2012 Professional Development Sessions

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS

A Philosophical, Practical, and Personal Discussion of the Key Driver in Advancement Success: You

Presenter:
Wade Hall , Assistant Vice President, Development, Division of Advancement, York University

This session, suited to all advancement levels and disciplines, puts forth the premise that the critical driver to Advancement success is you. Together, we will examine the broad, sweeping implications of this both simple and complex proposition, including how it holds true from philosophical, practical, and personal dimensions.

This session will deliver insights into:

• Some key drivers for Advancement success
• How to situate your own role in Advancement
• Colleagues views’ of their roles in Advancement and how this influences team dynamics.

Cultivating Intermediate Donors: Strong Growth Potential

Presenter:
Gil Desautels , Senior Vice President, KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.)

We make many efforts to develop annual campaign strategies and major gifts programs. But what do we do for our intermediate-level donors?

This session will introduce the concept of a bridge gift and the philanthropic behaviour of the intermediate donor, while providing the necessary basis to institute a targeted program that aims to increase the engagement of such donors.

Hiring and Training Non-Traditional Candidates for Development Positions

Presenter:
Jennifer O'Neill, Associate Director of Development & Campaign Director, Memorial University of Newfoundland

This session will explore hiring and training fundraisers with limited or no direct fundraising experience, and discuss the creation and implementation of the 6-week strategic orientation plan Memorial uses. The presentation will include getting buy-in from Deans, the role metrics play, and how fostering a team environment leads to success in training.

This session is for leaders and managers of fundraising teams and/or those are involved in hiring and training fundraisers. It is ideal for institutions developing their fundraising programs or hoping to learn how others manage the transition of non-traditional candidates.

This session will deliver:

• Key elements to develop an orientation program for new hires without direct fundraising experience
• Exploration of the process MUN follows, including engaging Advancement Services, Alumni Affairs and Deans as a part of the training and orientation team
• How fostering a team environment leads to success in training and orientation.

How to Knock down a Silo with a Hammer: A Roadmap to Execute Flawless, Cross-Channel, Integrated Fundraising

Panelists:
Elain Evans, Director Annual Giving, University of British Columbia
Dean Hughes, Executive Director of Annual Fund and Leadership Giving, University of Toronto
Michael Johnston, President of Hewitt and Johnston Consultants

Are you still trying to coordinate your online and offline messages and fundraising initiatives? Do you feel as though the cross-channel fundraising world is moving so fast that you can’t keep up?

This up-to-date, dynamic presentation will set the stage on how any organization can plan to move from macro to micro to singular marketing for planned gifts. It will give participants an inside look at legacy programs from Canada, the US, the UK and other countries. Participants will plan their own cross-channel, integrated legacy program before walking out the door.

Everyone will learn how to find mid-level and major gift donors at the same time as they uncover more planned gifts!

Participants will learn to:

• Understand the social, political, and demographic implications of the huge intergenerational transfer of wealth coming our way
• Use direct response tools (e.g. web, e-mail, direct mail, telephone) and face to face focus groups to generate more planned giving leads (whether through bequests or other planned giving vehicles)
• Generate millions of dollars worth of legacy gifts with less than a 5% false positive indicator.
• Use new technology tools and social media for their planned giving work (e.g. live chat buttons online, LinkedIn, online planned giving calculators), create a more effective planned giving web site, and use electronic media to generate leads
• Evaluate the possibilities, costs, and appropriateness of using face-to-face and telephone cultivation in combination with mass marketing
• Plan and execute a legacy program that finds the lowest cost per lead for legacy donors.

Incentive-Based Compensation in Development: A Case Study

Presenter:
Peter FardyAssistant Vice President and Chief Development Officer,
Office of External Relations,
Dalhousie University

Three years ago, Dalhousie implemented a bonus plan as part of its broader performance management practice for front-line fundraisers. In this interactive session, you will hear about what led to that decision, how the program was structured, the impact it has made, lessons learned, and how it may evolve from here.

Major Gifts: From Descartes to Deepak

Presenter:
Wade Hall, Assistant Vice-President, Development, York University

This session explores major gifts from the standpoint of a displaced Newfie with a philosophical/public policy bent and a non-traditional path to Major Gifts/Development leadership. Our discussion will range from fundamental questions of your own motivation and creativity to practical thoughts on maximizing the yield on your time.

This session will deliver:

• Insight into questions related to personal motivations and major gifts;
• Insight into the role of creativity in major gifts;
• Thoughts on major gifts practices

100 Great Ideas in Alumni Relations

Presenter:
Tyler Forkes, Executive Director, Alumni Relations, Ryerson UniversityIn this highly participatory session, delegates will be asked to share great and innovative ideas (big or small) that can be applied to Alumni Relations shops across Canada. Participants will have 60 seconds or less for each idea, and a summary will be recorded and available on the CCAE web site.

This session will deliver:

• 100 great ideas for attendees to put to use in their own shops
• A dynamic network of colleagues with whom to share and develop further bright ideas in alumni relations.

100 Great Ideas in Alumni Relations

Presenter:
Barney Ellis Perry, Director, Alumni Engagement, Campaign, UBC Alumni Affairs

Constituent engagement doesn’t stop at the edge of the advancement shop. Through examples from advancement and industry, participants will collaboratively learn how shared advancement goals can push institutions to improve constituent relations for the benefit of all parties.

This session is based on the theory that if organizations treat constituents as a holistic person they will have easier access to their emotional connections to the institution. The net impact will be donors, alumni and friends with a greater willingness to be advocates, donors and volunteers.

When institutions take a collaborative approach to advancement goals, everyone has a “stake”. This leads to viewing key constituents as one person with multiple touch points at the organization. This desired state takes strong institutional commitment, clear goals and firm metrics. There are many obstacles, but there are even greater rewards.

Your constituents see your organization as a single entity. Isn’t it time you treated them the same way?

Changing Organizational Culture: Canadian and U.S. Models of Development

Presenters:
Colm Renehan, Associate VP for Advancement, University of Alberta
John E. Oldham, Senior Strategic Advisor to the VP for Resource Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Nicholas Offord, Principal, The Offord Group

As advancement professionals, we are not immune to the uncertainties that characterize today’s world. Shifting global power dynamics, economic uncertainty, generational wealth transitions and the accompanying attitudinal changes toward giving are just some of the factors that influence fundraising and alumni relations. But we can—and must—control how we respond to this culture of change and the subsequent uncertainty being experienced by our constituencies – or risk facing long-term implications to future success.

This session will include case studies of organizational change at the University of Alberta and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and address such questions as: How do organizations respond to advancement outsiders with differing cultural and professional points of reference? How do constituents respond to change? Are challenges really opportunities?

Moving Advancement Services from Back Office Operations to Frontline Business

Presenter:
Diane Horvath, Chief Operating Officer, Advancement Services, University of Toronto

Gift administration, biographic records, and the donor and alumni database system are critical elements supporting the front-line business of advancement. However, they are sometimes viewed as operational activities that can be hived off from the “real” work of advancement and relegated to “the back office,” resulting in disintegrated workflows and disengaged staff.

Although it’s still a work in progress, learn how Advancement Services at the University of Toronto has begun to reinvigorate and renew its value proposition through staff re-alignment, service-level commitments, performance standards, and new channels of communication and collaboration to help make visible that which has been invisible in our large, complex organization. This interactive session will provide participants with practical tools and techniques to move the advancement services department out of the back office and into the front-line business of advancement—whatever the office’s size and complexity.

Use Benchmarking to Create Effective Advancement Strategies

Presenters:
Karen McQuigge, Director, Alumni Advancement, Office of Alumni Advancement, McMaster University
Brian Kish, Annual Giving Consultant, Campbell & Company

Each year, Target Analytics, a Blackbaud company, compiles actual fundraising data from a broad sample of private and public schools throughout North America to evaluate overall annual fund trends, including those related to acquisition, retention and giving levels.

Explore the annual fund trends revealed by the donorCentrics 2011 Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance. The presenters will show you how these trends can help you improve your fundraising efforts.

Do More with Less $$: The Internet to the Rescue of Institutional Magazines

Presenter:
Line Boucher, B.A., M.Sc., Strategic Communications Advisor, Communications Department, Laval University

Many universities one day find themselves confronting this question: In the face of elevated production costs, should we abandon our institutional magazine? Laval University also asked itself this question when its operating budget was frozen for the next three years. And its response was: No! Our magazine is our main tool for contact with our alumni and donors. Let’s instead see if we can do better with the means at our disposal . . .

It is from this approach, leading to the establishment of a new business model, that we would like to engage participants. Line Boucher will share market analysis, the communications strategy that our magazine Contact subscribed to, financial analysis undertaken with different production scenarios, strategic choices, and implementation. As a bonus, this new business model enabled Laval to save enough money to hire an additional resource person to produce the magazine.

Changing Models of Campaign Volunteer Engagement

Presenters:
Robin Fowler, CFRE, Senior Counsel, Offord Group
Frances Bigman, CFRE, Director of Advancement, Anne & Max Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto
Maria Jordan, CFRE, Executive Director of Advancement, The Sterling Hall School

Today’s competitive environment means it is more difficult for many organizations to find, recruit, and engage fundraising campaign leaders. When charity leaders search for staff, there are full job descriptions with specific responsibilities and qualifications. Yet when organizations search for fundraising volunteer leaders, they often do not have an understanding of how volunteers can make a difference, and if they have a job description, it is often ineffective in preparing volunteers to help meet the philanthropic challenges of the organization. Is it any wonder that many organizations spin their wheels when it comes to recruiting, engaging, and retaining volunteers?

Come and hear some experiences and observations direct from the campaign trenches – and you’ll walk away with new strategies and ideas to ensure you and your volunteers get the most out of their volunteer roles.

Moving from Print to Digital

Presenter:
Lisa Fisher, University Brand Manager, University of British Columbia

Is it really less costly to transition to online versions of publications such as annual reports? How can you take advantage of the medium of the Web to create an engaging report? What marketing tactics should you use to encourage your audiences to make the change with you? How do you measure success? This session will address those questions and more for communicators considering going digital.

Word of Mouth, Social Media and the Art of Story Telling

Presenter:
Karen Richards, Word of Mouth Marketing Strategist, Mount Royal University

Right now there are Tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts, blogs or Foursquare check-in’s intermittently mentioning you – but how do you turn this into a meaningful brand story?

There is a shift in marketing: it’s not about you, it’s about them. Word of mouth marketing turns the long-held traditional approach to marketing we have been used to—the ‘Mad Men’ advertising approach—completely on its head. In fact, many die-hard marketers find it difficult to make such a major shift in thinking and in resources.

Word of mouth is the age-old notion, still alive today, that people trust recommendations and are influenced by what friends in their own trusted circles say. Social media changes the level of access to people and the new social media definition of ‘friends’ increases marketing potential.

Your brand is the basis for every story. Your biggest fans and passionate supporters become your civilian marketing team when they use social media to talk about you, influencing their trusted circles. Understanding how to leverage this is word of mouth marketing.

Imagine working with your customers and prospects as your partners. Imagine being connected to hundreds or thousands of champions, proudly telling your story through their own inspiring, personal experiences to their circles online. Stories that not only help to shape a sense of who you are, your brand, but that actually influence your champions’ friends’ friends. Join us to learn how Mount Royal University is harnessing this new power to great advantage.

Building Synergies and Efficiencies in Advancement

Presenters:
Roly Webster, Associate Director of Alumni Relations, Wilfrid Laurier University
Tania John, Associate Director of Annual Giving, Wilfrid Laurier University

In today’s environment of budget cuts, loss of staff positions, changes in leadership and increased demands on revenue, we’re often faced with such tough questions as: How can I do more with less? How can I provide better metrics to tell my story? Find out how—though challenged by the impact of the economic downturn and pension pressures on post- secondary education—Laurier is growing and preparing for a campaign.

Roly Webster and Tania John will share how Laurier evolved a culture of collaboration. They will guide you to look both internally and externally to find partnerships, synergies and efficiencies that increase both quantity and quality of programming; and provide a higher level of engagement that results in more meaningful relationships with your alumni, prospects and donors. Come armed with your own questions for an ensuing discussion based on both topic and your title/area.

Lessons from the Trenches: When Bad Things Happen to Good Events!

Presenters:
Karen McQuigge, Director, Alumni Advancement, McMaster University
Susan Rankin, Director, Stewardship & Donor Relations, McMaster University

Has this happened to you? A no- show speaker, a snowstorm on event day, a guest has a heart attack . . . These are just a few of the many wacky and wild things that can happen (and have happened) to us at events. Hear from two seasoned event planners and participate in this interactive session to see how you'd react when all hell breaks loose at your event. We'll tackle some tough scenarios, and you will participate in a role-playing exercise to see how you'd handle the toughest event nightmares . . . and believe us, we've almost seen it all! Come to have fun and learn from each other.

Team Culture by Design: Maximize Collaboration & Sustain High Performance

Presenters:
Kelly Cole, Executive Director of Advancement, Richard Ivey School of Business
Janet Frood, President, Horizon Leadership Institute Inc.

We’ve all seen the results of a team rich with collaborative culture—high productivity, better staff retention, and the generation of innovative ideas—but how exactly can we achieve this mythical team for ourselves? Join Kelly Cole of the Richard Ivey School of Business and Janet Frood of Horizon Leadership Institute Inc., as they share the tips and tricks they learned by transitioning Ivey’s advancement team from campaign to post-campaign.

Using a team-coaching approach over an 8-month time frame, advancement identified its current strengths and weaknesses, articulated its best hope for team culture, defined its core values, and then applied those values to all elements of advancement operations. Come find out how you can adapt this model to your own organization and team.

Web 2.0 Strategy and Major Redesign of the INRS Website: Challenges and Results (bilingual session)

Presenter:
Julia Martineau, Director of the Office of Communications and Public Affairs, National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS)
Hélène Simard, Editor, Chief Writer and Social Networks Leader, National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS)

To succeed in a major redesign of the INRS website and the launch of a global Web strategy using a Web 2.0 approach is a remarkable achievement that earned a 2011 Award of Excellence in Management (achievement category) from the University of Quebec for Julie Martineau, Director of the Office of Communications and Public Affairs at INRS, and her work team. Using the power of the Web and of social media, this vast project—spread out over 18 months—enabled a significant increase in the visibility of the INRS among its various internal and external publics.

This session will present the challenges associated with the project: e.g., combining five websites into one coherent whole, while still reflecting the characteristics of each; regularly and easily generating new content; more effectively reaching targeted stakeholders of the university; improving referrals to the website on search engines. The session will also cover some key elements of the PlanetINRS.ca project and the social media used, as well as the results of establishing this Web 2.0 strategy.

I love this place! Retention through emotional commitment

Presenter:
Lisa Woodcock, Associate Director, Annual Fund, University of Guelph

Turnover in educational advancement is a major issue. In addition to it being costly, there simply aren’t enough good people to go around. Employee retention, particularly of high performers and top talent, can be effectively managed by taking some simple steps to enhance emotional commitment through leadership- development initiatives. This session will provide an overview of the literature on retention with a new focus on educational advancement, and results from a CCAE- sponsored study through the University of Guelph.

Building a Culture of Philanthropy within your College

Presenters:
Michael Logue, Senior Vice-President & Partner, KCI
Tim Tribe, Director of Development, Conestoga College

A culture of philanthropy can create a ripple effect with an ever-expanding impact on all facets of your college’s advancement activities, from family campaign to overall campaign goal. These ripples can be extraordinarily far-reaching – touching everything from institutional pride to community engagement and leadership. Based on over 40 years of collective experience, KCI Senior Vice President Mike Logue, and Tim Tribe, Director of Development for Conestoga College, will walk you through the critical steps to build and maintain a culture of philanthropy within your advancement team, and your organization as a whole.

Tackling the Next Frontiers in Canadian Higher Education Advancement: The View from the VP’s Office

Moderator:
Marnie Spears, President and Chief Executive Officer; KCI
Participants:
David Palmer, Vice President Advancement; University of Toronto
Barbara Miles, Vice President, Development & Alumni Engagement; University of British Columbia
Marc Weinstein, Vice-Principal, Development and Alumni Relations; McGill University
O’Neil Outar, Chief Advancement Officer; University of Alberta

Join a panel of university advancement leaders for a candid and thought-provoking discussion about the latest issues, trends and debates affecting our field. They will share their leadership-level perspective on the most important drivers of change and growth in the current environment. Take this opportunity to raise your toughest issues. Prepare to challenge conventional wisdom with insights from this seasoned group of experts.

Using Social Media in Advancement: Ride the Wave, Not the Board

Presenter:
Andrew (Andy) Shaindlin, Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations & Annual Giving, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Almost every conference track, workshop, and webinar seems to include a discussion about social media, online community, or digital outreach. Many of them focus on these topics exclusively. And, as participants, we ask one particular question more than any other: “With the online landscape constantly changing, how can we keep up with the latest technology?”

This session describes why you needn't worry about picking the “right” tool or the “best” platform. Instead, you'll discover the importance of focusing not on the technology at your disposal, but on the behaviours you want to encourage. Knowing which website does what may very well be useful — but maybe not for the reasons you think!

What Does "Mad Men" Teach Today's Advancement Leaders?

Presenters:
Vincent Duckworth, Duckworth & Associates
Andrea Morris, Senior Director, Office of Advancement, University of Alberta

Using AMC's hit series "Mad Men" as a backdrop, we will lead a group of advancement professionals through a lively discussion and debate session on topics ranging from retaining and rewarding talent to dealing with complex relationships to pitching your case. Join us for a refreshing and revealing multi-media session!

The Major Gift and the Planned Gift in the Francophone Environment – Panel Discussion (in French)

Presenters:
Gil Desautels, Senior Vice-President & Partner, KCI
Marc Lapointe, Director of University Development, Université de Moncton
Chantal Thomas, Executive Director of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, Université de Montréal

A growing, sustained major and planned-gifts program is a condition of success for increasing results, but integrating such a strategy into our solicitation approaches remains a constant challenge. Moreover, developing a major-gift culture in the francophone environment has long been a challenge faced by francophone institutions.

A panel comprising Gil Desautels, Senior Vice President, KCI, Marc Lapointe (Université de Moncton) and Chantal Thomas (Université de Montréal) will share their observations and strategies in this area, along with their successes and challenges.

The Efficient Annual Fund

Presenter:
Robert A. Burdenski, Principal, Robert Burdenski Annual Giving

Killer apps. Virtual volunteers. Outsourced services. Prospect scoring models. Annual giving these days is less and less about big, broad solicitations, and more and more about getting it done efficiently with a nimble-smart staff. In these days of belt-tightening budgets, is it possible there are great new tools and growth opportunities for annual giving?

CASE Innovations in Annual Giving author Bob Burdenski provides an overview of the latest smart strategies for annual (and increasingly, regular) giving in education. Help an annual giving staff of two feel like 20 with this session on shrewd tools, tactics, and new technologies for annual giving success.

Endowments are Forever = Mission Impossible: The Set-Up

Presenter:
Frank Pyka, Executive Director, Foundation Western

What if we are blinded by an endowment belief system that serves the wrong objective and commits us to ever-increasing administration? This, in an investment environment that impairs the very payouts endowments were designed to sustain.

From Tobin’s “equity among generations” to the regulatory environment, this session explodes the myths that leave us treating the symptoms of the wrong problem, and suggests ways that we can adapt. If mission matters, we will recognize that “endowments” as we know them are not a panacea. If we believe that endowments are forever, then it just may be Mission Impossible.

Understanding Wealth & Donation Habits of Canadians to Succeed in Education Fundraising

Presenter:
Rupen Seoni, Vice President, Practice Leader, Environics Analytics

The wealth landscape of Canada and its citizens is shifting, and this affects fundraising efforts and campaigns. This session will set the stage by discussing broad wealth and charitable-giving trends across Canada, drawing on a variety of sources. We will examine detailed annual wealth and household expenditure estimates, StatCan’s Charitable Giving Survey, and explore the usefulness of newly available data sourced from tax returns.

A challenge for fundraisers is putting this high-level information into practice against their prospect database: identifying giving potential and understanding prospects to focus efforts more effectively. The second part of this presentation will show how a major Canadian university translated its data into actionable and, ultimately, measurable results by prospecting for potential donors based on neighbourhood wealth data and other key attributes such as social values.

Achieving Your Mission Using Online Networks: Charting the Options

Presenter:
Andrew (Andy) Shaindlin, Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations & Annual Giving, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We all have the same tools at our disposal: e-mail lists, Facebook pages, LinkedIn Groups, student blogs, and more. But sometimes it’s hard to know how each of these can help us engage our target audiences.

This session starts with the goal and helps you work backwards toward the best solution. Participants will take away a practical set of 20 uses for social networks in alumni organizations, showing the opportunities, the risks, and the resources associated with each potential use.

In addition to serving as a brainstorming tool for busy advancement professionals, this matrix is also a management checklist and a benchmarking tool for offices trying to engage target audiences through social media and other online channels.

The Zen of Stewardship

Presenter:
Lorie Abernethy, MA, CFRE, Associate Director, Alumni & Stakeholder Relations (acting), Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)

Zen has been defined as a state of focus that incorporates a total togetherness of body and mind. Zen in Stewardship is a way of being donor-focused, not just in the development office but in the academic and executive offices, in the classroom and in the boardroom.

This session looks at the way of transcending letters and tax receipts, events and plagues, to build relationships that bind all constituents closer to your institution. This way embraces a culture of Zazen, where donor relations and stewardship are inculcated into daily life. The principle of sitting in Zazen is to be beyond thinking.

To think without thinking – to steward without stewarding. We will look at moving beyond the basic tools of stewardship to developing “top of mind” awareness of your institution with your donors; engaging mind and body into daily donor relations. And yes, for those who need it – there will be metrics too!

Students Shaping Change: A Canadian First in University Strategic Planning

Presenters:
Lucille Gnanasihamany, Director of Marketing, Mount Royal University
Collin Semenoff, Fourth-year Bachelor of Communications/Information Design student, Mount Royal University

As education-based professionals, we understand the value of learning at a visceral level – but we sometimes overlook opportunities to learn from other institutions, adapt that learning to our own needs, and advance our own institutions in the process of telling our story. This session presents a case study of how Mount Royal University (MRU) adapted a breakthrough student-input model from Harvard University to further its own strategic goals.

The result: an initiative that is reshaping the student experience at MRU. The presenters will explain how MRU gathered in-depth information through one-on-one interviews with students – and the dozens of initiatives that have been introduced or enhanced as a result of this feedback.

Boosting the Planned Giving Component of a $1.5 Billion Campaign

Presenter:
Ken Ramsey, President & CEO, Legacy Leaders

Boston College announced that as part of their “Light The World” $1.5 billion campaign, they would increase their legacy society by five times. How they are achieving this goal illuminates the potential of a broad-based planned giving campaign. Discover the intricacies of such a robust program, and come away with innovative ideas to enrich your current planned giving program.

Endowments are Forever = Mission Impossible: The Dialogue

Facilitator:
Kathy Arney, Chief Development Officer,
The Banff Centre
Presenters:
Frank Pyka, Executive Director, Foundation Western
Malcolm D. Burrows, Head, Philanthropic Advisory Services, Bank of Nova Scotia
Paul Grossman, Director, Office of Gift Planning,
University Advancement, McMaster University

Session “B” on endowment strategies is “the meat”, where panellists challenge Frank’s thinking, and have a constructive dialogue about what this new way of dealing with endowments might mean.

Image Making/Rule Breaking: Bridging the Digital Divide

Presenters:
Jason Jones, Photographer

University-bound students of all ages are bombarded every minute with visual imagery: from iPads to viewbooks, Jumbotrons to magazine advertisements, and Facebook pages to mobile apps. Of all the creative assets you and your team muster each and every day, it’s the pictures—still and motion—that communicate most efficiently, effectively, and emotionally across all communication channels, and with all of your school’s most important audiences.

The two presenters are a professional photographer/film director, whose client list includes colleges and universities around the world. In one mesmerizing and moving hour, Jason will share more than 300 photographs and video clips to demonstrate specific techniques of creating still and motion pictures that most effectively convey a school’s mission and message in ways that leave lasting positive impressions on the target audiences you care about most. This new presentation will include tips for you to take away and use at your institution.

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