SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 13
7 – 9 p.m.
Early-Arrivals BBQ
Stop by whenever you get here. Room keys available here.
Little Pub
Monday, July 14
10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Registration & Information
Refreshments available.
Kirner-Johnson
11 a.m.
Conference Steering Committee Meeting
Levitt Center Conference Room, Kirner-Johnson
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch
Official start of STAFF ’14. Conference-opening lunch for all attendees.
Kirner-Johnson Commons
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Keynote
“How Your College Works”: Daniel F. Chambliss, Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professor of Sociology, speaks about his new book, How College Works (Harvard Univ. Press, 2014). He discusses what liberal arts colleges like the STAFF schools can do to improve the quality of education, and what students can do to get more out of college without paying higher tuition. Chambliss has identified the surprisingly decisive role personal relationships play in determining collegiate success, and offers a set of small, inexpensive interventions that yield substantial improvements in educational outcomes.
Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125
2:30 p.m.
Break
Kirner-Johnson Commons
2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
Plenary Session I — AVP Roundtable
Molly Bodnar, Assistant VP of Operations and Advancement Services, Colorado College; Claire Marcille Gadrow, Acting Vice President for Advancement, Connecticut College; Gayle McJunkin, Interim VP for External Relations and Director of Development, Carleton College
Gain insights from AVP's from Carleton, Colorado, and Connecticut colleges on a variety of subjects including the future of the unrestricted Annual Fund, best practices for joint solicitation strategies between major gifts and annual fund, and other pressing matters in our field.
Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125
3:45 p.m.
Break
Kirner-Johnson Commons
4:15 p.m.
Optional Tour of Hamilton’s New Kennedy Center for Theatre and the Studio Arts
Upon request. Please sign-up for Monday or Tuesday tours at STAFF registration in Kirner-Johnson
Meet in front of Kirner-Johnson
5:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception (wear gear from your institution)
McEwen Courtyard (rain: Kirner-Johnson Commons)
6:30 p.m.
Dinner
Conference overview, introduction of guest institutions, history of the conference
Kirner-Johnson Commons
8 – 10 p.m.
Trivia Night
Riotous, informal fun led by Connecticut College’s Paul Ryan
The Little Pub (cash only bar)
Tuesday, July 15
8 a.m.
Breakfast Roundtable Open Discussions
Unhosted topics; look for a table tent
Kirner-Johnson Commons
9 a.m.
Plenary Session II — Keeping It All Together
Anne Berry, Senior Associate, Washburn & McGoldrick
This session focuses on developing strategies to maintain a sense of priority, order and balance to your professional life. You know what it's like: it's Sunday evening and you're on email preparing for the work week. You feel pulled in too many directions and nothing is really getting done as well as you'd like. You're trying to be a good institutional citizen, manage your boss, lead and inspire your team, and find time to do your own work. As much as you think you are prioritizing, it's simply not working. In this session I'll review a priority setting strategy that works , a simple approach to time management that helps keep the focus on strategic goals, offer effective tips for managing email and office interruptions, and share leadership lessons learned from a guy dancing in a field. I'll not just 'lecture' to the audience. Everyone will have a chance to analyze the past three months at work, study whether they're using their time as effectively as possible, and then draw up a plan for improving their effectiveness in the the coming year.
Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125
10:30 a.m.
Coffee Break
Kirner-Johnson Commons
10:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Breakout Session I
Talkback: Assessing Your Situation
Anne Berry, Senior Associate, Washburn & McGoldrick
The session will help participants identify the type of program they're now leading using a rubric developed by a Harvard Business School professor: is it a start-up? A turn-around? Is the annual fund program well-defined but facing significant new challenges? Every annual fund goes through growth and development stages like these, and some even get caught in a loop between being successful and not-so-successful. We'll discuss the opportunities and challenges of each stage of development, and open up the session to questions and problem-solving with the participants.
Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125
Using Data to Improve Results
Laura Christian, Director, The Wellesley Fund, Wellesley College; Lisa Spivak, Director of Annual Giving, Mills College
How can data help us reach and exceed our annual fund goals? In this session you will hear from two schools facing different challenges: Mills, with a young annual fund program and limited staff resources for data preparation and analysis; and Wellesley, which has a more mature annual fund and is looking for opportunities to change its strategies to reach new levels of success. Areas to be covered include partnering with advancement services and information technology services departments to get the data and reports you need; producing regular dashboard reports and making these numbers "actionable;" and enhancing the quality of alumni data through data appends, surveys, and direct outreach. Bring your questions and ideas, as we'll be sure to leave time for Q&A.
Red Pit, Kirner-Johnson 127
Bring Home the Gold: Weekend Retreats for Millennial Volunteers
Kersti Francis, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, Bryn Mawr College; Seth Goodspeed, Assistant Director of the Alumni Annual Fund, Carleton College
Developing the next generation of volunteers is essential to the long-term health of an annual fund. Both Carleton and Bryn Mawr engage volunteers during intensive, on-campus, weekend retreats. Learn how these two colleges use this time to recruit new volunteers, utilize creative competitions and giving societies for customized solicitations, and inspire their GOLD volunteers through alumni networking and community building. This breakout session will highlight the benefits of early volunteer engagement and identify some of the challenges we face with GOLD volunteers.
Kirner-Johnson 101
Parents on the Move-Expanding, Nurturing and Delivering Support
Ellen Rainey, Executive Director, Alumni and Parent Relations, Hamilton College; Heidi Webb, Associate Director, Parent Giving, Middlebury College
Parents have a compelling, intimate interest in the current life of the College and want to do things that immediately impact their children. College fundraisers have a very short window of opportunity to capture the interest and support of these paying customers. Join the discussion about the challenges and joys of working with parents who are often better informed (positive and negative) than alumni and friends.
Kirner-Johnson 102
Leadership Giving
Alex Griswold, Gifts Officer, The Fund for Davidson, Davidson College; Amy Hunt, Director, Annual Giving Leadership Gifts, Hamilton College
The significance of leadership-level gifts in our annual giving programs has gained prominence not only because of the direct and critical impact on operating support, but because of the impact on helping to build the pipeline of future major and planned gifts. This session will explore the role of the gift officer in facilitating the relationships that are vital to sustaining growth in annual leadership gifts, and the long-term philanthropic investment these donors are making to our institutions
Kirner-Johnson 201
12:30 p.m.
Working Lunch
Assistant/Associate Directors and Guest Schools
Kirner-Johnson Commons
12:30 p.m.
Working Lunch
Directors
Food available at noon
Sadove Student Center at Emerson Hall, Conference Room 112
1:45 p.m.
Breakout Session II
24-hour Challenge and Mini-campaign Panel
Sarah Groh, Director, Annual Fund, Colgate University; Meghan Moist, Assistant Director, Annual Giving, Rollins College; Elizabeth Webster, Associate Director, Alumnae/i Relations and Annual Giving, Simmons College
One-day challenges and mini-campaigns are a great way to significantly boost dollars and/or donors in a short period of time. During this session we'll share what worked and what we learned from three successful challenges/campaigns. We'll also provide ample time for Q&A, so we can explore as a group the finer details of planning and executing challenges.
Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125
Volunteer Management: Starting Over from Ground Zero
Josh Foladare, Director of Annual Giving, Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Carolyn Kimberlin, Director of the Colby Fund, Colby College
Volunteers are a critical part of most liberal arts fundraising programs, but what if your program just is not where you want to be? How do you know when it’s time to start over and take a new approach and will it be worth the time and effort? Is having a high number of volunteers really worth it if they are not doing the work? Come hear how both Colby (in 2008) and HWS (in 2013) have contemplated these issues and ultimately made the decision to go back to the drawing board and how they are working to build and retain their volunteer corps now.
Red Pit, Kirner-Johnson 127
Athletics
Heather Palmer, Associate Director, Athletic Fundraising, College of the Holy Cross; Ben Ralston, Gift Officer, The Fund for Davidson, Davidson College
How to structure athletics fundraising as part of the annual fund, from identification (athletes, parents, IMs) to marketing (athletes, students, coaches) to stewardship (events, team-specific updates).
Kirner-Johnson 101
Getting to Know You: Using Phonathon to Engage with Alumni
Kristi Augenblick, Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, Hobart and William Smith Colleges; Matt Fedde, Associate Director of Annual Giving, St. Olaf College
Traditionally Hobart and William Smith calls were made by segment: LYBUNTs, SYBUNTs, GOLD, Reunion, etc. In an effort to get to know our alumni and alumnae better we transitioned to class based calling. This allows us to gather fun facts and information about each class to give our student callers interesting talking points and more ways to connect with the alums.
St. Olaf flipped a part of our phonathon upside down. We invited a select group of LYBUNTs to choose a time to have a brief phone interview with a student. Instead of asking for a gift, the students engaged alumni by asking for insights into experiences on campus and beyond.
Find out how we did it and if the changes we made led to an increase in giving.
Kirner-Johnson 102
Career Longevity
Brannon Fisher, Director of Annual Giving, Bowdoin College; Ron Marquette, Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, Campus Community Philanthropy Programs, Bucknell University
The presenters will share their perspectives about career growth within annual giving, staff retention, matching talent with task, and other issues pertinent to nurturing optimal staff performance and satisfaction. The format of this session will be facilitated discussion, and it is intended to be relevant for all annual fund professionals, regardless of experience level.
Kirner-Johnson 201
3 p.m.
Coffee Break – Ice Cream!
McEwen Courtyard
3:30 p.m.
Breakout Session III
Art and Science of Writing Proposals
Jeff Stauch, Director of Annual Giving, Middlebury College
As advancement operations are being put under increased pressure to bring in more dollars, a lot of mid-size asks are falling to the annual fund. Written solicitations, whether presented during a visit, or as a follow up, will be key to raising the sites of these up and coming prospects. This workshop will provide attendees with the basic skills necessary to write a compelling proposal.
Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125
Navigating Our Volunteers: Challenges and Opportunities for Managing Class Agent Programs
Lori Burrows, Associate Director of the Annual Fund, Denison College; Betsy Howard, Development Officer, Alumni Fund, Williams College
Any program that uses volunteers, whether it’s young or well established, faces unique challenges. On the flip side, these challenges also provide opportunities which can ultimately move our programs forward. Join us as together we explore the headaches and joys of managing class agent programs from both ends of the spectrum.
Red Pit, Kirner-Johnson 127
24 Hour Challenges: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Amy Leveen, Director of Annual Giving, Barnard College; Julie Palmedo, Associate Director of Annual Giving, Barnard College
Challenges are practically standard operating procedure in the modern annual fund, helping to secure both donors and dollars. Effective as challenges can be, they often present short- and long-term pitfalls, some of them unseen until it's too late. Join us for a case-study discussion of what’s hot and what's not from Barnard College. They’ll share details on their successes, failures, challenges and how they’re applying the lessons learned to their plans for Giving Day 2014.
Kirner-Johnson 101
Building a Successful Senior Gift Campaign and a Lasting Legacy
John Nelson, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, Gettysburg College
One of the most difficult, and yet crucial audiences to reach in development is the current student body. This session will look at the complex task of increasing student philanthropy and awareness on campus, with a special emphasis on senior class giving campaigns. Through the lens of senior class campaigns and committees, this session will explore the importance creating a self-sustaining culture of philanthropy among students. By implementing tactics that gave ownership of the campaign to students themselves, we were able to revitalize our student giving and professionalize our Senior Class Giving Committee at Gettysburg College. This session will highlight the strategies that were employed to motivate both committee volunteers and educate students as a whole on the importance of giving back.
Kirner-Johnson 102
5:30 p.m.
Bus to Erie Canal (30-min. trip; sign-up required)
Meet in front of Kirner-Johnson
6 p.m.
Erie Canal Tour (cocktails) and Canalside Dinner
Option to remain canalside for cocktails
9 p.m.
Return bus #1
11 p.m.
Return bus #2
Wednesday, July 16
8 a.m.
Breakfast Roundtable Open Discussions
Unhosted topics; look for a table tent
Kirner-Johnson Commons
9 a.m.
Plenary Session III — A Vote of Confidence
Beth Nelson, Senior Consultant, Plus Delta Partners
“Money talks.” “Actions speak louder than words.” We’ve heard these phrases – and possibly even use them. But which of these truly communicate the intended message? Does the size of a gift tell us just how much an alumnus is pleased with our institution offering need-based aid? Or is it that when one doesn’t give we know she is upset that a faculty member made a too liberal or too conservative comment? Or maybe it’s that the sheer act of alumni giving builds confidence in other constituencies and thus has greater impacts than what alumni may have imagined, and perhaps than what we may have ever communicated. And what about annual fund professionals? What do your behaviors communicate?
Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125
10:15 a.m.
Coffee Break
Kirner-Johnson Commons
10:45 a.m.
Breakout Session IV
Talkback: I just want to remind of you of your year end gift
Beth Nelson, Senior Consultant, Plus Delta Partners
We know that communication is essential in our industry and spend a lot of time making sure that our appeals educate and inspire. That our thank you notes convey our gratitude and the impact of their gift. With such a focus on emotional pull, how much time do we spend considering specific words and phrases we may use more regularly…and the underlying messages that they convey. Come understand how “visiting you to thank you for your gift” may actually be heard as “let’s have a friendly chat since I know you have nothing but time to kill.” In addition to considering potential negative implications of language, come communicate powerful and compelling words, learn strong communication frameworks, and determine philosophical language filters that will ensure you are always speaking in professional, inspiring, and impactful ways.
Bradford Auditorium, Kirner-Johnson 125
Undergraduate Philanthropy: Training Tomorrow's Annual Fund Supporters and Volunteers
Kristen H. Atwood, Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, Amherst College; Jessica Telemaque, Assistant Director, The Wellesley Fund, Wellesley College
Educating students about the importance of philanthropy is the simplest way to recruit and retain future Annual Fund donors and volunteers. Amherst College and Wellesley College train students early through robust on-campus education initiatives, including the Senior Gift. In this session, we will openly discuss undergraduate campaign triumphs and obstacles -- how to build upon the former, and how to overcome the latter. We will also explore the strategies required to increase participation and the average gift amount among students, while retaining new donors, post-graduation.
Red Pit, Kirner-Johnson 127
Facing the Challenging '90s Head-on
Willa McCarthy, Senior Director of Alumnae/i Affairs and Vassar's Annual Fund, Vassar College; Paul Ryan, Associate Director, Annual Giving, Connecticut College
Campus climates, general unrest, Gen X, recessions -- what is it about the '90s classes that has many institutions scratching their collective heads? What can we do about the engagement challenges they pose? This session will explore all of the above.
Kirner-Johnson 102
Utilizing Volunteers to Steward Donors
Caroline Whelan, Assistant Director of the Annual Fund, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
We often use volunteers for soliciting, but how often do we use them for stewardship? With so much potential for stewardship and not enough time to focus on it, we can partner with our volunteers to do some of that work for us - work that they may feel more comfortable doing than making the ask. This presentation will highlight the ways HWS is using volunteers to continue to build relationships with our constituents.
Kirner-Johnson 201
Noon
Farewell lunch (and box lunch pick-up for early-departers)
Kirner-Johnson Commons and McEwen Courtyard
12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Conference Steering Committee Meeting
Levitt Center Conference Room, Kirner-Johnson building