Learn how to create a sustainable fundraising enterprise in your role as Dean.
Overview
Fundraising has become an increasingly larger component of every Dean’s responsibility, but many feel unprepared to handle this important aspect of the role. Understanding how to effectively collaborate and communicate with one’s advancement counterparts while leading an academic unit engenders confidence in developing fundraising vision and priorities in the big picture.
Join us for this one-and-a-half-day conference, where we will equip you with the expertise necessary to be highly effective in your fundraising efforts. We will practice essential fundraising skills, such as donor cultivation, stewardship, and making an ask, thereby providing you with the tools needed to strategically manage the intense challenges of fundraising as an academic leader.
Who Should Attend
This conference will be beneficial to new Deans who are looking to develop their fundraising knowledge and skills, experienced Deans who have had limited exposure to fundraising or who seek to enhance their skills, and academic leaders who aspire to the Dean position. Additionally, if you have a specific donor in mind but aren’t sure how to best approach the cultivation and solicitation process, this conference will provide ample opportunity for one-on-one discussions.
Save on In-Person Conference Registrations
Attend any three in-person conferences for $4,500 – or $1,500 dollars per registration – with a Conference 3-Pack. There's no one way to use your 3-Pack!
- Send 3 people to the same conference
- Send 3 individuals to different conferences
- Experience 3 different conferences yourself
Follow Through With Success Coaching
Have you ever gone to a training only to find that you came back with great ideas but don’t have the time, support, or skills needed to make the changes?
Academic Impressions has produced thousands of trainings and we have learned that utilizing a coach after attending a conference helps provide accountability and bridges the training with the on-the-ground work of getting the job done.
As a result, we are now offering success coaching on select conferences.
- Purchase this training + 3 one hour follow up success coaching calls
- Work with an assigned coach who has extensive experience in higher ed.
- Get individualized support to help you follow through on what you’ve learned.
- Workshop your plans, run your ideas by someone and get additional help/practice.
To get success coaching, simply purchase the Conference and add Success Coaching during registration.
Learn More About Success Coaching
Expand Your Learning
Keys to a Successful Relationship Between Deans and Development Officers
Whether you are a dean, development officer, or advancement leader, continue your learning by attending this virtual training included free with membership. This event will provide strategies and skills to improve the relationship between deans and development officers to achieve your fundraising goals.
More From Jim Langley
Enhance your learning about fundraising skills as a Dean with James M. Langley’s book, Fundraising for Deans: A Guide. This book offers foundational fundraising knowledge for Deans—including the do’s and don’ts of engaging with a donor, working with your President and central advancement team, and managing your donor portfolio—while attending the conference will help you to actualize these concepts within your unique campus context.
See What Our Attendees are Saying
AGENDA
Your registration fee includes full access to all conference sessions and materials, breakfast, lunch, and access to the networking reception on Thursday, breakfast on Friday, as well as refreshments and snacks throughout the conference.
8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. CT – Local time in New Orleans
8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
8:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
With large campaigns remaining the norm in higher education fundraising, many institutions still try to meet these ambitious goals by turning to a shrinking pool of high-wealth donors. However, excessive focus on these transactional relationships only increases the number of alumni, corporations, foundations, and friends who feel their relationship with your institution has become undervalued or forgotten. Here, you will gain a better understanding of this phenomenon as well as similar issues that frame the future challenges of fundraising.
Note: A brief break will be built into this session.
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Your advancement team is going to be your greatest support in your philanthropic efforts and interactions with donors. By having a clear understanding of what advancement does, and where their obligations begin and end, you will be able to build this critical relationship in support of your vision. This session will dig into the specifics of how your advancement partnership builds upon the pillars of appreciation, affiliation, and agency. We will take an in-depth look at what has worked well over time and allow you to identify where there are opportunities for improvement within your existing advancement relationships.
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Creating the conditions that make for successful fundraising must include strong volunteer engagement structures, unique connections to external stakeholders, and continuous engagement with alumni and friends. The connections built by you and the advancement team are imperative for keeping development officers operating at peak performance and for advancing your priorities. Focusing on a framework that allows for more disciplined communication with your donors provides greater potential for institutional growth.
2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Fundraising can become unnecessarily complicated when donors are presented with numerous, sometimes contradictory, giving opportunities. Having clear priorities is vital. In this session, you will work through increasingly complex case studies. Understanding the nuances of each situation supports thoughtful and creative solutions for each scenario, providing confidence in future donor relations. The formula for navigating complex donor relations is based upon strong situational awareness, outstanding listening skills, and the ability to adapt to quickly evolving situations.
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
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.
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CT - Local time in New Orleans
8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Approaching a prospect with an idea, such as a white paper draft, can provide a substantive, early-stage connection to a project and allow you to build a focused, results-based relationship without social cultivation. By highlighting a variety of examples, we will show you how to collaboratively develop ideas and generate projects and initiatives that motivate continued giving.
10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
10:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Ongoing strategic alliances that work together with a shared purpose are key to meaningful prospect volunteer experiences. Whether it’s an industry partner who provides a guest lecture or a prominent alumnus who sits on your advisory board, leveraging the volunteer experience to increase giving can be approached in a wide variety of ways. Learn how to define your mission with each prospect by creating impactful opportunities unique to their interests.
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
SPEAKERS

James M. Langley
President and Founder of Langley Innovations
Before forming his own comprehensive advancement consulting firm, Jim served as vice president for advancement at Georgetown University. At Georgetown, he led the institution’s offices of alumni affairs, strategic communications and marketing, development, medical center development, and advancement services. During his tenure, he produced record numbers in new commitments and dollars. He also launched a number of innovative programs, including the acclaimed Student Discovery Initiative.

Andrew Lyon
Founding Dean, Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler School of Engineering, Chapman University
Dr. Andrew Lyon has over 30 years of experience as a chemist, bioengineer, educator, and entrepreneur and currently serves as the Founding Dean of the Dale E. and Sarah Ann Fowler School of Engineering at Chapman University, a role that has seen the successful launch and meteoric growth of Chapman’s first steps into engineering education and research. Prior to his current role, he served as Dean of the Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University from 2014-2018 and was a key leader in Chapman’s rapid expansion in the STEM disciplines.
LOCATION

Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette French Quarter Area Hotel
Address: 817 Common Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70112
Room rate: $179.00
Room block dates: June 21-22, 2023
Room block cutoff date: May 29, 2023
PRICING
Save on In-Person Conference Registrations with a Conference 3-Pack
Attend any three in-person conferences for $4,500 – or $1,500 dollars per registration – with a Conference 3-Pack. There's no one way to use your 3-Pack!
Send 3 people to the same conference | Send 3 individuals to different conferences | Experience 3 different conferences yourself
ACADEMIC IMPRESSIONS MEMBERS
$2,095 $1,745
through June 9, 2023
Members get $250 OFF.
- 3 one hour follow up success coaching calls
- Work with an assigned coach who has extensive experience in higher ed
- Get individualized support to help you follow through on what you've learned
- Workshop your plans, run your ideas by someone and get additional help/practice
NON-MEMBERS
$2,095 $1,995
through June 9, 2023
Get access to THIS conference.
- 3 one hour follow up success coaching calls
- Work with an assigned coach who has extensive experience in higher ed
- Get individualized support to help you follow through on what you've learned
- Workshop your plans, run your ideas by someone and get additional help/practice
Become a Member
Save $250 on this event and get 100s of online trainings FREE with membership!
Can't attend the conference? Buy the binder.
Questions About the Event?

Jenn Duffield
Learning & Development Manager,
Academic Impressions