Best Practices for a Small Shop  
In this workshop, we will explore the philanthropic landscape, best practices for small shops regarding prospect management and the “back of the house” operations, as well as best practices for cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding donors.   

Building a Donor Pipeline and Managing Your Portfolio  
We’ll discuss scenarios for relationship building activity at all levels of the donor cycle and how this activity affects the organization of time and calendars. We’ll also explore strategies, tactics and assessment tools that can help advancement officers and academic leader achieve positive outcomes for their institutions.     

The Donor Cycle
An interactive session on fundamentals of each step of the development cycle. Attendees will discuss fundraising concepts, shared terms, types of gifts, and what motivates donors. 

Ethics in Advancement 
Ethical issues are more top of mind than ever in development. Transparency, accountability, and the highest ethical standards of personal and institutional conduct are vital to our success. In this session, we’ll review ethical issues related to our work in development and consider the tools and approaches we use to ensure we all remain on the highest ethical ground. (Workshop Available)

From Donors’ Perspective: Donor Panel 
Enjoy this rare opportunity to hear directly from remarkable philanthropists about their motivation and commitment to supporting higher education. This conversation will explore their experiences as donors and their philosophies that guide their philanthropy. It will also offer insights into how they engage with institutions and what contributes to their decision to give. The discussion will also explore what our panelists expect from the institutions they support.  (University is responsible for recruiting these panelists) 

Fundable Projects as Major Gifts Workshop
No matter how your organization classifies major gifts, these large commitments are the fuel that often drives annual production of private support. This workshop will help leaders define, identify, and develop "fundable projects" that high net worth donors will want to support for maximum transformational impact. The session will address the importance of executing gift agreements and ensuring that commitments are fulfilled, especially when leveraging major gifts.

Fundamentals of a Campaign
An overview of the fundamentals needed to conduct a successful campaign. This session will share the current trends in campaign strategy, trends in the field of advancement, and campaign planning best practices that support your institution’s overall campaign success.

Fundraising Scenarios & Small Group Role Playing Workshop
In a series of role plays, the group will consider not only the sort of preparation required to ensure a donor meeting is fruitful and enjoyable, but also what a conversation during an actual visit might sound like and what a campus leader may expect when meeting with donors.

Major & Transformational Gifts
No matter how your organization classifies major gifts, these large commitments are the fuel that often drives annual production of private support. This session will explore definitions of major gifts, how they fit into a comprehensive development effort, and what motivates donors to make them. We’ll look at how your institution might define, identify and develop high net worth donors and partner with them to realize shared ambitions and transformational impact. We will look at major gifts in the context of societal, economic, and philanthropic trends across the nonprofit educational sector.

Making the Ask
We often overlook the complexity of the solicitation process, perceiving it as a simple "ask for the gift" moment. However, successful solicitations involve meticulous preparation, strategic conversations, and relationship building. Key aspects include information gathering, donor cultivation, and developing language to inform your gift strategy. By mastering these elements, you can advance relationships and help your development team secure a positive response to a gift request. 

Role of the Dean/Academic Leader in Successful Development
Academic and University leaders play a crucial role in successful advancement. From designing the case for support to deepening engagement with potential donors, they are instrumental in every phase of the Development Cycle. This session aims to help these leaders understand their critical role in setting a vision and making time for leadership in the development process.

Stewardship and Recognition
All gifts must be recognized and any opportunity for recognition is also an opportunity for stewardship. In this session, we assess where your institution is at with your stewardship program, discuss best-in-practice policies for stewarding your donors, and new ways to steward your donors towards that next big gift. 

Advisory Boards
Many institutions find that active and engaged volunteer committees are key components of successful development programs. But what are the actual benefits, and what kind of staffing and planning are necessary to create and nurture your volunteer advisory boards for development purposes? Participants are encouraged to share their successes and challenges in forming and working with advisory boards.

Role of the Board
Fundraising success is a team effort, from the board leadership to the front-line staff. This session will cover Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), board roles and responsibilities, strategic planning, board engagement and self-assessment, and practical, hands-on activities to expand the board’s fundraising capacity. 

The Joy of Giving
In this session, participants will learn about the crucial role of the board in creating a culture of philanthropy. Our experts will guide you through the development cycle, giving you a comprehensive understanding of how to work with donors at every stage of fundraising. Additionally, we will delve into the motivations that drive people to give, empowering you to better frame donor interactions and recognize opportunities.

Leveraging Your Network Workshop 
Who do you know? Who would want to support your institution? This session strategizes how Board members can harness their networks to support the institution. 

Fostering Effective Foundation-Institution Partnerships 
The importance of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in institution-foundation partnerships cannot be overstated. Rather than just a contractual constraint, a well-crafted MOU should embody a shared vision, fostering commitment and understanding among all stakeholders. This session will  delve into the evolving landscape of these partnerships and provide valuable insights on enhancing collaboration through effective MOU development, review, and renegotiation.

Alumni Engagement: Community Colleges 
In the competitive fundraising environment of today, Foundation and Alumni Service teams need to effectively engage and communicate with stakeholders. This session will focus on best practices regarding fundraising, engagement and alumni relations specifically designed for community colleges. This session will focus on how community college Foundation and Alumni Service teams can leverage storytelling, awards, and institutional affection to create unique opportunities for connecting with donors, alumni, employees and community partners. 

Community College Advancement
Community colleges face immense pressure to deliver results: enroll more students, raise more public and private funds, engage more alumni, develop more corporate partnerships, and get more “good” publicity ... to name a few. We will dive into challenging questions including: How can advancement efforts align to support strategic enrollment management efforts? How much time and effort should we put into alumni relations? How can advancement efforts support workforce development priorities of the college and community? What are the most effective fundraising strategies (and is my college raising as much as it should)? How can I advance the college’s brand and my personal brand more favorably in the media and with stakeholders? 

For Institutional Leaders (Community Colleges)
With a focus on research, data, experience, and vision, community college leaders must excel in governance, accountability, collaboration, compliance, and leadership. This session is designed to assist you in setting the strategic direction of your institution and motivating your team and volunteers to foster a philanthropic culture. Learn how to leverage your networks effectively to bolster institutional support.

Inclusive Alumni Engagement: Community Colleges
Discover best practices for fundraising, engagement, and alumni relations tailored specifically for community colleges. Learn how to leverage storytelling, awards, and institutional affection to connect with donors, alumni, employees, and community partners. Additionally, explore strategies for fostering inclusive alumni relations in this training session. Gain insights on engaging diverse alumni groups, creating programs that resonate with all alumni, and building a strong sense of belonging.

Place Based Philanthropy (Community Colleges)
Community Colleges fulfill their anchor institution role by fostering access to postsecondary education, supporting local economies, addressing critical workforce shortages, and contributing to public health infrastructure. In this session, you will learn about how to use your Community College’s knowledge and expertise of your local community to incorporate into your fundraising strategies to help achieve lasting and transformative change, both for the school, and surrounding area.  (Workshop Available)

Art of Active Listening 
As an advancement professional, you are a detective or anthropologist, uncovering clues to your donor's philanthropic interests, motivations and values. And, like a good detective or anthropologist, you have many different tools for gaining the information you need. In this session we will identify some of the critical skills needed to be a strategic listener and observer as well as an active participant in relationship building.

Marketing and Communication Structures
We will review options for marketing structure, tools for enhancing integration across the University, and models of marketing maturity that define what behaviors are exhibited by institutions that embrace sophisticated marketing practices.

Marketing as an Investment
Oftentimes, leaders may see marketing a cost and an expense. This session will focus on marketing as an investment that should produce a return on investment (ROI). During this session we will discuss timelines to design and see results, intermittent and sustained investment results, and parameters for size of investment for your institution.

Marketing as a Strategic Function
This session will focus on what Marketing is, what it isn’t – and how it works in higher education. Marketing is designed to build value and attendees will learn how value is built across revenue, reputation, and relationships. They will also learn how marketing strategy relates to strategic goals.

Marketing Measurements
In this session, we will explore how to effectively measure marketing efforts. Marketing metrics are used to monitor and measure progress over time and attendees will learn how to utilize this data to support informed decision making. We will also examine short-, mid-, and long-term measures and preview a new framework for educational marketing. Measures should be related to the outcomes marketing plans are designed to influence, and we will focus on those that should be developed for further consideration in the marketing plan.

Navigating Difficult Conversations
Advancement professionals are navigating an increasingly complex societal landscape; along with being tasked to engage in nuanced conversations with stakeholders who hold a multitude of perspectives. This session is designed to advance active listening and constructive dialogues skills with team members and stakeholders who hold varying views.

Planning for Crisis Communications  
This session provides strategies and best practices for crisis communications – including how to prepare for communicating with the public during a crisis, as well as implementing a crisis communications plan. 

The Relationship between Branding and Digital Marketing
University leaders need to serve as educated consumers of their marketing investments. Attendees will learn about the role that brand marketing and digital marketing play in the overall marketing plan. Elements of strong brand -- 3Rs of positioning will be introduced, and examples of well-managed higher ed brands will be identified. Digital marketing will be defined, including Organic and Paid Search, as well as the role of earned and owned media.

Storytelling
Philanthropic investment asks the donor to venture into the future, to respond to a compelling mission or vision. The case for support provides the foundation for fundraising, philanthropic communication, and outreach strategies—all driven by stories of real impact. This session will discuss how to translate an institutional case for support and engage the prospect through powerful storytelling that inspires engagement and action. (Workshop Available)

Strategic Communications   
What are Strategic Communications and how can it support a higher education institution? The session familiarizes participants with basic communications terminology and processes so that universities are ready to implement their strategic communication – both for planned and unplanned events.  

Data & Measurement 101
In the era of information abundance, organizations are increasingly recognizing the transformative potential of harnessing data for decision-making. This session is designed to illuminate the critical role data plays in shaping strategies, mitigating risks, and driving innovation. It also details the most common data points measured by the best-in-practice advancement teams. 

CASE Global Reporting Standards  
CASE has developed the common set of standards, guidelines, and definitions for reporting the results of educational philanthropy activities at schools, colleges, and universities across the globe. This training familiarizes participants with worldwide standards in institutional fundraising, with new definitions for educational philanthropy and important guidance around gift counting, funds received, new funds committed, and donor control and influence.  

CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement  
The adoption of a global framework for measuring engagement has fundamentally changed the role of alumni relations professionals and in response, how fundraisers, clinicians, academic leaders, and other university partners incorporate alumni engagement metrics to meet fundraising and other institutional outcomes. In this session, we will explore the framework, key metrics, and how institutions are using engagement to shape strategy, set targets, and meet goals.  

Transformative Trends
What are the latest trends in philanthropy and what does this mean for colleges and universities? What attitudes do donors to higher education bring to their philanthropy? How is your institution approaching the continued decline in mass giving? How are transformative gifts defined and secured? This session will draw on data from surveys conducted by Bank of America, Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and engage participants in a discussion about the donors who have had a transformative impact on their institutions. Participants will learn about 1) recent trends in giving and alumni engagement to higher education among U.S. households, 2) how affluent households approach their philanthropy to higher education and other causes, and 3) how transformative gifts are defined and secured.

Building Organizational Culture
Organizational culture has a direct impact on results. While many organizations have designed strategic plans, organizational priorities, performance goals, and the like, have you considered the impact your culture has on those important initiatives? This workshop aims to demonstrate how an organization can be intentional about culture, mission, and values so as to impact the results of their fundraising. Learn how to keep your organization both intelligent (smart) and values-based (healthy)!

Cultural Competencies
Universities and Schools are increasingly thinking globally when it comes to strategy, student recruitment and partnerships, but many are uncertain about how to grow or expand global giving. 

When working with international donors, success will require navigating through the different cultural realities of how people think and get things done in the global context. Unless we know how to decode other cultures and avoid easy-to-fall-into cultural traps, we can miscommunicate with our donors and potentially miss opportunities. This session will give you concrete information on how culture impacts global interactions, and key strategies to overcome differences to reach your advancement goals.

Culture of Philanthropy
This opening session will focus on understanding what a culture of philanthropy is, how to foster this at your campus, and level setting terminology. Most importantly, it stresses the role academic leaders play in setting the vision for philanthropic opportunities to advance the institution, and how those align with the priorities and initiatives of the president. (customized to region of world)

DEIB Training in Advancement  
In the dynamic landscape of Advancement Services, fostering Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) is vital for success. This specialized training is designed for professionals specializing in advancement services. It equips participants with the skills to navigate complex processes that impact diverse communities and stakeholders. Through disciplined scenario practice, communication strategy development, and understanding societal and demographic changes, this training empowers advancement services professionals to contribute to DEIB goals and foster inclusivity within their roles. 

Neurodiversity in Advancement
This session will explore how embracing neurodiversity can enhance the effectiveness of advancement, emphasizing the unique strengths and perspectives that neurodivergent individuals bring to the field. Attendees will gain insights into practical strategies for fostering an inclusive environment and leveraging diverse talents to drive success in our profession.

Relational Intelligence for Managers: Strengthening Cross-Cultural Connections 
Participants explore cultural dimensions, communication styles and building trust across diverse relationships. Advancement specific scenarios enhance participants ability to collaborate and connect. Benefits for managers can include increased team productivity through fostering a more inclusive and culturally diverse work environment. 

Strategic Leadership 
Leading a successful advancement team in the 21st century requires a unique set of skills. With an emphasis on research, data, experience, and vision, academic leaders must be well-versed in governance, accountability, collaboration, compliance, and leadership. This session will help you establish the strategic direction of your unit/institution and inspire your staff and volunteers to follow suit. 

Strategic Planning Workshop: Next Steps 
Central to planning culture is a simple, but powerful concept – the commitment to a set of annual “Vital Few Goals.” This facilitated conversation will provide strong approaches covering successes, challenges, lessons learned, and ideas sharing how you can bring your strategic fundraising plans to life. You will learn how you can embrace strategic fundraising planning in your organization and “Live the Plan”!

Time Management
Your fundraising duties take time, and how you utilize that time will determine your overall success. So, how should you prioritize your time to meet your development needs? In this session, we will highlight the most important tasks you will do as a dean to meet your fundraising goals. Then, we will outline which ones you should try to do daily, weekly, and monthly to reach your goals.

Threats to Philanthropy
Today's colleges and universities face an unprecedented array of challenges and threats: the enrollment cliff; political inference; declining public trust and value perception. It’s easy to list the many challenges facing higher education, but what role do we as advancement professionals play in overcoming them? In this session, we will discuss the challenges, their associated impacts, and share examples of how advancement teams have leveraged their alumni, donors, communication platforms, and philanthropic resources to help their institutions meet today’s challenges head-on.

Grateful Patient Fundraising (Medical Schools)
A culture of philanthropy that centers the patient-donor is crucial in building a fundraising program that significantly enhances engagement with your healthcare organization. This session illustrates the collective impact that is possible when patients have the opportunity to express their gratitude and support the staff members and departments that played meaningful roles in their own care. Medical staff will learn how to identify grateful patients and optimize the development team’s ability to request and secure major, principal, and planned gifts. 

Athletics Development   
The need for philanthropic support in higher education has never been greater. How do we ensure that the cause for giving to Athletics remains at the forefront of donors’ minds? This session will discuss how Fundraisers can create a compelling case for giving, while building a structure that can best support the goals of the institution.     

Developing an Athletics Campaign   
Raising money for multiple projects at the same time is a necessary part of our business. This session will share strategies for how to communicate departmental priorities with donors and how building these relationships can often be the difference between surpassing your goal and falling short.