Annual Fund/Communications Track

Creating a Collaborative Communication Plan to Reach and Influence Donors

Heather Kirk, Sigma Phi Epsilon

For fraternities and sororities, donors are far more than “donors.” They’re also alumni, volunteers, parents, program attendees, and more … with a wealth of fraternity/sorority experiences throughout their lives. As we communicate, it’s important to consider who and where they are in their lifecycle as a member, which means taking an enterprise-approach to communication. This session explores keys to working across your organization — Foundation, Fraternity/Sorority and Housing — to successfully build a plan to communicate with (current and potential) donors year-round.

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Giving Day Best Practices

Eric Billings and Brian Gawor, Ruffalo Noel Levitz; Sarah Cone, Alpha Delta Pi Foundation; Alicia Favata and Neil Stanglein, Delta Zeta Foundation

Giving Days have transformed the way we gain supporter attention, and have taken the opportunity to engage donors with an online and social giving opportunity to the next level. This workshop provided best practices on organizing a giving day, building a strong group of volunteer ambassadors, and engaging your entire organization for success. Hear about benchmarks from a database of over $500M in results.

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Stewardship: More Than A Thank You

Brian Hoffman, Zeta Beta Tau Foundation; Alicia Favata, Delta Zeta Foundation; Megan Caldwell, Tri Sigma Foundation; and Jason Sisk, Delta Chi Educational Foundation

Stewardship at its core is about recognizing a donor’s investment in your organization and showing them the value of their investment. In this session, panelists shared both foundational and high-level stewardship tactics employed at different levels of their organizations. This session provided new and seasoned professionals, as well as board members, an opportunity to benchmark their stewardship efforts against some best practices while offering ideas for long-term incorporation and ways to involve more people in stewardship efforts.

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