Understanding donor behavior across generations is key to building effective fundraising and engagement strategies. This session explores research insights on how different age groups engage with technology, communication, and philanthropy. From Baby Boomers to Gen Z, we’ll examine how life aspirations, career attitudes, and giving preferences shape donor engagement—and how fundraisers can adapt their approaches to connect with donors across generations.

Your leadership annual giving program represents a dedicated group of donors who provide vital unrestricted support year after year. But have you maximized the full potential of this engaged constituency? This session will explore strategies for leveraging your leadership annual giving society to elevate your overall fundraising efforts.

Turn up the heat on your cold calls and keep the door open after your first visit. Learn how to get the appointment, how to start the conversation and keep it on track, and most important, how to end the visit ensuring a productive next step. Have to solicit on that first call? We'll cover that as well. The development professional who masters and enjoys cold calls and first visits is destined for success.

This session allows advisees to practice “The Language of Asking” and gives advisees a chance to find their own voice. Attendees will have the opportunity to practice making the ask with each other.

Most external facing advancement officers have experienced an uncomfortable, offensive, tricky, or harmful donor interaction. Perhaps you have. If not, chances are you will. Power dynamics are real, and it is easy to feel as if the donor, volunteer, or potential donor has ALL the power. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll equip you with tools and tactics to help you define situations, navigate difficult donor conversations in the moment, follow-up actions, and ways to create strategies that will minimize troubling donor interactions in the future.

Your prospect portfolio is one of your most powerful tools as a fundraising professional, but are you managing it to its full potential? This session explores the mindset and acumen needed to approach portfolio management with confidence and purpose. We'll then dive into the mechanics of organizing, prioritizing, and moving relationships forward. Whether you’re new to portfolios or refining your strategy, you’ll leave with practical tools to maximize results and build long-term success.

Managing social media can feel overwhelming, but this session will share a practical, step-by-step framework to bring clarity and purpose to your work. We’ll start by discussing how to audit your current efforts and identify what’s working (and what’s not), then align your content and platforms with institutional goals like recruitment, retention, and engagement. From there, we’ll explore key trends, audience behaviors, and platform strategies shaping higher ed today. Finally, we’ll focus on working smarter, sharing tips for streamlining workflows, strengthening account management, and leveraging AI tools to increase efficiency without sacrificing authenticity. Attendees will leave with actionable insights and a roadmap for managing social media with confidence.

Prospect research is evolving beyond wealth screening and reactive fact-finding into a more strategic function that supports fundraising, engagement, and institutional decision-making. This session explores the changing role of research in advancement, including how teams can provide stronger partnership around prospect identification, relationship strategy, reputational risk, and donor engagement. Attendees will examine the core foundations of effective prospect research, discuss how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping the field, and explore practical ways fundraisers, alumni relations, communications, and advancement services professionals can better collaborate to strengthen donor relationships and organizational insight.

What does it take to turn a donor’s intent into a clear, actionable, and compliant gift agreement? This session explores the critical collaboration between fundraisers and advancement services in structuring agreements that honor donor goals while protecting institutional integrity. Attendees will learn what makes a strong gift agreement, gain clarity on each team’s role, and hear real-world stories illustrating how shared understanding leads to better outcomes - for donors and the institution.