Day 1

Acknowledging Current and Emerging Challenges in Higher Education
Higher education today is facing a range of challenges, such as financial imbalance, increased competition, and enrollment declines, to name a few. In this interactive session, you will identify current and emerging challenges for your institution or academic unit, and we will discuss how these challenges relate to the philanthropic realities higher education is facing both today and into the future.

 
Connecting Self-Awareness to Philanthropy
As the Dean, the challenges facing your academic unit are yours to contend with. How do you show up in the face of these challenges as a leader? In this session, you will consider how your self-awareness and authenticity as a Dean influence how you approach your relationships with prospective donors.

 
Assessing Your Philanthropic Vital Signs
Donors give to institutions for four main reasons—appreciation, affiliation, agency, and accountability. These also constitute the philanthropic vital signs of the fundraising operation of your academic unit. This session will give you the opportunity to assess how you currently engage donors—and recognize opportunities to better engage prospects in the future.

 
Articulating Clear Priorities to Enable Fundraising Success 
What do you know (or not know) about your academic unit, and how can you translate that information appropriately to internal and external constituents? Having clear priorities for your academic unit and being able to communicate them is vital to successful relationships with donors. In this session, you will identify your priorities and then draft and practice your elevator pitch for them.

 
Engaging Prospects Workshop
Once you have assessed your philanthropic vital signs and defined your priorities, you are ready to engage with those prospects who have the strongest philanthropic propensity. In this session, you will focus on a prospective donor you are trying to cultivate. You will learn the dos and don’ts of engaging with your prospect before, during, and after an initial appointment. You will also develop a plan to build on your subsequent interactions—from propensity determination, to project conceptualization, to a written proposal.

 
Networking Reception 
This informal reception is your chance to decompress, have some refreshments on us, and expand your network of connections. Our programs are intentionally designed for smaller groups, so this is a great time to catch up with attendees and speakers with whom you may not have connected yet.
 

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Day 2

Demonstrating Institutional Accountability to Donors
Once you have closed a gift, it should be documented in a formal gift agreement. At this stage, your communication with a donor becomes even more important, and transparency is crucial to maintain donor trust. In this session, you will learn how to treat your donor like a stakeholder, show them how their gift is having an impact, and offer meaningful ways for them to stay involved with your school or college.
 

Solutions Clinic: Getting Advice from Peers to Help Advance Your Philanthropic Priorities
Even after developing a clear, intentional plan to engage prospects, institutional challenges can present roadblocks to fostering the culture of philanthropy you hope to achieve in your school or college as a Dean. In this final session, you will work with peers to identify some of the biggest challenges you’re facing related to engaging prospective donors using the purpose-driven approach to fundraising discussed throughout the conference. Then, you will dialogue and brainstorm possible solutions and strategies for how to mitigate or resolve the specific challenges you’re facing so that you can advance your philanthropic goals.