12:00 – 1:00 PM

Conference Registration

Welcome to Washington! Please stop by the registration desk starting at noon to check in and pick up your conference materials.



1:00 – 1:45

Setting the Stage

All Faculty

Join conference chair Fardin Sanai to meet the faculty and learn how to get the most out of your time at the conference.

1:45 – 2:30

The Key Partnership between Academia and Advancement

CASE defines integrated advancement as a strategic, integrated method of managing relationships to increase understanding and support among an educational institution's key constituents, including alumni and friends, government policy makers, the media, members of the community and philanthropic entities of all types.  President and CEO Sue Cunningham will frame the big picture of the role of advancement in support of the institution’s mission, and how advancement professionals can best partner with you to achieve your key goals. This talk will help you contextualize your advancement activities and provide an overview of the standards and ethics that underpin advancement as a profession.

Speaker: Sue Cunningham, President and CEO, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

2:30 – 2:45

Refreshment Break

2:45 – 4:00 

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• Data Driven Decision Making – Measure What Matters Most!
  
  Advanced CRM systems are at times a double-edged sword.  While advancement programs have access to robust information systems it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lost in the data.  Leaders need to focus on data that drives productivity.  This session will help you think about using data to determine staffing, prioritize prospects, and allocate resources, as well as develop meaningful scorecards that lead to positive advancement outcomes.
  
  Speaker: Rodney Grabowski
• Building Effective Advisory Boards
  
  Advisory boards to schools and colleges often serve as helpful resources to a dean or academic leader – especially when well established guidelines have been created, strategic recruiting occurs, and clear responsibilities are defined. However, their legacy can also create challenges at times.  Whether the board already exists when you arrive or you have the opportunity to create one from scratch, we’ll discuss strategies to position the advisory board to support and advance the dean’s vision for the school or college.   
  
  Speaker: Jason E. Lane   

4:00 – 4:15

Stretch Break

4:15 – 5:30

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• Strategy and Planning I
  
  This first of two sessions will be a conversation about the academic strategic planning process and the role your advancement leader can play throughout the process. The presenters will discuss critical elements of a strategic plan, different models, challenges, and opportunities. Participants will discuss ways to make the most of the academic planning process and how it can inform fundraising priorities, initiatives and campaign design. 
  
  Speakers: Jason E. Lane and Beth Thompson
• Developing a Case for Support of Vision
  
  This session will introduce methods and best practice on translating a vision into a compelling case for potential donors. It will address the elements of a strong case statement, engagement of stakeholders in the process, and testing the case statement.
  
  Speaker: Fardin Sanai

5:30 – 6:30

Networking Reception

Join conference faculty and your colleagues to network and unwind after Day 1. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres and refreshments will be provided. Don't forget your business cards!

6:30 PM

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own

7:15 – 8:15 AM

Continental Breakfast

8:15 – 9:00

Trends in Philanthropy and the Impact to Giving

Philanthropy has always experienced renewal to adapt to cultures, environment and capabilities.  Learn some of the latest emerging trends in donor behavior, giving instruments, and technologies that are shaping our work.   

Speaker: Armin Afsahi   



9:00 – 9:15

Stretch Break

9:15 – 10:30

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• Partnering with Leaders Across Campus
  
  Advancement is most successful when the scholarly enterprise is engaged as a whole.  Forging partnerships with natural and uncommon colleagues, units and organizations can provide unbounded scale, alignment, and achievement.  Learn about complex ecosystems and develop a plan to forge, strengthen and sustain critical partnerships.
  
  Speaker: Beth Thompson
• Translating Vision into Fundraising Priorities
  
  Philanthropists consider many factors when making decisions about how they want to support an academic unit. Sharing a vision for the future of the unit, aligned with a compelling list of fundraising priorities, is critically important for deans to attracting private revenue that actually advances their programs. The goal of this workshop will be to help attendees create a framework for identifying and communicating fundraising priorities that engage donor interest and amplify gift impact.
  
  Speaker: Jason E. Lane

10:30 – 10:45

Coffee Break

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Defining Partnerships

New and different to the advancement arena is the idea of developing partnerships internal and external to the university. Explore the journey of developing an enterprise-level approach to partnerships with public, corporate, industrial and community partners. How does this fit in with development? Where does partnerships differ?

Speaker: Rodney Grabowski

12:00 – 1:30

Lunch on Your Own

1:30 – 2:30

Common Challenges for Deans and Academic Leaders

Engage with conference faculty on a broad range of issues, challenges and opportunities we face as advancement professionals and academic leaders.  Explore unique case studies and share your own examples in this interactive and provocative session.

Panelists: Rodney Grabowski, Fardin Sanai, and Beth Thompson

Moderator: Jason E. Lane

2:30 – 2:45

Refreshment Break

2:45 – 4:00

Elective Sessions (choose one):

• Best Practices in Engaging Donors and Potential Donors
  
  We know that individuals who are engaged in organizations as volunteers give much more generously than those who are not. And yet, increasingly, surveys show that many deans and development professionals see volunteer management as a distraction. In a world where time is the most precious resource, many struggle to balance the benefits of volunteer engagement, with the time and resources necessary to do it well. This session will explore some of the best practices in effectively and efficiently engaging donors and potential donors in ways that lead to higher levels of philanthropy. 
  
  Speaker: Rodney Grabowski
• Strategy and Planning II
  
  This second of two sessions will follow academic planning, and will focus on developing a fundraising strategic plan that aligns with and advances priorities.  It will outline ways advancement leaders can support the process. The presenters will discuss critical elements of a fundraising strategic plan, different models, challenges, and opportunities.
  
  Speakers: Jason E. Lane and Beth Thompson

4:00 – 4:15

Stretch Break

4:15 – 5:30

The Art of Listening: Unlocking the Power of Donor Conversations

Too often we prepare for a donor meeting armed with our own talking points, vision and goals and overlook the opportunity to hear from a prospect about what is truly important to them. This session examines overall strategies of engaging with donors to assess their philanthropic goals while offering tactical ideas for who should make the ask, timing your approach, and how to genuinely learn from cues and clues of donors to deepen relationships and guide transformational giving.

Speaker: Fardin Sanai

5:30 PM

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own

7:30 – 8:30 AM

Breakfast



8:30 – 9:30 AM

A Donor Conversation

Hear from volunteers and philanthropists as they share the experiences that keep them engaged in philanthropy and offer insights about their giving decision-making processes. Opportunities for Q&A will be provided, so please bring your questions.

Panelists: Norman “Norm” Massry, Principal, Massry Realty Partners; Patricia A. Caldwell, Co-founder, Partner and Managing Director, Gordian Group, LLC.; Chuck Landes, Vice President, Professional Standards and Services, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA); Peggy Landes, Childhood Education Teacher (retired)

Moderator: Fardin Sanai



9:30 – 9:45 AM

Stretch Break

9:45 – 10:45 AM

Stewardship of Highest-Level Donors

Good stewardship is critical to the long-term success of your development program. This session will focus on the stewardship relationship in the context of high stakes: developing rapport and an effective working relationship, understanding expectations and intent, executing a productive project management plan, and strategic communications with all stakeholders including the donors, university administration, advancement executives, and the broader university community.  

Speaker: Rodney Grabowski

10:45 – 11:00

Coffee Break

11:00 – 11:45 AM

Mapping Out Your Next Steps

How can we leverage the resources and exchanges from this conference? This session will focus on creating a personal roadmap to inform the application of the conference experience into actionable strategies. 

Speaker: Beth Thompson



11:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Final Reflections and Conference Wrap-up

Please join us for a wrap-up conversation that will highlight and prioritize what we’ve heard over the last three days. Faculty members will share their top outcomes before you depart from the conference.



12:00 PM

Conference Adjourns