ENGAGEMENT- FOCUSED FUNDRAISING: A WHOLE-SHOP APPROACH

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Julia Horn, Director of Development, University of Montana Foundation I ve attended several other conferences over the past six years and this, by far, was absolutely the best in terms of information

1 ENGAGEMENT- FOCUSED FUNDRAISING: A WHOLE-SHOP APPROACH January 23-25, 2012 Atlanta, GA This was not your standard fundraising conference. Creative and innovative solutions to old problems were offered. Jim s flexibility in allowing participants to help shape some of the discussions was novel and very effective. Julia Horn, Director of Development, University of Montana Foundation I ve attended several other conferences over the past six years and this, by far, was absolutely the best in terms of information acquired, content, and presenter. Tim Brennan, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, D Youville College This class is a must-attend for seasoned development officers and deans. It offers fresh ideas and helps to explain the unsolved mysteries of fundraising. Gregory Gibbs, Director of Development, College of Engineering, University of California, Davis I ve been in development for nearly 20 years and have attended dozens of conferences. Jim Langley was the best presenter I ve ever seen thorough, organized, inspiring, highly knowledgeable, and an outstanding exemplar for all of us in this field. Lanette Fisher-Hertz, Major and Planned Gifts Officer, Hampshire College

OVERVIEW A recent national survey of higher education alumni revealed only 52 percent believed their alma mater keeps them closely connected and values its alumni relationships.

Only by focusing on engagement strategies with all of your constituents including everyone from students to faculty to business to alumni can your institution break free of this pattern and build a

Using current research into donor decision-making, AI Platinum Partner Jim Langley will walk you through a more productive and easily measured approach to the fundraising process, including: Moving

2 OVERVIEW A recent national survey of higher education alumni revealed only 52 percent believed their alma mater keeps them closely connected and values its alumni relationships. At the same time, institutions are trying to meet fundraising goals by calling on fewer and fewer donors. Now is the time for your institution to stop this unsustainable advancement strategy. Only by focusing on engagement strategies with all of your constituents including everyone from students to faculty to business to alumni can your institution break free of this pattern and build a sustainable constituency base of support into the future. Join us in Atlanta for a conference that will improve your engagement strategies to lead your institution to a more secure fundraising future. Using current research into donor decision-making, AI Platinum Partner Jim Langley will walk you through a more productive and easily measured approach to the fundraising process, including: Moving past capacity to the indicators of a true propensity to give How to use interviews for both research and cultivation purposes Developing projects that engage prospects and steer solicitation timelines When and in what settings to deploy faculty and volunteers Learn a fresh, comprehensive approach to improving your major fundraising performance. LEARNING OUTCOME After attending this conference, you will be able to more effectively identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward major donors with an innovative relationship-based strategy. ATTEND AS A TEAM All professionals directly responsible for cultivating and raising private donor support will gain a new perspective on effective fundraising work. Because this experience offers the unique opportunity to systematically re-approach - from student philanthropy to alumni engagement to prospecting to stewardship - your method to securing a brighter fundraising future, we highly recommend bringing a team that includes development managers, major gift officers, annual giving officers, student philanthropy managers, academic leaders, board members, and even your president. AGENDA MONDAY, JANUARY 23, :30 1:00 p.m. Registration 1:00 1:30 p.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks 1:30 3:00 p.m. Setting the Scene: The Culture of Philanthropy Last year, Americans gave hundreds of millions in philanthropic gift dollars. How much of that remarkable support is the result of fundraising technique and how much can be attributed to specific cultural factors? A better understanding of American philanthropic culture will help you develop more effective fundraising techniques. This session explores the answers to the fundamental questions of: Why do Americans give so much? In what cultural phenomena are our philanthropic tendencies rooted? How can a better understanding of those roots make us more effective fundraisers? How can we appeal to donors highest and best instincts? 2

3 AGENDA MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 2012 (CONTINUED) 3:00 3:15 p.m.. Afternoon Break 3:15 4:45 p.m. Understanding Donor Perceptions and Trends Research is beginning to reveal some surprising clues about why donors give. The trends are changing. Individuals with large net worth demonstrate philanthropic behaviors that vary from overall patterns, and the rise of entrepreneurial wealth is creating a new era and a new kind of philanthropy. This session will explore current perceptions and trends to help you pinpoint the most promising opportunities and pursue them with the greatest probability of success. 5:00 6:00 p.m. Networking Reception (included in registration) TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, :30 9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast (included in registration) 9:00 10:15 a.m. Defining the Process: The Phase-and-Flow Model The classic identification-to-cultivation-to-solicitation model fails to effectively develop and deliver compelling cases for support. The innovative phase-and-flow model solves that problem. During this session, you will learn how the model functions along with how it makes major gift work more efficient, better measured, and more productive. 10:15 10:30 a.m. Morning Break 10:30 11:30 a.m Identification and Prospecting A shift of focus from capacity to propensity can dramatically increase the success of your development operation. This session will explore practical examples to show how a rigorous analysis of these variables will lead to more successful solicitations. 11:45 a.m. 1:00 p.m. Lunch (included in registration) 1:00 2:00 p.m. Discovery and Creative Engagement The discovery and creative engagement phases of the model deal explicitly with the art and science of the major gift process. Highly innovative yet proven approaches will be shared, including: Strategies to reveal donors giving interests Using students or volunteers as interviewers Designing creative programs that engage prospects in the life of your institution 2:00 3:15 p.m. Building a Better Development Interview From speaking to prospects about their animating passion or faculty about their groundbreaking research, key interviewing skills are essential for good advancement work. This session will help you hone your interview strategies, including preparing the right questions, identifying important responses, and utilizing post-interview best practices. 3:15 4:30 p.m. Project Assignment The assignment of prospects to projects is the heart of the phase-and-flow model of securing major gifts. American philanthropy is project-oriented, yet many institutions define only broad goals that have limited donor appeal. This session will provide specific examples of how your institution can translate its goals into compelling projects that will induce higher levels of philanthropic support. Evening Project Work Prior to the conference, you will be asked to identify a challenging fundraising initiative at your institution. In the evening following the conference s second day, you will be charged with incorporating new considerations to develop your initiative into a more compelling, project-style case for donors, including: Project scope, scale, distinctions, and beneficiaries Success plans and accountability measures Matching content to gift size 3

4 AGENDA WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, :00 8:30 a.m.. Continental Breakfast (included in registration) 8:30 9:30 a.m. Project Feedback You will begin day three by sharing the compelling case you developed overnight. Jim and your fellow participants will offer feedback and additional ideas for developing your case further. 9:30 10:15 a.m. Solicitation and Stewardship The strategic use of solicitations, not only to secure commitments but also to plant seeds and further engage the donor, is a key component of the phase-and-flow model. This session will challenge, if not debunk, many long-held assumptions about soliciting gifts, and address many important questions, including: 10:15 10:45 a.m. Afternoon Break Do we rush to solicitation and thereby fail to optimize the potential of most donors? Are too many solicitations a form of ambush? Should we press for an answer at the solicitation or make sure we avoid a no? 10:45 11:45 a.m. Effective Use of Academic Leaders and Volunteers A perennially challenging issue, this session will help you explore the role academic leaders and volunteers can play in securing major gifts. In a lively session that encourages strong interaction among conference participants, these and similar questions will be explored: Are most volunteers more trouble than they are worth? Do we ask too much of our presidents? How do we make effective use of our deans and other academic leaders? How do you break in a new or socially awkward academic dean? How do you decide who should be in on a solicitation? 11:45 a.m. 12:15 p.m. Closing Q&A and Final Thoughts 12:15 1:30 p.m. Lunch for Post-conference Workshop Participants 1:30 4:30 p.m. Post-conference Workshop: Choosing the Right Evaluative Metrics to Guide Development Too often, there are disconnects between the way advancement works and the way advancement is measured. From staff evaluations to publications to volunteer effectiveness, advancement needs to be measured by relationships, not transactions. Join us to gain insights and explore examples of how to properly conceive and apply metrics that help you achieve an accurate and useful measure of economy, purpose, and success. You will leave the workshop knowing which metrics can be most useful to your development office and how they can be used to improve your effort. CFRE Continuing Education Credits Most Academic Impressions fundraising-related events are applicable for continuing education credits toward the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification. This program is currently being considered for approval. 4

5 INSTRUCTOR AI PLATINUM PARTNER: James M. Langley, President and Founder, Langley Innovations Before forming his own comprehensive advancement consulting firm, Jim served as vice president for advancement at Georgetown University. At Georgetown, he led the institution s offices of alumni affairs, strategic communications and marketing, development, medical center development, and advancement services. During his tenure, he produced record numbers in new commitments and dollars despite a difficult economy, and launched a number of innovative programs, including the Student Discovery Initiative, which uses current students to interview alumni who have been only occasionally engaged with the university. Jim arrived at Georgetown after spending eight years as the vice president for advancement at the University of California, San Diego. At UCSD, he led the planning and execution of the institution s seven-year $1 billion campaign, then raised almost half the target amount in three years, despite a weak economy. He also expanded and improved outreach to key constituencies, increased and strengthened volunteer participation, acted as university spokesperson, and implemented programs that improved community relations. During Jim s tenure, significant increases were posted in federal funding, national and international publicity, and alumni participation. Before arriving at UCSD, Jim served as vice president for external affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology. At Georgia Tech, he increased annual gift income from $26 million to $76 million and more than tripled the institution s endowment to well over $500 million. Jim began his career in higher education at Miami University and served at the University of Cincinnati as well as the University of Massachusetts. Operations under Jim s management have won awards in virtually every area of university advancement. HOTEL RESERVATIONS The conference will be held at: Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead 3000 Peachtree Road NE Atlanta, GA www. grandhyatt.atlanta.com The conference will be held at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta at Buckhead. Guest rooms are no longer available at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta. There is a small room block for conference attendees at the Hyatt Place Buckhead, located just a half a block from the Grand Hyatt Atlanta. For reservations, please call and let them know you are with the Academic Impressions group. This block will only be available until Tuesday, January 3, Grand Hyatt Atlanta is located in the city s most exclusive neighborhood, Buckhead, and surrounded by popular area attractions, including the World of Coca-Cola Museum, the Georgia Aquarium, High Museum and Atlanta History Center. Many of these attractions are easily accessible using convenient MARTA transportation. The hotel is walking distance to luxury shopping at Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza Malls. Hartsfield- Jackson International Airport is just 20 minutes away. 5

6 Attend as a team remember, if you register as a group, every fourth registrant is free. Questions about the event? Call us at to help determine if this event is right for you. Register online at REGISTRATION FEES Your registration fee includes: full access to all conference sessions and materials, access to the networking reception on Monday, breakfast and lunch on Tuesday, and breakfast on Wednesday, as well as refreshments and snacks throughout the conference. Postmarked on or before January 6, 2012 Engagement-Focused Fundraising: A Whole-Shop Approach Engagement-Focused Fundraising: A Whole-Shop Approach and post-conference workshop (For registrations postmarked after January 6, 2012, an additional $100 fee per registrant applies) $1095 USD $1395 USD Check here if you have any dietary or accessibility needs. Please list any needs in the space below and we will do our best to accommodate you. How did you hear about this event? ( from AI, colleague forwarded , The Chronicle, etc.) CONFERENCE REGISTRATION INFORMATION (PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY) Name Name Preferred for Badge Job Title Institution/Organization Address City State/Province Zip/Postal Code Country Telephone Fax For registration confirmations and pre-conference communication. (FOR ADDITIONAL REGISTRANTS, PLEASE COMPLETE ADDITIONAL FORMS.) Additional Contact Name Additional Contact Phone Additional Contact Title Additional Contact Emergency Contact Name Emergency Contact Phone (day) (In case of emergency, we will contact this person on your behalf) (evening) FREE HIGHER ED NEWS AND ANALYSIS Academic Impressions is happy to offer Higher Ed Impact, a free industry scan of news, trends, and fresh research on higher education, delivered in an easy-to-scan . Sign me up for HEI: Daily Pulse impactful news, trends, and practices, sent daily Sign me up for HEI: Weekly Scan the week s most critical news, with analysis of top stories and trends, sent on Fridays Sign me up for HEI: Monthly Diagnostic practical takeaways addressing a strategic challenge facing institutions of higher ed, sent 9-12 times/year PAYMENT METHOD We accept Visa, MC, and AmEx credit cards. To pay by check, include the check with this form or select the invoice me option. Fax form to or mail form along with payment to: Academic Impressions, 4643 S. Ulster St. Ste. 350, Denver, CO CREDIT CARD Please charge my credit card: (Visa, MC, AmEx) Name on Card Account Number Exp. Date Billing Zip Code/Postal Code Security Code (last 3 digits on the back of Visa and MC or 4 digits on front of AmEx) CHECK/INVOICE My check is included and covers Check # Please invoice me Purchase Order # (PO# not required to receive invoice) registration(s) REFUND/CANCELLATION POLICY Refunds will be issued only if cancellations are received in writing by October 28, A $100 processing fee will be assessed. After October 28, 2011 a credit (less $100 processing fee) will be issued. The credit will be valid for 12 months and can be used toward any future conferences, Web conferences, audio proceedings, or Web conference archives. In case this event is cancelled, Academic Impressions' liability is limited to a refund of this registration fee only. Questions about the event? Call us at to help determine if this event is right for you. 6

FUNDRAISING ESSENTIALS: COLD CALLING, INTERVIEWING, ASKING

FUNDRAISING ESSENTIALS: COLD CALLING, INTERVIEWING, ASKING Session 1: Making the Cold Call Monday, March 14, 2011 :: 1:00 2:45 p.m. EDT Session 2: The Art and Science of the Advancement Interview Tuesday,