All Times Listed are Eastern Standard Time (US & Canada)
View the online program!
11:30–11:45 AM Welcome and Orientation
Join chair Rebecca Tseng Smith to meet the faculty and learn how to get the most out of this online conference.
11:45 AM–12:30 PM Concepts, Requirements and Organization for Relationship-based Fundraising Speaker: Rebecca Tseng Smith
Nurturing a relationship to inspire the largest gifts of a lifetime differs substantially from the rest of major gift fundraising. Examine the requirements, concepts and organization that distinguish this person-centered aspect of fundraising from traditional major gift fundraising.
12:45–1:45 What are Donors Telling Us? Speaker: Ron Schiller
We’ll discuss what today’s donors are telling us—in their own words and through their behavior—about how organizations and institutions need to adapt to a changing landscape. Increasingly, many donors will “develop” themselves. Are we willing, and able, to listen?
2:15–3:00 Leading Organizations that Inspire the Largest Gifts of a Lifetime Speaker: Bennie Harris
Our development teams need to be able to respond to prospective donors in a myriad of ways, encouraging and receiving their annual gifts, campaign gifts and for a few, the largest gifts they will ever make. We will talk about how institutional leaders think about investing and organizing appropriately for this special work.
3:30–4:30 The Changing Environment for Raising the Largest Gifts Speaker: Robert Sharpe Changes in our society are altering the environment for fundraising. Explore the demographic, financial, social and political changes that are having the greatest impact on giving in general, and the largest gifts in particular, and learn what you and your institution can do to take advantage of the opportunities these changes present.
4:30-5:00 Day 1 Wrap Up and Closing Thoughts
5:00 Conference adjourns for the day
11:30 AM–12:30 PM Finding the Potential in Your Portfolio, Part I Speaker: Heather Trippel
How do we get better at creating and executing successful donor strategies? In this nuts and bolts two-part session, we’ll take a purposeful dive into your portfolio and give you some tools to advance your work (or that of your team) with top probable donors. As part of this session, we will focus on a handful of potential donors that you believe have the capacity to make transformative gifts to your organization. We’ll examine what you know and still need to know about these donors in ways that productively and powerfully increase your understanding of these top partners in your work. To make the most of this session, please have a few specific donors in mind when you attend – a few that you know well, and a few that would like to get to know better.
12:45–1:45 Finding the Potential in Your Portfolio, Part II Speaker: Heather Trippel
2:15–3:00 Small Group Facilitated Conversations
Facilitating Ultimate Giving
Strategic Portfolio Management
Raising Your Organization’s Largest Gifts
Listening Skills Required of the Fundraiser
Leading Organizations
How to ready the internal team/organization to engage with philanthropists in big idea
3:30–4:30 Principal Gift Fundraising-Inclusion Applied Faculty panel moderated by Ron Schiller
4:30–5:00 Faculty Panel: Debrief and Final Thoughts
Conclude the conference with an interactive session where participants and faculty will highlight and summarize key elements of the conference.