This flagship program of the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence is the largest of its kind dedicated to education and professional development for fraternal foundation staff and volunteers. Seminar provides attendees with a forum to collaborate on advancing our organizations’ mission while also offering an opportunity to learn new strategies for our work, collaborate on shared business problems and network with peers. In addition, Seminar provides a chance to recognize outstanding achievements of FFE member organizations and individuals through Awards of Distinction.

August 25-27, 2025

We look forward to hosting you!

2025 PROGRAM PROPOSALS OPEN THROUGH APRIL 15

The 2025 Seminar Planning Committee is seeking dynamic presenters for breakout sessions this summer. While Seminar will not be limited to only these topics, program proposals that address the following will be given priority consideration during review process by planning committee: 

  • AI: Tactical uses for day-to-day fundraising work
  • Alumni(ae) Engagement: Enhancing future donors’ relationships with organization
  • Capital Campaigns: Preparing for or keeping the momentum after
  • Data Integrity/Management: Moving data to action
  • Donor Acquisition: Making the case for annual fund
  • Donor Advised Funds: Understanding the pros and cons
  • Direct Mail: Recent trends, tactics and lessons learned
  • Managing Grants/Scholarships: Building effective partnerships with fraternity/sorority
  • Mid-Level Giving: Bridging from annual fund to major gifts
  • Organizational Culture: Leading people to find value in their work
  • Road Warrior: Navigating travel woes and road blocks as a fundraiser
  • Storytelling: Crafting a compelling donor journey
  • Volunteer Management: Training fundraising advocates to support development efforts

2025 SEMINAR REGISTRATION & COSTS

Details coming soon!

View the 2024 schedule!

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Seminar benefits fraternal organization staff in all functional areas, foundation and fraternity, as well as volunteer and board leadership.

This shared educational experience offers staff and volunteers a full slate of programming aimed toward expanded knowledge across the organization that drives greater benefit for each attendee and greater overall impact.

Educational sessions will engage the following areas of work or related roles within your organization: 
• Tactical uses for AI
• Alumni(ae) Engagement
• Capital Campaigns
• Data Integrity/Management
• Donor Acquisition
• Donor Advised Funds
• Direct Mail
• Managing Grants/Scholarships
• Mid-Level Giving
• Organizational Culture
• Road Warriors
• Storytelling
• Volunteer Management

WHAT CAN I EXPECT?

Programming will feature a mix of keynote content, focused breakout sessions, small group discussions and networking over the agenda spanning two full days and a partial third day (if opting into add-on experiences such as the NIC FGA Symposium or FFE Fraternal Foundation Fundraising Bootcamp).

The curriculum is designed to help participants advance our organizations’ missions while also offering an opportunity to learn new strategies and tools, dig into shared business problems and collaborate in a variety of settings. 

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Seminar content is curated specifically to cover a variety of curriculum areas for fraternal industry professionals and volunteers, including membership data, communications, engagement, fundraising, management and stewardship.

Attendees will leave Seminar with:
• Best practices for working with generations across staff and volunteer teams
• How to make technology work for for our foundation teams
• And much more!

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE?

While some attendees participate in the Dual Meeting experience, which includes both the NIC Annual Meeting of Members and FFE Seminar, there are a few add-on experiences designed to meet the specific needs of our fraternal organizations and making the most of your time in Indianapolis.

Consider registering for one of the following pre-con or post-con add-on experiences that supports your role:
NIC FGA Symposium
(FGA members only; Aug. 24)
FFE Fraternal Foundation Fundraising Bootcamp (Aug. 27)

2024 KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS

2025 keynote details coming soon!

Every Generation Wins: Why Building Multi-Generational Teams is the Future | Monday, Aug. 19, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Lindsay Boccardo

Generations misunderstanding each other is not a new problem. Every generation thinks the one that comes after them is less competent, more entitled or harder to work with in an organization.

The good news is that no one generation is broken.

According to a 2019 study, multi-generational teams with a range of 25 years or more from youngest to oldest meet or exceed expectations 73% of the time. Those with a narrow range of less than 10 years did so only 35% of the time. The future of collaborative work is truly about inclusion.

In this interactive session, Lindsay will facilitate a dialogue on generational differences and their impact on relationships within membership and volunteer engagement. Participants will explore their individual experiences growing up and how these directly shape their interactions within organizational settings.

In this session, attendees will learn:
• Understand the origins of generational divides within membership and volunteer engagement.
• Identify the key factors contributing to generational tension within organizations.
• Anticipate the cultural expectations of future young employees and volunteers within organizational cultures.
• Discover strategies to enhance the positive influence of multi-generational membership and volunteer teams.

Our State of the Industry - By the Numbers | Tuesday, Aug. 20, 8 - 9:15 a.m.

Patrick Alderdice and Aaron Parker, Pennington & Company
Eager to know how your foundation compares to its peers across the interfraternal community? Pennington and Company has researched, compiled, and interpreted IRS Form 990 filings for fraternity and sorority foundations for the last 21 years. In this State of the Industry session, Patrick and Aaron will team up once more to present information from this year’s IRS Form 990 data and compare it to two decades of previous trends.

The 990 data is a vast repository of non-profit information such as value of assets, donation dollars raised, grant amounts, and spending on program services. Each year, Pennington and Company analyzes this data for our foundations, allowing them to assess progress and benchmark themselves against fraternity and sorority industry averages. Patrick and Aaron will use their industry insights to identify opportunities and challenges while providing tips and recommendations for sustaining and growing our industry.

Overcoming the Competition for Connection | Tuesday, Aug. 20, 12:15 - 1:30 p.m.

Nathan Chappell, MBA, MNA, CFRE, Chief AI Officer at DonorSearch AI, Co-Founder of Fundraising.AI Collaboration
Connection is the currency of the attention economy.  When there are fewer American households giving to charitable organizations annually coupled with an increased demand for philanthropic dollars, the modern nonprofit needs to dig-deep to understand the forces at play and learn how to win the competition for connection.

This keynote highlights the changing definition of generosity, shedding light on the unprecedented competition for connection facing modern nonprofit organizations. To this end, nonprofits must develop a renewed appreciation for radical connection and learn to leverage technology once only used by for-profit organizations. Using current data and analysis, attendees will learn the importance of measuring and prioritizing connection as well as which technologies can help them to work smarter, not harder.

LOCATION & LODGING

The event will take place at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.

Indianapolis Marriott Downtown
350 West Maryland Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46225

Cancellation Policy for NIC/FFE rate: Hotel cancellations made 48 hours or less before arrival will be subject to a charge of one night plus applicable taxes.

ABOUT THE DUAL MEETING

Seminar is a part of the Dual Meeting (inclusive of the NIC Annual Meeting of Members and FFE Seminar). Because of this FFE is able to offer an even greater opportunity for fraternal industry peers to grow together.

Interested in learning more about Dual Meeting registration and costs for your team? Read more on the Dual Meeting page.

Questions?