Diversity is the seeking and achieving of a broad representation of experiences, perspectives, opinions and cultures. Inclusiveness is an essential source of vitality and strength for the effective pursuit of an organization's mission. Join three diversity-focused fundraisers for a discussion about the importance of, and opportunities provided by, inclusion in the charitable sector. 

At the end of this session participants will understand:

The relationship and differences between "diversity" and "inclusion."
How diverse communities are influencing and reshaping the ways we build relationships with donors and volunteers.
Strategies for cross-cultural fundraising and reaching out to diverse donors.

*This session is eligible for 1 hour of ACFRE Leadership or Ethics credit.

About the presenters:

Anne Brennan, who is legally blind, is the director of development for the Triangle Radio Reading Service (TRRS), a service for the blind and print impaired based in Raleigh, NC. A native New Yorker, she is a graduate of Russell Sage College where she earned a B.S. in Psychology and Public Service with a concentration in Health Administration. Anne's nonprofit career spans three plus wonderful decades serving in the disability services arena, hospital foundation, education, food banking, social service, medical membership association management and nonprofit management consulting. She is a great advocate for people with disabilities and works passionately toward making accessibility for people with all types of handicaps the best that it can be.

Gina M. Flores is the Senior Advancement Officer for the Smithsonian Latino Center, guiding the unit’s development efforts and involvement in the Smithsonian Campaign. She also works closely with the Smithsonian National Latino Board (SNLB). Ms. Flores comes to the Smithsonian from the National Council of La Raza where she managed their corporate development efforts. Prior to NCLR, Ms. Flores was an executive recruiter at Isaacson, Miller; promoted Latino outreach at the American Red Cross National Headquarters; and worked in program management at the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. In 2004, she participated in the Smithsonian James E. Webb fellowship program for minority business and public administration students. 

Krishan Mehta is Executive Director, Campaign at Ryerson University. Previously, he held a variety of senior fundraising, alumni and marketing roles at Seneca College and the University of Toronto. Krishan is also an instructor in Ryerson’s fundraising management program and a PhD candidate at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education where he is conducting research on the philanthropy of high net-worth immigrants in Canada. He serves as President-Elect of the AFP Greater Toronto Chapter and was co-chair of AFP Diversity to Inclusion Series, which was the first phase of this exciting inclusion initiative in Ontario. Krishan is an active volunteer in the community, having served as board chair at the Alliance for South Asian AIDS Prevention, and advancement chair and board member at Social Planning Toronto. Currently, he is a member of the Working Women’s Community Centre Patron’s Council.

*IN ADDITION TO CFRE CREDIT, THIS SESSION IS WORTH 1 HOUR OF ACFRE CREDIT (LEADERSHIP OR ETHICS)

Join Cynthia M. Adams, CEO of GrantStation, and Dianne Brace, Executive Director of Foundation Relations at NPR, in this fast-paced, information packed webinar on how to build a grant seeking program for your organization. Drawing on decades of experience, our presenters will provide practical advice, suggest processes you may want to adopt, and guide you toward developing a grant seeking program that will change the financial future for your organization.

At the end of this session participants will understand how:

• To adopt a consistent process for undertaking your grants research 
• To determine how to generate a grants strategy for a particular program or project

About the presenters:

Cynthia Adams is President and CEO of Grantstation. She has spent the past 40 years helping nonprofit organizations raise the money needed to do their good work. Many of her early efforts centered on raising funds to set aside wilderness areas in Alaska. In 1990 she started her first company, the Alaska Funding Exchange. This endeavor served as the testing ground for a national company, GrantStation, which opened its Internet doors in the fall of 2001. Cindy built this business because she believes that grantseeking requires a thorough understanding of the variety and scope of grantmakers and sound knowledge of the philanthropic playing field. Her life's work has been to level that playing field, creating an opportunity for all nonprofit organizations to access the wealth of grant opportunities across the U.S. and throughout the world.

Are you planning a board retreat but not quite sure what to include on the agenda? Have you had board retreats before where board members walk away without a plan or next steps? Are you considering whether or not to hire an outside facilitator? Not sure how to provide fundraising training to your board members? If so, this webinar will walk you through the 3 essential steps to having a fantastic board retreat, so your board members walk away energized, rejuvenated, and ready to help raise funds!

At the conclusion of this session, participants will:

• Learn how to draft a fantastic agenda, including ice breakers, strategic planning, and fundraising training.
• Ensure your board members walk away from your retreat with an action plan for engaging in fundraising and advocacy.
• Understand the pros and cons of using an outside facilitator.
• Learn new strategies and exercises for engaging your board members in fundraising.

About the presenter:

Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE is an author, speaker, trainer and consultant, as well as the owner of Tri Point Fundraising, a full-service consulting firm for nonprofit organizations. Before creating Tri Point Fundraising in 2008, she served for more than ten years in the nonprofit sector as director of development in large and small nonprofit organizations, where she raised millions of dollars through capital and annual campaigns, direct mail, major and planned gift solicitations, fundraising events, and writing grants. Her published books include: Major Gift Fundraising for Small Shops, Raising More with Less, and 50 A$ks in 50 Weeks. She is a frequent speaker at national and local conferences as well as at staff and board retreats on a variety of topics, and loves the opportunity to energize your board and staff members around fundraising. She became an AFP certified Master Trainer in 2009.

Amy currently serves as the president of the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals - New Jersey Chapter. She received her Master's Degree in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management from the Wagner Graduate School at New York University and her Bachelor's Degree from Douglass College at Rutgers University. She became a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) in 2004 and received her advanced certification, ACFRE, in 2013. She graduated from Leadership New Jersey in 2011. Please be in touch through her website at: tripointfundraising.com.

So much has been written about this generation of 80 million that will shape the future of philanthropy. But personal preferences and experiences with the generation doesn't mean that is the way this generation wants to give to your organization. This session will review the latest research and findings from the Millennial Impact Project, a comprehensive study of Millennial cause engagement since 2009. In addition, the presenters will offer case studies of successful Millennial fundraising campaigns and ideas for your organization.

At the conclusion of this session, participants will: 

1. Understand the motivations behind Millennial giving.
2. Understand how Millennials engage peers in campaigns.
3. Understand how technology impacts millennial giving.
4. Learn the right questions to ask when exploring millennial giving for your organization. 

* This session is eligible for 1 hour of ACFRE Management credit.

About the presenters:

Derrick Feldmann is the lead researcher and creator of the Millennial Impact Project, a multi-year study of how the next generation supports causes. The annual Millennial Impact Report is cited regularly by such outlets as Forbes, TIME, Wall Street Journal and Fast Company. Derrick is the author of Social Movements for Good and the co-author of the book Cause for Change: The Why and How of Nonprofit Millennial Engagement. He is a regular contributor to Philanthropy News Digest and the Huffington Post IMPACT channel. He is on the Leadership Faculty of the Points of Light Corporate Institute and a guest lecturer for the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

Michelle Cline joined Carey Business School in March of 2015. She previously served as Director of Planned Giving at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio. A former attorney, Michelle is an active member of the Board of Governors and the Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund Committee for the American Bar Association. Michelle received her bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from The Ohio State University and her law degree from Ohio Northern University. She is also currently pursuing her LL.M. in taxation.

This practical how-to session led by two experts in monthly giving will equip you to start, or continue to grow, a successful monthly giving program for your organization. Filled with helpful tips and action-oriented ideas you can start using right away, you will learn how to plan, implement, monitor and improve any monthly giving program.

At the conclusion of this session, participants will know:

• The best channels for recruiting monthly donors
• Best practices for communicating with monthly donors in order to boost their retention and long-term value
• Effective strategies for recovering donors whose gifts decline
• The best ways to upgrade gift levels
• The key metrics you need to track in order to ensure long-term success.

About the presenters:

Harvey McKinnon is recognized as one of North America’s leading fundraising experts. He has authored four books, two on monthly giving: Hidden Gold, Tiny Essentials to Monthly Giving and his latest book, The 11 Questions Every Donor Asks, has received rave reviews. He co-authored the #1 bestseller The Power of Giving, which has been translated into seven languages. Harvey’s company, Harvey McKinnon Associates, has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for clients ranging from Amnesty International and Oxfam, to many hospitals and food banks. Harvey sits on a number of boards and speaks at conferences around the world, and is considered a world leader on monthly giving. He has wrote the first book on this highly lucrative area, which each year raises billions of dollars for non-profits. "Hidden Gold" and "Tiny: Essentials of Monthly Committed Giving". His best-selling book, "The 11 Questions Every Donor Asks" is used as a training manual for fundraising departments throughout the US and Canada from United Ways to the San Diego Zoo.

Rosemary Oliver, CFRE, has been the fundraising director for the English branch of Amnesty International in Canada since 1999. Prior to that, she was the fundraising director at Greenpeace Canada for seven years and has also worked with Oxfam and a small multicultural hospital. With 30 years in fundraising, Rosemary has a broad range of experience with specific expertise in monthly giving and grassroots major gifts and legacies. She’s passionate about creating donor communications strategies that boost retention and increase donor life-time value.

"I haven't met you before, but how about a million dollars?" An outrageous ask, right? And perhaps a bit of an exaggeration. But why do fundraisers, who approach major donors so carefully feel it's ok to zing asks like this on potential corporate partners? Approaching companies effectively means understanding what they value and what they want and need, just like that major donor you're cultivating. In this session, you'll hear insights from a Corporate Social Responsibility professional who is on the receiving end of asks and, more so, what companies value in today's competitive work world. With this insight, you'll be better equipped to approach potential partners to work with your organization in new ways (hint: it's not just about the money).

At the conclusion of this session, participants will:

• Be familiar with the common mistakes fundraisers make when asking companies for money (so they can avoid that)
• Understand what companies care about today (purpose, culture, employee engagement)
• Be thinking bigger and more creatively about how to approach a company about a partnership

About the presenters:
Rachel Hutchisson is Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and Philanthropy of Blackbaud, Inc., where she is responsible for global corporate social responsibility (CSR). She brings a strong understanding of corporate marketing and experience in internal communications, corporate culture, and employee relations to her role, having grown professionally within Blackbaud as it matured from start up to an established public company. Rachel serves on the Board of Directors of the Giving Institute, providers of the annual Giving USA study, the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Learning to Give and the Coastal Community Foundation.

Andrew J. Troup is Director of Corporate Giving & Engagement Strategy at MicroEdge + Blackbaud, focused on the Corporate Philanthropy & Engagement market. In this role, Andrew helps corporations strategically plan how they can leverage technology to optimize the management and impact of their philanthropic and employee giving programs as well as inspire their employees through transformative engagement programs. As part of this, he works closely with organizations to understand their mission, programmatic goals, and broader needs, in turn providing insights back to the teams at MicroEdge + Blackbaud to continuously grow and improve upon the corporate philanthropy, giving, and engagement solutions and thought leadership resources available. Andrew is also currently leading efforts toward mapping giving and engagement efforts to measurable outcomes, including participation in collaborative efforts to map overall impact in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.

In the small shop, fundraising can be a big job. Having a Board that is involved in raising money can make a huge impact and help you raise hundreds of thousands more than you can do alone. Unfortunately, many nonprofit organizations struggle with Boards that are well-meaning but reluctant and inexperienced in fundraising. In this training, we'll uncover the reasons why Board members won't help with fundraising and how to overcome them. You'll learn how to match up the right fundraising activities with the right Board members, and how to give them the tools, skills, and knowledge they need to succeed. You'll get tips for holding them accountable and for providing them the support they need so they can help you raise big money.

At the conclusion of this session, participants will:

• Understand why Board members shy away from fundraising.
• Know the tools, skills, and knowledge Board members need to be successful, and how to provide them.
• Identify the 4 steps elements of engaging Board members in fundraising, and how to work with them regularly.
• Have a clear idea of what to do next to move their Board in the right direction.

About the presenter:
Sandy Rees, CFRE and founder of GetFullyFunded, helps nonprofit leaders raise the money of their dreams. She’s shown dozens of Founders and Executive Directors how to add 6 and 7 figures to their bottom line and how to turn their Board into a fundraising machine.

Sandy is an accomplished author and has written several books, including “Get Fully Funded: How to Raise the Money of Your Dreams,” “6 Figure Fundraising” and “Simple Success Fundraising Plan.” She writes the blog “Get Fully Funded” and her articles appear in a variety of magazines, ezines and blog sites.

Tired of talking about strategic planning and ready to move on to the next step? Learn how to transform that strategic plan tome that sits on your bookshelf into something you'll actually use. Through this session, learn how to simplify the strategic planning process so that your organization can finally focus on action and impact.

Through this session, participants will:

• Explore the idea of strategic planning for impact
• Learn how to develop measurable goals and track progress
• Discover the importance of continuous improvement
• Develop practical application for everyday success

About the presenter:
Benjamin Mohler, ACFRE, has a keen interest in understanding the connection between culture and the practice of philanthropy in all cultures and particularly those in the developing world. His experiences working with international nonprofit organizations, extensive international travel, together with his graduate work at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and leadership roles with local nonprofits combine to produce his expertise in these areas.

Currently, he is the Assistant Vice President for Major and Planned Gifts at Eastern Kentucky University. He has served as the Vice President of Membership for the Charlotte Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Mohler currently serves AFP at an international level as a longstanding member of the AFP International Development Committee and chairs the Publishing Advisory Committee for the AFP Fund Development Series of John Wiley & Sons.

Digital Fundraising has made its way into the development programs of hundreds of philanthropies across the country. In concert with the rise in online events such as Giving Days and crowdfunding, digital fundraising has become a critical channel for all non-profit organizations, large and small. We will explore the elements of a next generation development office, from a technology and strategy perspective.

At the conclusion of this session, participants will learn:

1) Takeaway actionable steps to start and grow a digital fundraising program
2) Identify areas for growth in the industry, digital communication, stewardship, and major donor identification 3) Hear case studies from some of the country's best digital fundraisers

About the Presenter:
Rosa Conrad is the Senior Client Solutions Consultant at ScaleFunder, responsible for launching more than sixty crowdfunding and giving day initiatives for non-profit institutions across the country and abroad. ScaleFunder revolutionized online giving in higher education and is now the leading custom philanthropic crowdfunding solution in the United States with more than 120 partner institutions. 

As vice president of business development for ScaleFunder, Gregory Ware focuses on client development and acquisition. Before joining ScaleFunder Gregory was at UCLA, where he was the director of business partnerships and special projects for UCLA's corporate, foundation and research relations department. He was responsible for project management, business analysis and lead generation. He managed a multimillion-dollar corporate partnership portfolio, which included many Fortune 500 clients. Before UCLA, Gregory worked at the trendy telecommunications provider, Boost Mobile, as the entertainment marketing coordinator for the film, television, music, and sports departments.