional progress. Effectively pairing data storytelling and data visualization allows for strategic agility and addressing tough questions from the leadership team and board of trustees. Dive into the art of taking the “numb” out of the numbers.

Healthcare and education employ different financial models and yet the increasing costs in both sectors have led to intense pressure on fundraising staff. The pace can be harrowing, and the pressure intense. This interactive session will explore what we in education can learn from our counterparts in healthcare fundraising.

In general, hospital fundraisers operate in a world of need and speed. There is typically a shorter cultivation period as compared to the time we take building a relationship with alumni or parents. Development professionals may connect with patient prospects the day they are admitted for medical care or shortly thereafter. We will demonstrate how shortening the cultivation period with certain constituents can be just as successful in a school setting.

Urgent fundraising is also necessary as hospitals experience fluctuating revenue from their payers, from insurance companies to government contracts, and so many aging hospitals are in desperate need of renovation and replacement. What can we learn from the way hospitals managers and fundraisers respond to these pressures? We will look at short cuts and disruptive techniques some healthcare fundraisers have applied, from mini feasibility studies and mini campaigns, to the creative use of volunteers, the elimination of volunteer groups and heavier reliance on professional fundraisers.

Finally, participants will explore the transferable benefits of grateful patient programs and related family fundraising strategies. These programs provide a pathway that connects clinicians and hospital executives to fundraising. We will explore how your own school's life transforming student stories can provide a foundation to engage Heads of Schools and leadership in philanthropy training that feels authentic to all.

What does it mean to lead a philanthropy program that aligns with your school's values? Can philanthropy be inclusive and transformative at the same time? Philanthropy is a powerful display of community engagement and when fundraisers lead with the school's values, the act of giving can foster a sense of joy and belonging for all members of the community. This session will inspire senior fundraising professionals, heads of school, and trustees to work in partnership to make all donors feel seen and valued. Attendees will walk away with tools for making the ask inclusively - honoring the donor and the needs of the school.

Presentation High School was ready to let go of the complicated, old-school fundraising practices their community had relied on for decades. Their advancement team needed a simple yet elegant way to increase their fundraising capacity without all the clutter that comes with traditional models. Responsive Fundraising’s Three Lanes approach was exactly what they were looking for: a framework that could bend and flex as they matured their fundraising effort. In this session, Presentation’s President, Holly Elkins, and Chief Advancement Officer, Danna Davis, along with Responsive Founder, Jason Lewis, will share how the Three Lanes have afforded Presentation’s team clarity of purpose and clear performance indicators with an intuitive, relationship-centered approach to increasing fundraising capacity.

The Three Lanes approach is not a rigid prescriptive plan; rather, it is a below-the-surface understanding of how effective fundraising really works. In addition to providing a framework for planning and evaluating the program’s overall performance, the Three Lanes approach addresses common roadblocks that organizations encounter in their efforts to create a place where fundraising can thrive. All participants in this session will leave with an understanding of this approach, ideas for implementing it with an existing team, and metrics you can start tracking immediately.

We face a lot of challenges as we compete for the attention of our constituents. How is it possible to cut through the noise to not only capture constituents’ attention, but engage them in a way that causes them to take action? This session will explore how easy it can be to elevate your school’s engagement with a few simple steps to amplify your message. We'll share how our team uses personal outreach, events, print materials, digital communication, and social media to create epic experiences.