Development Sessions
Secondary emphases are indicated in parentheses.
Please confirm the session times and locations in the program book you will receive when you arrive at the conference.
Sunday 12:30-1:30 p.m.
(Executives in Advancement)
Characteristics and Motivations of Campaign Major Gift Donors
Chicago Ballroom IX
Get vital information from a doctoral dissertation study of 310 major gift donors of $25,000-$10 million who made campaign gifts to a Midwestern university. The survey solicited feedback on the motivations for making the gift, and demographic data such as household income, geographic location of the home (and proximity to the campus), length of time the individual had been a donor to the institution, volunteer board service to the university, gender, age, and other variables. The results along with an interactive discussion can assist senior administrators as well as mid-level development professionals obtain a better understanding of the characteristics and motivations of potential major donors.
— Marcia Sloan Latta , Vice President for Advancement , DePauw University
Show and Tell for Fundraisers Complete With Examples and Samples for Your Development Tool Box
Chicago Ballroom X
Cover the development process from beginning to end: identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, goals and metrics from the point of view of the fundraiser and the supervisor. Audience participation will be encouraged to share examples and samples among contemporaries. Samples include: cold call script, executive in residence itinerary, recognition program, formal and informal proposals, thank you letters and card, metric goals and accomplishments, goals and priorities, and a giving pyramid. Samples will be emailed to participants who leave a business card.
— Tammy Cavarretta , Director of Development, College of Business, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
— Jeff Lorber, Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of Development, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Sunday 2:00-3:30 p.m.
(Community Colleges)
Diversity and Donors: Preparing for the Next Generation of Donors
Chicago Ballroom IX
What will our donor pool look like in the future? This session will focus on the significant discussions about the current pool and how we as professionals are cultivating major, planned, and annual giving prospects for the future. Shifting demographics and consumers behaviors will play an important role in how we engage our constituents. This session will look at strategies for engaging a pool of prospects that will be more diverse including age, race, gender, and international.
— Mark Marshall, Managing Associate , Bentz Whaley Flessner
— Marilyn Foster Kirk , Associate Vice Chancellor for Development, University of Illinois Chicago
— Monique Dozier, Assistant Vice President, Advancement Information Systems and Prospect Strategy, Michigan State University
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(Advancement Services)
Managing Data-Driven Advancement: Using Data and Analytics for Sustainable Fundraising Results
Chicago Ballroom X
Learn how The University of Cincinnati Foundation prepared for its largest campaign in history by improving the way it identifies potential prospects to grow fundraising from $65MM to $100MM per year. With nearly four decades of experience in higher education and development, Bill Mulvihill, executive vice president of The Foundation, will share the strategies, tools, and data-driven management practices he uses to dramatically improve the effectiveness of The Foundation's development program, and what it takes to set a confident plan for sustainable growth in the future. Bill will be joined by Andy Reeher, founder and CEO of software services company Reeher LLC, to discuss how data and analytics is helping institutions across the country of all sizes and needs blaze a new path by bringing cutting-edge science to the art of fundraising.
— Bill Mulvihill , Executive Vice President , The University of Cincinnati Foundation
— Andrew Reeher , President and CEO , Reeher LLC
The A Team: How do the President, Chief Development Officer and Lead Volunteer Work Together in Advancing the Institution While Planning and Implementing a Major Campaign?
Superior A
College campaigns are very challenging undertakings. The timeline for planning and implementing a campaign can take 8-10 years, including a strategic planning process which typically precedes campaign planning and implementation. Successful campaigns require strong leadership from the president and the board, and great execution from the staff. But what are the best practices, and some specific experiences, of how these entities work together? Get an overview of how these three legs of the stool can work together, along with personal observations from experienced professionals. Some of the key areas to be discussed: " The importance of a strong strategic planning process as a precursor to a successful campaign " How to build consensus among the president, board and advancement staff about the key challenges to campaign success " The board's role in a campaign " The staff's role in a campaign " The president's role in a campaign " How staff can support the president and the board " Advice from the panelists: one thing they would most emphasize for those going into a campaign.
— Peter Fissinger , President , Campbell and Company
— MaryAnn Baenninger, President, College of Saint Benedict
— Kim Motes, Vice President for Development, College of Saint Benedict
— Beth Dinndorf, Board of Trustees Chair, College of Saint Benedict
Monday 9:00-10:00 a.m.
(Alumni)
Exploring and Encouraging Young Alumni Giving
Michigan
Today's young alumni are different. They want deeper engagement and expect to connect with their alma maters in new ways. How do you learn from your young alumni what type of relationship they wish to have with you? Last year, University of Notre Dame conducted research among young alums to understand how they want to interact with the university. Learn how the Notre Dame Annual Fund utilized this research to create its first young alumni recognition society.
— Timothy Ponisciak , Assistant Director, Annual Giving , University of Notre Dame
— Carol Phillips , President of Brand Amplitude and Professor at Notre Dame , University of Notre Dame
Practical Tips for Development Officers: The Nuts and Bolts of Fundraising
Chicago Ballroom IX
This session will focus on providing development officers practical tips within the most important areas of our job: prioritizing prospects, securing and preparing for the visit; conducting the visit, and appropriate follow-up. The primary target audience for this presentation is development professionals with less than five years of experience in the field. David Lasater and Nathan Wight have worked at multiple areas at Purdue University including the business school, engineering, pharmacy and student affairs as well as with other institutions prior to Purdue. Their presentation will share practical tips to help you become a success.
— Nathan Wight , Director of Advancement, Purdue University
— David Lasater, Director of Advancement, Purdue University
We are Family: Maximizing Your Faculty/Staff Campaign
Chicago Ballroom X
Is your annual faculty/staff campaign in need of a recharge? This session will outline strategies for significantly increasing participation in your internal campaign and communicating its importance to your campus family. Indiana University East relaunched its faculty/staff campaign over two years ago. The university's 2009 and 2010 campaigns achieved over 85 percent participation and received Pride of CASE V awards. Moreover, IU East leveraged this success to boost alumni and community giving. Participation and fun have been the key drivers in campaign planning, leading to record-setting results. The successful annual campaign has not only generated important funds, but it has also created a buzz, built internal pride, and set the tone for external fundraising efforts. Hear ideas for engaging all levels of employees, including your leadership, and utilizing a variety of communication channels, including the social Web.
— Rob Zinkan, Vice Chancellor for External Affairs, Indiana University East
— Brindy Roosa , Director of Gift Development , Indiana University East
Monday 10:30-Noon
(Community Colleges)
Everything I Learned About Development I Learned From Donors, Including a Donor's Perspective
Chicago Ballroom IX
Hear stories and examples to illuminate lessons and experiences not found in seminars or books that explain the hard-to-describe, but easy-to-experience joy of major gift work. Join host Jim Thomas and a donor to explore the true essence of the work that makes great major gift officers and development professionals. This is a follow-up presentation from the popular "Everything I Know About Development I Learned From a Donor" presentation from the 2010 CASE V Conference.
— Jim Thomas, Vice President, Western Michigan University
— David Donovan, Donor
(Alumni)
The Converging Worlds of Alumni Relations and Development
Chicago Ballroom X
Discover how alumni relations and development/annual fund are converging. Using new models and best practices from around the nation, discuss the history of the divergence of alumni relations and development and the recent convergence. We will use real examples at panelist institutions. The session will focus on best practices, models, and operations of integration and collaboration.
— Greg Scharer, Executive Director of Alumni Relations , Wright State University
— Emily Berry , Director of Annual Giving , Miami University
— Andrew Langlais , Assistant Director, Alumni Relations & Annual Giving, University of Chicago
— Jennifer Bowie , Executive Director of Development, Ohio University
Monday 1:30- 2:30 p.m.
(Community Colleges)
Gauging and Engaging Your Corporate Partners
Michigan A and B
Corporate partners can be cultivated to consistently contribute to university success in the long term. At Purdue University, for example, corporate entities accounted for over one-third of their most recently-concluded $1.2 billion campaign (which actually raised $1.7 billion). This lively discussion, jointly presented by a central Corporate Relations staff member and a development officer from the College of Engineering, will cover how to quantify the depth of corporate relationships, identify ways to enhance those relationships through continued interactions, and how to discover/cultivate new corporate prospects. Discover ways in which central CR works with college directors of development, and vice versa, on topics such as proposal preparation and submission, stewardship and annual report handling, and gift/credit processing. Attendees will leave with prioritized corporate relationship metrics and a corporate relationship gauge.
— Jon See , Associate Director, Corporate Relations , Purdue University
— Andrew Weintraut , Director of Corporate Relations, College of Engineering , Purdue University
Template for an Award-Winning Planned Giving Program
Chicago Ballroom IX
At last year's CASE V conference, Culver Academies received the 2010 Gold Award for the Best Program in Planned Giving. Dale Spenner, Director of Planned Giving, accepted the award, but was the first to say this accomplishment was a team effort, involving many participants within the school and outside. The program started with a vision, a plan and a template. Spenner will share his template and the steps it took make the program successful. Co-presenting will be André R. Donikian of Pentera Inc., the planned giving marketing company whose company created much of the communication materials.
— Dale Spenner , Director, Planned Giving, Culver Academies
— André R. Donikian, , Chairman and Founder, Pentera, Inc.
Fundraising by Big Idea: A Collaborative Approach to Fundraising
Chicago Ballroom X
For too long we've approached donors with the following mentality: we have this initiative that needs funding....will you support us? Instead, let's sincerely involve donors at the very earliest stages of planning and idea generation. Here's the catch. We have to be willing to listen to donors and dream with them as opposed to providing them with a list of funding opportunities for their consideration. Take a big idea to your donors. Let them edit the white paper. Let them see the budget. Sincere and intimate involvement with your institution's big ideas will lead to larger and more meaningful fundraising. This session provides a specific process for one way to engage donors in a meaningful, truly collaborative process.
— Jonathan Barada, Senior Director of Development, Leadership Giving , Butler University
Monday 3:00-4:00 p.m.
(Community Colleges)
The Mid-Level Gift you Can't Ignore
Michigan
Does your organization have a donor middle class? How hard does a donor have to try to be noticed before the wealth screening suggests a prospect management assignment in your organization? Can you really afford to walk away from a four-figure or low five-figure gift? In our focus to raise the largest gifts and in our mastery of the annual fund, we've ignored the capacity and interest to give in-between. Generational philanthropic motivations will soon expose this gap as even more pronounced, especially as organizations seek future major gift prospects and donors. Today's identification, cultivation and prioritization of tomorrow's major gift donors will differentiate those organizations that stagnate from those that thrive. Let's identify and overcome the barriers to mid-level giving and implement an evidenced-based strategy for success before it's too late.
— Allison Lewis Lodhi, Vice President, Pursuant Ketchum
— Nathan Wight, Director of Advancement, College of Pharmacy, Purdue University
(Executives in Advancement)
I Love you but I Don't Trust You: Dealing With Donor Restrictions
Chicago Ballroom IX
Donors wish to impose specific restrictions or designations on the use of their gifts. How much is too much? How do we negotiate a more flexible purpose for these gifts? This highly interactive session will share important ideas for dealing with donors who wish to impose too many restrictions on their gifts. The legal requirements for making a gift will be explained, along with a review of the types of donor restrictions that are commonly permitted. Specific case studies will be used to share examples of good gifts gone bad due to overly burdensome, illegal or unethical donor restrictions. Strategies for securing more flexible gift designations will be shared. Effective tools such as outright gift or pledge agreements, memoranda of understanding, contingency planning, savings clauses in planned gifts, endowment contracts and working with donors legal counsel will be explained. Also, explore how to create and implement policies and procedures to assure adherence to legal, ethical and fundraising best practices. The role of your senior leadership and governing board of directors will be emphasized. Finally, stewardship and education will be emphasized as a key mechanism for building the trust to assure a productive long-term philanthropic partnership with your donors.
— Philip Purcell , Vice President , Ball State University Foundation
Student Philanthropy Education: Models for Success
Chicago Ballroom X
Colleges and universities rely on alumni involvement to enhance institutions and donations from alumni to subsidize the cost of operating the institution; however, institutions cannot expect that students automatically learn how to be good alumni simply by attending college. Students must be taught this skill in a similar fashion to how they learn the other desired outcomes from a college education. The student experience should lay the groundwork for later giving and provide instruction on the different capacities in which alumni can stay involved. Institutions are beginning to create and implement development initiatives and programs aimed at students as a source of sustainable revenue; however, little guidance exists on the best mechanisms to approach a student population about fundraising. Overview dissertation research which explored how a select group of colleges and universities educate their entire student body about the importance of sustained philanthropic support for the institution and how the institutions designed the programs to pervade campus culture. Explore best practices in student philanthropy education initiatives, discuss challenges institutions face, and ideas for collaborations across your campus.
— Lori Hurvitz , Assistant Dean of the College and Director of College Programming , University of Chicago
— Adam Niermann, Senior Associate Director, Annual Giving, University of Chicago
Tuesday 9:15-10:15 a.m.
(Alumni)
Advancement for Introverts: Using Your Quiet Strengths to Build Outstanding Alumni and Donor Relationships
Chicago Ballroom X
There's a prevalent stereotype that says successful advancement professionals have to be extroverts the sort of charismatic people who have large social and business networks and who thrive on spending lots of time interacting with others. While such qualities are certainly useful in educational advancement, this stereotype does not recognize that the quiet strengths of introverts are actually key to building deep and meaningful relationships with alumni, donors, and other important constituents. This session explores how introverts can lean into their quiet strengths to build meaningful alumni and donor relationships, and provides extroverts with opportunities to reflect upon their own approach to alumni and donor relations.
— Tyrone Freeman , Associate Director, The Fund Raising School , Indiana University
— Eva Aldrich , Associate Director, The Fund Raising School , Indiana University
Smart Segmentation for Small and Mid-sized Universities
Chicago Ballroom IX
Dominican University's Annual Giving program is historically segmented by donor type (lybunts, sybunts, and non-donors). Realizing the need for relevant messaging to generations and further personalization to its alumni base, the annual giving staff looked to the transitions in the university's rich history as drivers. To segment by generation in its integrated marketing plan (including direct mail, phone, and email), Dominican partnered with Rider Dickerson who specializes in variable data printing in the higher education community. In this session, discover: " The challenges faced by smaller staffs with limited resources " The process taken by multiple departments including annual giving, advancement services, communications, as well as our print service provider " The tactics implemented including testing the delivery vehicle used, testing responses by generation, etc. " The analytics and data processes used to measure results, which later provided a road map for future campaigns " What's next for Dominican's Annual Giving campaigns (how we plan to integrate innovative technology solutions such as PURLs, QR codes, and social media) that blend with our print and other communications. We will share printed samples, segmentation numbers, data snapshots, and detailed results. Participants will leave inspired and understand the scope and possibilities of a segmented annual giving campaign for their institution.
— Amy Kaczmarek , Director of Annual Giving Programs , Dominican University
— Dean Petrulakis , Senior Vice President, Business Development , Rider Dickerson, Inc.
Tuesday 10:45-12:15 p.m.
(Communications and Web)
Innovations in Annual Giving 3.0: The Online Annual Fund
Chicago Ballroom IX
Bob Burdenski convenes a panel of "innovators" from his new CASE "Innovations in Annual Giving" book, including representatives from a private college, a state university, a community college and an independent school. See the latest new online ideas for annual giving success, from videos and text messages, to emails and Facebook.
— Chris Clark , Executive Director of Alumni and Parent Giving, Carleton College
— Robert Burdenski , Consultant and Author , Robert Burdenski Annual Giving
— Jill Dooley, Senior Director, Annual Giving & Alumni Relations, Grand Valley State University
— Ron Eisenstein, Director of Advancement Data Systems, DePaul University
The Changing Face of Young Alumni Giving
Chicago Ballroom X
Young alumni today are the future of giving, but what are they being taught about philanthropy at their respective institutions? In a recent study, 91 percent of millennials admitted they'd prefer to be contacted face to face for a solicitation. Is this the current method adopted by most colleges though? This group is changing the face of philanthropy across the nation. How do they want to be solicited, what engages them and what are recent trends? The presentation will include survey data, samples of communication (mail, email) that encourage young alumni giving and discussion about what's in store for all of us in higher education fundraising.
— Lola Mauer , Lead Strategy Consultant, Pursuant Group
— Carolyn Ciriegio, Assistant Director of The Wooster Fund, The College of Wooster