09:00 – 09:45 Registration and Refreshments

09:45 – 10:00 Welcome from CASE and Conference Chairs
Geoff Savage, Head of Individual Giving, Aston University
Kurstin Finch Gnehm, Acting Director of Philanthropy, Royal Academy of Music
Bruce Bernstein, Executive Director, CASE Europe

10:00 – 11:00 Opening Plenary - What your Director of Development Really Wants from Your Programme
Sandwiched between fundraising, alumni relations and operations, it can feel like regular giving is overlooked in the larger fundraising strategy. Hear from four different Development Directors as they candidly share what they want and expect from their regular giving programmes, and find out what you can do to increase your visibility and value within your team.
Liz Reilly, Director of Philanthropy, The University of Edinburgh
Nina Cohen Bohn, Director of Principal Gifts and External Relations, Asia Pacific, London Business School 
James Johnston, Head of Development & Alumni Relations, Sheffield Hallam University
Rachel Brown, Head of Fundraising and Alumni Relations, University of Plymouth
Chair: Kurstin Finch Gnehm, Acting Director of Philanthropy, Royal Academy of Music

11:00 – 11:30 Refreshment and Networking Break

11:30 – 13:00 Giving Day Workshop
Join us for this 90 minute session where we'll be looking at examples from four very different Giving Days. Whether you're an Oxbridge College, a large institution, a small shop or a school, this session will have something for everyone who is thinking of running a Giving Day. The session will comprise of showcase presentations from different institutions. In these sessions, we'll take a look at how establishing a culture can make you ready for Giving Day, the resource you should consider for managing your Giving Day and the communications strategies that you can use to make the day as successful as possible. Inter-dispersed amongst each showcase presentation, will be a workshop. These workshops will give you an opportunity to ask your own questions of the presenters, as well as an opportunity to brainstorm your own ideas to take back to your respective institutions. 
Kat Carter, Digital Fundraising Specialist & Head of Marketing, Hubbub
William Parry, Individual Giving Manager, Wadham College, University of Oxford
Matt Ingram, Student and Young Alumni Officer, University of York
Georgie Grant Haworth, Development Director, Royal Grammar School, Guildford

13:00 – 14:00  Lunch

14:00 – 14:45  Telethon Insights: How do I combat my declining contact rate?

For the past 18 months Buffalo, together with our University clients, has tested multiple ideas to address the challenge of declining contact rates.  

In this stats-focused session we will explore each idea in turn and examine their impact. Some ideas have been successful, some not so much! Join us to find out which would work best as part of your calling programme and to hear ideas that have been trialled across the sector.
Chris Rainford, Head of Business Development, Buffalo Fundraising Consultants Ltd.

15:00 – 15:50 Breakout Session 1

Breakout 1a – You had me at Ni hao ma: Going Global in Regular Giving
It’s a regular day in the regular giving world, when your boss comes to you and asks, “What are you going to do to raise some money in Hong Kong?” or India, the U.S., or any other far-flung locale. How do you evaluate opportunities to expand beyond your borders and answer that question as a trusted influencer?

With alumni in 176 countries, INSEAD is the Business School for the World, and Emily’s team is constantly reviewing which geography to target next. In this hands-on session, Emily will outline key variables when weighing an international option and elaborate strategies for taking your program global, including the role of research, volunteers and influencers, alumni networks, legal structures, and more. Emily will share specific INSEAD examples, including current possibilities for expanding in India, Australia, and the U.S. You’ll leave with an operational tool—as well as with the confidence to respond to your supervisor’s question thoughtfully and strategically. Vamos!
Emily A. Robin, Senior Director of Development, INSEAD

Breakout 1b – A Perfect Marriage: Compelling Content and Regular Giving
Content is story. Content strategy is story-telling. As fundraisers, story-telling is critical to our success. Simon is a senior content strategist and published author. Laura has a decade’s worth of valuable insight as a fundraising professional. The Fairbankses draw upon their 20-plus years of combined HE experience in this collaborative talk on how compelling content can drive regular giving. Discover a rich portfolio of compelling content, with examples from both inside and outside of the sector. Learn how to make compelling content and the key considerations in doing so, supported by robust content strategy theory.

Understand how content can be enhanced through a variety of mediums, such as video, print and animation. Explore a broad range of story-telling devices, ranging from cliffhangers to homage to framing devices. See specific examples of these approaches used in fundraising campaigns at the University of Birmingham. The Fairbankses will show that compelling content and regular giving are a perfect marriage. Much like the Fairbankses!
Simon Fairbanks, Senior Content Strategist for Pickle Jar Communications
Laura Fairbanks, Head of Philanthropy for the University of Birmingham

15:50 – 16:20  Refreshment Break

16:20 – 17:20  Breakout Session 2

Breakout 2a - Careers Panel
A recent Association for Fundraising Professionals survey found that more than half of all fundraisers plan to leave their jobs within the next two years. If that sounds like you, make sure you have a plan. In this session, four previous regular giving officers share their career paths, the skills they wished they’d had and the opportunities that made a difference.
Kat Carter, Digital Fundraising Specialist & Head of Marketing, Hubbub
Rachel Brown, Head of Fundraising and Alumni Relations, University of Plymouth
Adrian Salmon, Vice-President, Grenzebach Glier and Associates
Andrew Flather, Senior Development Manager, Loughborough University

Breakout 2b –  The Road to a Better Donor Journey
What is the journey you are taking your donors on and how does it make them feel? What do you want the journey to achieve and is it doing so? What could a better journey be and how might you change it?

Finding the answers to these questions is transforming the regular giving programme at the University of Leeds, raising more money and improving the donor experience. In this session Beth Whitaker and Rosie Dale will take you through the journey Leeds has been on and working together with your fellow conference attendees, you will critique, change and craft some donor journeys of your own.
Rosie Dale, Partner, More Partnership 
Beth Whitaker, Footsteps Fund Officer, The University of Leeds

19:00  Conference drinks, followed by dinner

9:00 - 9:50  Pecha Kucha – Our Favourite Appeals
From Hive to Hospital: Birmingham’s antibiotic resistance appeal
Deciding which charitable project to feature in your fundraising appeals can be difficult. At Birmingham we recently launched a University-wide nominations and voting process to select a winning fundraising project and to galvanize students, staff and alumni to support it. The resulting Direct Mail appeal raised £195,000 and received national coverage on the BBC.
Daniel Board, Regular Giving Manager, The University of Birmingham
Kurstin Finch Gnehm, Acting Director of Philanthropy, Royal Academy of Music
Alex McCue, Development Coordinator – Supporter Engagement, The University of Edinburgh
Simon Buttenshaw, Head of Development, Regular Giving, The University of Nottingham
Mariah Bush, Senior Regular Giving Manager, Imperial College London

10:00 – 10:50  Breakout Session 3

3a - From Campaign to Call Room: Making the ‘Bigger Picture’ Personal to Your Supporters
How do you translate a University-wide Campaign launch into a meaningful conversation via your call room? A successful regular giving programme hinges on being able to demonstrate the impact of individual gifts to a collective audience of supporters.

In this session, Daniel will share insights into Birmingham’s recent Campaign launch and illustrate the donor experience – from initial launch communications to call room contact. Specific examples of collateral, stakeholder engagement and our global events programme will demonstrate the ways in which we’ve showcased Campaign launch to our key audiences, before using these hooks as the to form future touchpoints with current and new donors.
Daniel Board, Regular Giving Manager, The University of Birmingham

3b -  The Jam in the Middle
Regular giving, major gifts, mega gifts, supernova gifts. All seriously important and a focus for every programme. At a time when some are cutting their annual giving programmes, how do we create a complete fundraising programme that will last for our institutions? In this session, we will be joined by some highly experienced colleagues to talk about various aspects of building mid-level or leadership level giving, say gifts of between £1k and £5k. The session aims to address both the strategic and practical issues all fundraisers face in building a complete giving pyramid.

Is it hard to get this kind of programme off the ground?

What about internal buy in and institutional support from the top?

How do we demonstrate value?
Chair: Colin McCallum, Consultant, Cairney and Company
Emily A. Robin, Senior Director of Development, INSEAD
Kat Hattersley Greenish, Senior Philanthropy Manager, Cancer Research UK
TJ Rawlinson, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Cardiff University
Hannah Langford, Head of Development and Alumni Relations at Royal Agricultural University

10:50 - 11:20  Refreshment Break

11:20 – 12:10  Breakout Session 4

4a. Crowdfunding 2.0, Where Next for Crowdfunding? (Or, Where First?)
While many institutions are in the process of launching or trialing their crowdfunding platforms, many others are starting to think about where their platforms are headed next. In this session, you will hear about the University of York’s particular journey to diversify crowdfunding income, thinking about the options considered and evaluating the option that York eventually chose. This session will be accessible for all, whether you’re looking to diversify or establish a crowdfunding programme at your institution.
Matt Ingram, Student and Young Alumni Officer, University of York

4b. From LYBUNT to Legator: 5 Ways Your Regular Giving Programme Can Increase Your Legacy Income
For each legator who tells you that your institution has been included in their Will, there are 9 more that you don’t yet know about*.

While some of these ‘invisible legators’ may have no obvious link to your institution, most will have either made a donation or been asked. Their decision on whether to include you in their will, (and whether to keep you in it) will be impacted by your regular gifts activity.
This talk will explore the range of reasons that individuals choose to leave legacies. We will look at the unintended consequences of good and not so good regular gifts messaging, along with 5 top tips to improve the ways that you communicate with your donors to maximise your legacy income.
Alice Sockett, Consultant, Graham-Pelton
David Meadows, Development Officer - Legacies and Individual Giving, The University of Sheffield

12:10 – 13:00  Breakout Session 5

5a. The Art of Managing Up – Extended Cut, Round Two
Oops, I did it again!
The CASE Europe team have kindly asked me to present again on ‘managing up’. While this session will cover some of the lessons I shared at last year’s Regular Giving conference including some first-hand examples of how to successfully manage up and help position your Regular Giving programme as an important and strategic part of the Advancement Office, as well as the wider institution.

As part of the ‘extended cut’, I’ll also share some real life examples of my experiences and key learnings of my 14 years’ experience in the Higher Education sector, including how not to manage up!

As the trend of doing more with less continues within Higher Education fundraising, this session aims to provide you with some practical tips on how to influence senior leadership, celebrate your successes, navigate your way through a complex organisation, demonstrate the value of Regular Giving and more.
Heather Campbell, Deputy Director (Advancement Operations), Imperial College London

5b.  Fundraising During a Crisis: What to do When the Worst Happens
In 2019, Warwick experienced one of the worst media crises that we have faced in many years. In this interactive session you will experience the timeline of events, considered in the context of Warwick’s fundraising activity, and learn how to prepare and respond should your own crisis emerge.
Sam Burdock, Leadership and Regular Giving Manager, University of Warwick

13:00 - 14:00  Lunch

14:00 - 14:45 Breakout Session 6

6a Blackbaud Showcase Session 

6b Phonathon Resolutions for 2020
During this session Rachel will be reviewing phonathon challenges faced and lessons learned in 2019 and proposing a series of actionable “Phonathon Resolutions” for the new year ahead. How can we best examine and analyse the successes and failures of 2019 in order to drive and ensure even greater success for 2020? What adjustments can we be making to drive up contact rates, engagement and participation? Come to this session to find out!
Rachel Spencer, EMEA Sales Manager & Telefundraising SME, VanillaSoft

14:45 - 15:45 Breakout Session 7

7a HE Donor Experience Project Outcomes
How does the sector really feel about stewardship – especially at the Regular Giving level? What is standing in the way of creating a great donor experience? What does “donor-centric” even mean? In 2018, the Higher Education Donor Experience Project set out to answer these questions. Join Rachel Third, Head of Philanthropy at the University of Loughborough and project trustee, as she explores the results, and workshop ways you can create the best possible experience for your donors.
Rachel Third, Head of Philanthropy, University of Loughborough
Kurstin Finch Gnehm, Acting Director of Philanthropy, Royal Academy of Music

7b Writing that Actually moves Alumni to Give

In another review of written fundraising materials, Stephen brings his charity fundraising skills to remind those in Development that we ignore at our peril, the communication research and, in particular Seth Godin’s view that ‘We love ourselves’. So powerful is this love that any communication that assumes the relationship with the alma mater is sufficient to drive support, will always struggle.

Stephen will remind alumni fundraisers that asking for money is a two-stage process with the ask being made only when a connection has been established.  He will illustrate key ways to make connections and involve supporters.  But he will also argue that the HE sector’s low response rates from warm mailings may, in part, result from poor articulation of the NEED.  And he will finish with a plea that successful alumni giving is as much about rewarding loyalty as it is about asking for money.
Stephen Pidgeon, Visiting Professor of Direct Response Fundraising, University of Plymouth

15:50 - 16:10  Refreshment and Networking Break

16:10 - 17:00 Closing Plenary – What Your Donors Want You to Know
For the closing plenary, Miles Stevenson, Director of Advancement at the University of Sheffield, will be interviewing two Sheffield alumni who are long-standing supporters. We will hear why they like to donate; how they like to be approached; how they like to get involved; what they don’t like; what feedback is important to them. This will be a free-ranging conversation and questions from the delegates will be welcomed.
Miles Stevenson, Director of Advancement, University of Sheffield

£495, CASE member

£675, Non-member

£495, Educational Partner

£395, Schools Member

£545, CASE Member

£765, Non-member

£545, Educational partner

£436, Schools Member

For CASE Europe Institutes and Conferences:

• At least two months before the conference start date, you will receive a full refund.
• Between two months - three weeks before the conference start date, you will be refunded your registration fee less a 20% processing fee.
• Less than three weeks before the conference start date, you will not receive a refund.
• "No-shows" will not receive a refund.

Cancellation dates as per cancellation policy:

20% Cancellation percentage:  4/10/19 – 21/11/19

100% Cancellation percentage: 19/11/19 – 10/12/19

Cancellation of conference registrations must be received by 5:00 pm GMT on the day to [email protected]. 

Event pricing is, amongst other factors, dependent on the event's location (country). Prices for most of CASE Europe's events are initially set in the host country's currency. Other currency equivalents are set using translation rates at the same time. CASE Europe reserves the right to alter prices without notice if currency rates move significantly. Bookings made before any such pricing changes will not be affected.