Thank you to everyone who made Annual Giving a success! Participants have been emailed post-event resources and information.
Looking to join us for Advance? The Road Warriors track is still coming up April 20-21!
DAY 1: TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Roundtable
Welcome: Celebrating Successes from 2020
We made it through 2020 … now let’s shine in 2021! Advance will help participants stay ahead of the curve and innovate with new projects this year. This kickoff session will set the stage for success as participants share in a guided discussion and begin networking.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Workshop
Building Your Case for Unrestricted Support
Learning objectives: Explain to donors why operating funds are necessary and where their gifts fit into the larger organization picture. Build a case to bring your existing restricted or housing donors into the annual fund. Share how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting students and chapters and identify how unrestricted gifts can have a direct impact.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Presentations
Try This!
Try This! sessions are live, short-form educational breaks to give a quick lesson on a dynamic topic keyed in to today’s virtual-essential fundraising world like email campaign automation, data benchmarking, online planned giving tools and cross-connecting your software.
Tuesday’s presentations (Click the slider to expand)
Since 2018, the Delta Zeta Foundation has been using social media ambassadors to help achieve fundraising goals for our Founders Day Challenge (Day of Giving). We will share some things you can try to grow your program through ambassador engagement and fundraising incentives.
- Ambassador recruitment best practices
- Training and engagement
- Fundraising incentives for ambassadors
By Neil Stanglein, Director of Development, and Mary Waterman, Director of Advancement, Delta Zeta Foundation
Resources
WATCH: Recording
How automated annual fund reporting helps us move faster: We’ll review what numbers matter, how automation move the needle and how Sigma Phi Epsilon updates our numbers hourly. And, finally we’ll review why we count annual fund dollars the way we do.
By Joe Budde Jr., Chief Information Officer, Sigma Phi Epsilon
WATCH: Recording
Now more than ever we are spending our days looking at screens and relying on our technology. Let’s make this a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved!
- Create a more engaging staff experience with managing and stewarding donors
- Infuse the flair of competition into your Day of Giving and other big events
- Envision unique recognition and gamification of the donor experience
- Leveraging existing data to make informed moves management decisions
By Matthew Dempsey, Senior Consultant, Computer System Innovations, Inc.
WATCH: Recording
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Workshop
Meaningful Thank-Yous
Learning objectives: How to ensure your stewardship process is truly meaningful to the donor — and also to the messenger. Why you need to build time into your week for this work. Connect the donor’s broader philanthropic priorities to your organization in a significant way.
DAY 2: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31
12:15 pm – 12:45 pm (Optional)
Lunch and Learn
Digest what you learned on Day 1 as we bite into the second day of Advance. This casual networking session will allow you to discuss what you’ve learned so far and meet other attendees. FFE hosts will share additional resources and expert sources that you may find helpful.
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm | Workshop
Mail Showcase and Lessons from 2020
Learning objectives: Current trends in printed fundraising materials coming out of 2020. Planning ahead for 2021 mailings. The impact direct mail has on different generations. Managing postal service and shipping provider issues.
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm | Workshop
Virtual Engagement
Learning objectives: How to make your signature event special. How is your organizing prioritizing online giving and crowdfunding, particularly in regard to chapter giving. What do individual donors and volunteers want in virtual meetings and networking functions.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm | Presentations
Try This!
Try This! sessions are live, short-form educational breaks to give a quick lesson on a dynamic topic keyed in to today’s virtual-essential fundraising world like email campaign automation, data benchmarking, online planned giving tools and cross-connecting your software.
Wednesday’s presentations (Click the slider to expand)
Optimize your annual appeal and cut direct mail costs by incorporating more digital touches into your program. identifying the donor segments with the highest ROI and
We will describe how we first analyze a donor pool, target key segments, and help deploy a multi-channel campaign that performs well at a lower overall cost.
By Adam Wilbur, Co-Founder, CauseVid/Cause Campaigns
WATCH: Recording
Stuck in a rut? Not a comfortable as a writer? This session will give you some tools and tactics you can try to improve your appeal writing, increase response rates, and grab attention.
By Sarah Cone, Director of Development Operations, Alpha Delta Pi Foundation, and Katie Ellis, IUPUI
WATCH: Recording
Through leveraging data on giving history and engagement, SigEp has personalized email communication resulting in the doubling of donations made through email (so far this year). We’ll share strategies around our day of giving, end-of-year pushes and direct mail campaigns.
By Heather Kirk, Chief Communication Officer, Sigma Phi Epsilon
WATCH: Recording
The Hybrid Approach to Fundraising: Making sure all of your bases are covered.
- Multi-touch point approach: In-person payment experiences, online experiences (particularly social media), and crowdfunding examples and integration.
- The “Rule of 7”: Potential donors may need to be asked seven times before they consider making a donation. This is why it is important to reach them from different channels.
- Generate ideas: We will come with examples, and we hope that attendees can easily walk away with something to try.
By Charlotte Muylaert, Marketing Leader, Billhighway | greekbill
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Workshop
Project Management
Learning objectives: What aptitudes and skills you need to succeed at this core competency. Calendar, project software and tracking apps available to help. How to acknowledge that sometimes taking a break or stepping away is needed so you can come back stronger. How to wear many hats with style.
