This pre-conference workshop equips fundraisers to unlock maximum organizational capacity by mastering the strategic use of non-cash assets, covering everything from the technical structuring of current and deferred gifts to professional portfolio assessment. 8:30 - 9:00 Learning to Work Smart: Broadening Your Financial View (I)
9:00 - 9:45 Structuring Current Gifts (II)
9:45 - 10:00 Refreshment Break
10:00 - 10:45 Structuring Deferred Gifts (III)
10:45 - 11:00 Stretch Break
11:00 -11:30 Pro Tips for Assessing Your Portfolios (IV)

Join conference leadership to meet the faculty, review conference highlights and learn how to make the most out of our time together. Then we’ll dive right into a session gleaning insight on the education landscape, trends in philanthropy, and topics of interest to all attendees via an interactive faculty panel. Topics will be sourced from the faculty and from your answers in the preconference survey. Come ready to share what you are experiencing at your institution.

When you hear "discovery and qualification," you might think of simply identifying prospects and gauging their potential—but there's a whole world of opportunity beyond that! In this dynamic session, we'll dive into the art of discovery, exploring the untapped insights hidden within your donor profile, aligning your organization's needs with donor passion, and sharpening the tools in your Gift Officer Toolkit. You'll learn new strategies to spark meaningful first conversations, master the skills to qualify (or disqualify) new prospects, and confidently guide them toward more strategic, high-impact discussions. Get ready to elevate your approach and unlock new pathways to success!

Building a Major Gifts Program from Scratch explores the essential organizational and advancement team factors required to launch and sustain an effective major gifts program. Participants will examine how culture, leadership alignment, planning, and investment create the foundation for success, alongside practical guidance on prospect strategy, team structure, goals, systems, volunteer partnership, and stewardship. Designed for staff from organizations at an early or transitional stage, this session emphasizes building a sustainable program for lasting philanthropic impact.

You've organized your portfolio and now you are facing the task of crafting next steps for each stage - from qualification through stewardship. How do you move from one stage to the next - and then the next? And on top of that, devise a custom-tailored strategy for each prospect? Let's talk about best practices and tried and true tips for smoothly transitioning for success.

Many external forces are currently impacting higher education, from government initiatives to financial markets to donor behaviors and limited advancement resources. In this session, we’ll look at the impacts of these forces on higher-ed. fundraising specifically, and we’ll explore ways to increase your ability to focus on building your donor pipeline and winning larger donations effectively. This will include CASE’s new research on the emerging uses of generative AI by advancement shops today.

What’s the real difference between simply thanking donors and truly stewarding them? And how does meaningful stewardship drive deeper engagement and greater impact? Whether you have the support of a dedicated stewardship team or you’re managing donor relationships on your own, stewardship is the heartbeat of philanthropy. Yet, too often, it’s treated as an afterthought—something that happens at the end of the giving cycle. But what if we flipped that model? What if we started stewarding prospects before they reach their full giving potential? In this session, we’ll explore how to balance active fundraising with intentional stewardship, uncover the key elements that separate exceptional stewardship from the ordinary, and reveal what donors really want from their philanthropic relationships.

How do you manage your prospect and donor portfolio? Is it a daily priority? Are you actively creating strategies to move relationships forward? We all know our portfolios are the indispensable factor that makes our work successful; however, do we spend enough effort properly managing them? It doesn’t matter the type of prospects you work with, let’s spend some time discussing ideas for successful portfolio management and how to make our work more effective.

Major gifts don’t always come in the form of a simple check—understanding the vehicles donors use to give can open new doors for transformational philanthropy. In this session, we’ll break down key giving mechanisms, including Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs), Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs). Learn how these tools work, why donors choose them, and how to effectively incorporate them into your fundraising strategy. Whether you're new to these concepts or looking to refine your approach, you’ll walk away with practical insights to inspire smarter giving and maximize donor impact.

Fundraising Campaigns: Who, What, Why, When & How offers a practical overview of campaigns as strategic advancement tools rather than one‑time fundraising efforts. This session outlines what defines a true campaign, the conditions that signal readiness, and the core elements required for success, from goals, prospects, timelines, and volunteers to messaging, stewardship, and closing well. Participants will leave with a framework for planning and executing campaigns that build momentum, strengthen relationships, and advance mission‑driven priorities.