2008 Advancement Academy
Session Descriptions


Here is a full list of all session descriptions and presenters for the 2008 Advancement Academy.
Download an at-a-glance printer-friendly pdf summary of session days and times here.

Annual Giving Track Sessions:

Parent Programs: Engaging the Helicopters
Chris Clark

A session on effective parent fundaising program strategies. How do we quickly engage, cultivate and solicit this "helicopter" prospect audience?

Get out of the office! Personal Solicitation in Annual Giving
Stacy Mara
A session on effective personal solicitation in leadership annual giving programs. How does the annual giving program strenghen its role as a major gift pipeline?  The who, when, where, why and how of personal visitation -- learn how to maximize your efforts while you're out of the office.

The Riches in the NIches - Prospect Segmentation
and Data Mining for Annual Giving
Alysia Conklin and Bob Burdenski

A session on data mining and prospect segmentation; Non-donors are not created equal! What segments will be more beneficial to your acquisition efforts?  How do we improve segmentation by learning from the donor segments we already have?  Our appeals used to be limited by year and degree information -- what new opportunities are available to you today?

Highlights From The 2008 Annual Giving Salary Survey
Bob Burdenski

In early 2008 Bob conducted a first-of-its-kind salary survey specific to the annual giving profession, with more than 700 participants. See Bob's first in-person presentation on the results of the survey.

Playing The Percentages: Maximizing Alumni Giving Participation
Annual Giving Faculty - Chris Clark, Stacy Mara, Alysia Conklin and Bob Burdenski

A panel discussion on best strategies for maximizing alumni giving participation rates; Your president and your board pay attention to U.S. News and World Report rankings. What can your annual giving program do to help? 

The Best of the 2008 FundList Direct Mail Exchange
Bob Burdenski and Alysia Conklin

A special brand-new review of the best direct mail samples from the 2008 direct mail exchange. More than 150 schools participated last year -- see the very best of the new batch from the 2008 direct mail exchange.  Bob and Alysia have sorted samples annually together for the past 3 years -- get the first look at their favorites for this year.


Pardon The Interruption! Annual Giving and Advancement Services
Panel Discussion and Wrap-Up
Bob Burdenski, John Taylor and Academy Faculty

Bob and John’s wildly popular annual "Pardon The Interruption"-style
annual giving and advancement services wrap-up discussion and faculty firing line. Bob and John convene a special panel of annual giving and advancement services veterans to explore what's coming over the hill in advancement -- and what's already here! Learn what you need to know in your program planning for FY09... and beyond.
Other Track Sessions:
Accountability Is Everything:
Napoleon Hendrix “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
Donors need to know that the organizations they so generously support are worthy stewards. Timely and frequent fund management and program performance reporting can make all the difference to continued and new support received. Issue resolution can also be an area of great concern to donors. Understanding the process at your organization can assist in accomplishing win/win scenarios for your donors and your organization.

Back To The Basics Of Building Lasting Relationships:
Napoleon Hendrix “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
A solid stewardship program begins with the development of sound program philosophy and program components, establishing consistent practices, and setting the right tone for the effort at all levels. There are several paths to success, but understanding the importance of these components can better help to tailor the program effort to meet the needs of your organization and your donors.

Balancing Your Research Portfolio - Setting Prospect Identification Goals:
Christina Pulawski “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
One of the most pervasive fund-raising myths is "you can never have too many prospects." Prospect identification is a key (and fun) component of research's contribution to the fund-raising cycle, but the volume of identification activity is rarely in synch with needs. In some shops, there's never enough time to undertake these projects; in others, it's research's sole
function with scores of prospects being neglected for qualification or follow-up. In this session, we'll look at data, tools, and methods for balancing the various aspects of research work in your shop, to ensure that the full complement of information needs for your institution are being addressed. We'll especially focus on setting relevant goals for prospect identification, and how to choose from various types of projects or activities to meet those goals.

Beyond Lost Alumni (But That, Too):
Alan Hejnal “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
Finding lost alumni is important, but it’s only part of the story. What can you do to keep your alumni from getting lost in the first place? And how good is that alumni information that you currently have in your database? This session will include tips and tricks for helping your alumni stay “found,” and for drilling down into area that might be worth a second look.

Board Training - What board members need to know about the stages of a campaign and their respective roles:
Lynne Becker “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
We will have an interactive session where we review a board's necessary strategic approach to planning for a campaign including the stages of a comprehensive campaign, board members' respective contributions and roles, and the structure of campaign committees and leadership opportunities for volunteers.

Budgeting Resources to Support Campaign Operations:
Led by Christina Pulawski “1.0 hr CFRE Credits”

Campaign Planning... pulling on the same oar without going in circle:
Neil Macready “1.0 hr CFRE Credits”
From the earliest stage of campaign planning, teamwork is vital to the establishment of goals, the allocation of resources and the ultimate success of the campaign. Effective communication among departments and a clear understanding of mutually beneficial objectives will set the tone for a successful effort with an integrated approach. This session will provide an interactive experience, enabling participants to address campaign planning issues from multiple perspectives.

Capacity Ratings:
Mark DeFilippis “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
Does your institution struggle with the uncertainty of capacity ratings? Are they too much to wrap your arms around? Implement a rating system that will not only provide clarity to your development operation, but provide a foundation on which much of your planning can be structured. We'll explore a variety of formulas and methodologies that will serve as basis for
fundraiser goal-setting, campaign planning, establishing priorities and list segmentation.

Creating A Digital Archive:
Brenda Eckles “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
At Rhodes College, we have converted all paper files in Development to a digital archive which is accessible via the web – a first at Rhodes and at many of our peer schools. Were we crazy to undertake such a project?! Was it worth all the effort? Learn from our successes and what we would do differently. We will talk about securing funds for the project; selecting a vendor and negotiating the contract; advance testing; coordinating work among the vendor, IT, and Development; training staff to use the finished product; and developing in-house procedures to maintain the archive.

Developing Key Internal Stewardship Partners: Napoleon Hendrix “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
Stewardship is the responsibility of all Development departments. Building strong relationships with department stakeholders, as well as, those areas that can greatly affect the outcome of the effort, can give increased understanding to the importance of the roles played in maintaining the donor relationship.

Developing an eSolicitation Strategy: John Taylor “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
Have you taken advantage of the Internet in your fundraising efforts? Did you know that donors who give online have been shown to give more than those who do not? This session will go into the virtues, and vices, of using e-mail as a solicitation technique. We will also talk about eetiquette,review some good – and bad – flash presentations, and discuss alternative electronic forms of giving.

Development Officers ON THE GO!: Dave Best “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
In the always on, always connected world, Development Officers have new tools available forgetting important and timely information on their prospects and major donors that they need to be successful fundraisers. This session will cover new technologies and capabilities provided by Smart Phones, Search Agents, Automated Notifications, Mapping and Geographic Analysis, and Network Enabled Information Systems.

Diagnosing Donor Database Dilemmas:
Robert Weiner “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
All fundraising systems have strengths and weaknesses. You can find fans and foes of every system on the market. We will begin with an overview of common database problems and how to address them. Robert will answer your questions about how to make the most of the system you have, or how to go about selecting a new one. This is your opportunity for free consulting.

How To Cheat On The US News Survey:
Alan Hejnal “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
Alumni Participation is the name of the game these days, and if you haven’t been asked to “improve” your participation numbers, you probably will. And there are probably things that you can do to put your best foot forward without crossing the line … and probably other things you shouldn’t do! The session will look at what all the fuss is about, define terms, review the rules,and prepare you to be an informed participant in your institution’s examination of alumni participation.

Lead The Charge - Drive Effective Prospect Management Sessions:
Mark DeFilippis “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
Are your fundraisers stuck in perpetual cultivation mode or doing more "friend" raising than fundraising? Do hot prospects languish in portfolio blackholes? Discuss tips and best practices for creating a program of strategic outcome-driven discussions with frontline fundraisers. Jump start your moves management program while elevating the perception of prospect development at your institution.

Making the Ask - What we need to understand about the essence of fundraising:
Lynne Becker “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
You will walk away with a new comfort level with what it means to make the ask. We will practice connecting to prospective donors through several activities including briefly summarizing our passion for the work of our organization, discussing these with our prospect, then listening about what connects to their desires and aspirations.

Policies & Procedures - A Necessary Evil And A Life-Saver:
Brenda Eckles “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
What is the difference between policies and procedures? Why write policies and procedures? Do they really contribute to getting the day-to-day job done? Who should write them? Who should use them? P&P is time-consuming, sometimes labor-intensive, and an absolute must for any Advancement Services operation! At Rhodes College, we have had formal P&P in place for several years and cannot imagine ever having been without them.

Reengaging The Disenchanted Donor:
John Taylor “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
It happens. Donors get bent out of shape, do not like something you have done, or perhaps you haven’t done enough to keep them in the loop. In this session we will discuss some of the reasons why donors become disenchanted, so that we can understand how to avoid losing them to begin with. And we will also discuss what we can do to bring them back into the fold!

Sphere of Influence Analysis:
Mark DeFilippis “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
The foundation of successful fundraising is the relationship. Make the most of your volunteers' and donors' connections. Use SOI to fast-track prospects through the development process and increase the engagement of volunteer leadership. We'll discuss methodologies, tools and tactics to identify key entry points to new relationships and strategies to manage the data once captured.

Stewardship And The Solicitation Cycle:
Napoleon Hendrix “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
What is the true impact of the stewardship effort on the gift solicitation cycle, and the overall objective of building strong, lasting relationships with donors? Understanding the role of stewardship and how the effort evolves during the course of the donor relationship can help an organization position its program for certain success.

Tracking Prospects Through The Development Cycle:
Christina Pulawski “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
We’ll approach issues surrounding tracking prospects throughout the entire development cycle – from identification and initial review and assignment, through all the moves that make up the process we know as development, to the stewardship and ongoing relationships that are maintained after successful solicitation.

Who Is This FERPA And Why Won't He Let Me Use Student Information Any More?:
Alan Hejnal “1.25 hr CFRE Credits”
With the increasing concerns about privacy and confidentiality, colleges and universities are tightening up their policies about access to information about students. FERPA concerns pop up in some unusual places, like preventing you from putting a student ID—that doesn’t mean anything!—on a mailing label. And that’s just for starters. The primarily federal law, the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act or FERPA, gives each college or university considerable discretion to shape their own policies, so it’s important that Advancement representatives have a seat at the table in shaping—or reshaping—FERPA policy. It’s also important that they know what they’re talking about! This session will help.
© Robert Burdenski Consulting Group | Chicago, IL 60614 | Info@BobBurdenski.com

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