Navigate Challenging Conversations with Donors

Last updated March 29, 2021

Course Length

50m

Last Updated

March 29, 2021

Navigate Challenging Conversations with Donors

Last updated March 29, 2021

Gain confidence in your ability to engage with donors around polarizing topics.

Overview

Your donors’ views of current events may not always align with your personal or institutional values and mission, which can create tension when cultivating the relationship. How do you navigate through those conversations in a way that sustains or even builds the connection?

Join us online to hear from our expert facilitator on how the University of Utah is approaching challenging conversations with prospects and donors. You will hear stories and examples of how the university has responded to some of the most challenging situations on their campus and walk away with guidance for how to facilitate dialogue that aligns your internal stakeholders, prospects, and donors around these often difficult-to-talk-about topics:

  • Racial Justice and Student Activism
  • Politics
  • Leadership Transitions
  • The Value of Higher Education

Who should attend?

Frontline fundraisers that work in leadership annual, major, principal, or planned giving, along with folks in donor relations and alumni relations, who need practice in navigating challenging conversations with alumni and donors, will benefit most from this training. Those who want to train others on becoming more comfortable with challenging donor conversations will also find this training valuable.

Agenda

Section 1: Internal Alignment: Identifying Your Institutional Values

We will start with sharing how to initiate important conversations with your internal stakeholders so that you can ask the right questions and identify what’s most important to your campus. Understanding your institutional values, norms, and standards will only help you stay grounded and provide you with a compass during challenging donor conversations.

 

Section 2: External Alignment: Communicating Your Values to Donors

Here we will talk about how to position and align your institutional values with prospective and current donors. You will walk away with talking points to help inform how you navigate these challenging conversations, learning how to handle these donor conversations in a way that is true to yourself and your institution.

 

Section 3: Tips for How to Implement in Your Shop/With Your Team

In this last section, you will walk away with tips and suggestions for how to share this approach with others in your shop, so that you can practice together.

Section 1: Internal Alignment: Identifying Your Institutional Values

We will start with sharing how to initiate important conversations with your internal stakeholders so that you can ask the right questions and identify what’s most important to your campus. Understanding your institutional values, norms, and standards will only help you stay grounded and provide you with a compass during challenging donor conversations.

 

Section 2: External Alignment: Communicating Your Values to Donors

Here we will talk about how to position and align your institutional values with prospective and current donors. You will walk away with talking points to help inform how you navigate these challenging conversations, learning how to handle these donor conversations in a way that is true to yourself and your institution.

 

Section 3: Tips for How to Implement in Your Shop/With Your Team

In this last section, you will walk away with tips and suggestions for how to share this approach with others in your shop, so that you can practice together.