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Keynote Speaker - Eric Utne

 

Beyond Obama
From Great Expectations to Change We Can Count On

 

Just a year or so ago many of us allowed ourselves to hope for real, substantial change. We let ourselves believe that we could leave behind the cynical and polarized politics of the past eight years and step into a new age of practical idealism, bipartisan collaboration, and civic engagement. Service Nation and the Green Economy were just around the corner.  Then we saw Barack Obama’s health care initiative stall, the Afghan war escalate, the Copenhagen climate conference fizzle, the economic recovery stagnate, and the Supreme court give corporations a green light to buy political elections.

Eric Utne, founder of Utne Reader, will join us to explore what happened since Obama was elected and where we go from here. Utne believes that real change starts at the local level. He will share strategies from his own as well as others’ experience in how to create more entrepreneurial, locally-based, community-supported initiatives, some of which go to scale and lead to systemic, national and international policy change. He even believes that Barack Obama, our “community organizer-in-chief,” has a role to play in this more local, community-based approach.

More About Eric  

 

 

Making time for major gift qualification and cultivation, especially, are difficult for any size development operation, and at any experience level.  Building upon 11 years of direct major gift work and 25 years of work as a development professional, I will outline how I organize my time, prioritize, use systems, make initial discovery calls and formulate strategies and next steps.  I will translate my work at a large institution to make it applicable for those at smaller organizations. Participants will walk away from the presentation with 3-5 ways that they can get started or refine their major gift program.  We will outline those steps in an interactive exercise at the close of the session, capping an integrated discussion where participation will be encouraged.

 

 

Get creative with your communications! Timing and the right message/messenger may truly be worth their weight in gold for your organization.

 

Who says you can't raise money in August? We did and all it took was trying out some new ideas and selecting a targeted group on which to experiment. How do you decide the right time to send an appeal and which group to target with the message? The standard fundraising rules may no longer apply!  Similarly, use past giving trends to determine how much to of someone in a mailing. Just because a donor has consistently given at one level doesn't mean you can't try asking them for more as long as you have the right thing for them to support. This information may take time to gather but the ends do justify the means. Even a small shop has tools it can use to create segmented groups to approach. It doesn’t take an expensive mailing or huge donor base  to create segments for a campaign.

 

 

Learn insider tips about event strategy that can be applied to every component of your fundraiser including leadership selection, goal setting, budgeting, sponsor/donor solicitation, procurement, and more. Make more money by working smarter, and bring your questions!

 

More than ever, it is important to apply  money-making business strategy to all aspects of our fundraising events. This includes everything from leadership selection, to budgeting, goal setting, sponsor and donor solicitation, procurement, and more. "Putting on a party" without leveraging every component of your event leaves revenue (and sometimes a lot of revenue!) on the table. You'll get some great insider tips and learn about current industry trends at this workshop.

 

 

"Essentials of Development" provides a set of "Rules of Thumb" from a perspective of 40 years of experience in the field.

 

This presentation covers the basics of putting together a development strategy for a small organization, included the annual plan, case statement, special events and major gifts strategies.  I cover a list of 10 "Rules of Thumb" in resource development that I have learned over a successful career in resource development.

 

 

This highly interactive session focuses on your own unique communication style. Learn how to use this awareness to communicate more effectively with everyone.

 

This will be a highly interactive session focusing on your personal communication type. You will learn how to use that awareness to become more effective in all of your interactions, but especially with your Board and your volunteers. Everyone will take a short assessment called the Peoplemap(TM). This will provide the framework for the session. Your take-aways will be an understanding of your unique communication style, as well as being able to identify how others' style interacts with your own.  Through group conversations, you will learn how to tailor your words to make sure your message is received in the way you meant it. You will understand the powerful impact your communication style has on others.

 

 

 

 

Learn strategies for strengthening the grantwriting function and more effectively communicating with staff and information on current trends.

 

Grantwriting Know How and Resources for Tough Economic Times will offer practical tips on how to strongly position the grants function for success from interfacing with the Executive Director and Communicating to staff to sharing information on current trends in funding including government grants.

 

 

Corporate Sponsorships are an important piece of an organizations fundraising. With new focus on small companies that are supporting a nonprofit of specific interest, how does an organization reach out to the business community? What is the business community looking for in its nonprofit partners and why will they choose to support one event over another? Using his many contacts and years of experience, the panelists will talk about what they like, don't like and what they see happening in the near future.

 

Non-profits have less and less staff doing more and more things, and integrating social media into a development and communications strategy can be time intensive. Our panelists will discuss how you can make it a worthwhile tactic for your organization.  They will provide real-life examples of how tools such as Facebook, blogs, and Twitter can complement and extend your existing fundraising and visibility efforts.

 

 

More and more, evidence is appearing that donor loyalty is as important a statistic as a donor’s cumulative giving and largest gift.  This session will look at research suggesting donor loyalty is the key factor in predicting planned gift, explore different ways of engaging donors, and look at both short and long-term return on investment in stewardship.

 

 

The times change, and organizations change along with them, moving through five life stages.  Learn where your organization is now and how to move forward.

 

As outlined in Judy Sharken Simon's book The Five Life Stages of Nonprofit Organizations, nonprofits evolve over time from a concept to a full fledged organization.  The impact on boards, finances and staffing can be anticipated and predicted.  By recognizing where your organization is now in its evolution will help you understand where you are headed, and how to overcome the greatest challenges and growing pains.

Presented by:
Randa Cleaves, Partner - ACCG:avenue2possibilities LLP.
Jonathan Abramson, Partner - ACCG:avenue2possibilities LLP.

 

Pick up Lunch

 

Keynote Speaker - Florence Green

 

New Sustainability

 

Nonprofit organizations constantly struggle with how to sustain and improve their efforts to achieve their mission, especially in today’s difficult economic climate. But in spite of all these efforts, there will be a significant number of nonprofits that fail this year.  The political, economic, technical and generational realities have dramatically impacted the organizational practices that we once thought were essential to sustainability.  These trends and challenges -  Growth of the Virtual Workplace / Using Networks rather than Organizations to Accomplish Work, Generational / Diversity Shifts, Growing interest in Volunteerism, Loss of Public confidence, Calls for Increased Accountability / Transparency, the Unending Struggle for Unrelenting Financial Squeeze, Weak Structure, Invisible Impact – have changed what it takes to be sustainable. 

Albert Einstein once said, “No problem can be solved from the same level that created it.  We must learn to see the world anew.”  Long-term sustainability will require more and different practices than in the past.  Join with Flo Green, Vice President of IdeaEncore Network (and retired exec director of the California Association of Nonprofits) to explore how nonprofits can move away from practices that do not achieve sustainability and what they can do to seize this moment and turn it into an opportunity for sustainability and growth.  Flo will share strategies from her own experience as well as the experience of others on how nonprofits can more effectively survive the recession, have greater impact, achieve a more sustainable organization and be capacity builders to each other in building a stronger nonprofit community.

More About Flo

 

 

 

Ever written project goals or invented evaluation strategies at the 11th hour?  Learn tips and tools to build stronger, more effective programs and proposals.

 

Framing Your Grant Proposals: The Role of Logic Models and Program Outcomes will explore the importance of developing and presenting a cohesive program plan as part of a compelling grant application.  Grant writers are called upon to articulate – and often invent – program goals, objectives, strategies, actions, outcomes and evaluation plans.  This session will address the importance of each of these items within the grant proposal, explore the role of the grant writer in program development, and provide concrete tools that participants can take back to their organizations to help build stronger proposals.  The panel will be moderated by a seasoned grant developer and include a foundation representative who will address what reviewers are looking for in a winning proposal.  The panel will also include an evaluation expert who will provide training and tips on working with program staff to develop concrete, measurable goals and objectives as well as an overview of the types of data that are most appropriate for various evaluation strategies.

 

 

Volunteers are the key to the future success of nonprofits. So why are they still folding newsletters?

 

The business model for nonprofits has largely been to raise money to hire staff. Development officers are at the center of that model. I see that the model is changing. Yes, raising funds remains paramount. But raising human support is emerging as a viable complement to hiring staff. While we always need professional staff for essential operations, volunteers are interested in and willing to take on higher-level roles. Best practices show that volunteers can even emerge as quasi-employees. Nonprofits, generally speaking, have not made this transition and still operate under the old paradigm.

 

 

In today's economy, nonprofits are being asked to do more with less. Learn tips for maximizing performance, hiring, firing and other personnel issues.

 

Faced with declining resources and a growing demand for services, many nonprofits are being asked to do more with less.  How are those responsible for overseeing large, medium or small development programs effectively managing within this new reality?

Whether your goal is to preserve or build staff morale in a down economy, strengthen staff productivity, or learn best practices for measuring and managing staff performance, this session is for you.  The workshop will also equip you with the tools to attract and keep development talent, and if you are seeking employment yourself, it will provide an inside look at what skills and characteristics nonprofit employers are seeking in today’s development directors.

 

 

Close advisors of high net worth individuals discuss real-world scenarios to explore the concept of professional boundaries in the relationship between donor and gift officer.  This session will:  raise personal awareness of the potential “gray area” in donor relationships, enable fundraisers to begin to develop their own sense of where the boundaries lie, and experience professional development with a high-level discussion or professionalism.

 

 

In these economic times, nonprofits look to Major Gifts officers to keep their programs alive, but many individuals are no longer able to give what they have given in the past while others are upping donations to help. How does an organization cultivate Major Gift Givers to keep them in good times and in bad? This panel will look at strategies that worked in 2008 and compare them to strategies in 2009 to determine key factors and elements of success.

 

Conversations with Key Note Speakers Eric Utne and Flo Green

Relax, Reflect, Reconnect

 

Join the Conference Exhibitors, speakers, panelists and sponsors for an evening of discussion, investigation and relaxation.  This event focuses on what you need each day - information and support.  With the assistance of our exhibitors, each attendee will have the opportunity to investigate database options, on-line communications, event planning, direct mail services, consulting assistance and much, much more.

Each exhibitor will have coupons available for chair massages, aromatherapy, and other relaxing options.  In addition, table-top discussions with the days speakers and other attendees will help you focus on what you've learned and begin to implement the ideas in your organization.

Appetizers and a no-host bar will be available.

This event is open to the public!  Invite co-workers to join you for this evening of exploration and relaxation.  Need your board chair to look at a database?  Need your marketing department to check out printers and e-marketing?  Now is the chance to bring them along!  Admission to this session is free.

Attending Exhibitors:

AlphaGraphics American Association of Grant Professionals Association of Fundraising Professionals Bank of the Cascades Blackbaud Cricket DonorSearch Emma MatchMaker FundRaising Software Metro Presort NOZA

Oregon Festivals & Events Association Pacific Continental Bank Portland Business Journal Power Productions Samantha Swaim Fundraising, LLC TACS The Collins Group University of Oregon in Portland University of Portland Wave One Group

Doors Open

 

 

Breakfast Served

 

 

Recognizing Excellence in Nonprofit Development

 

The Crystal Awards were created in 1992 to publicly acknowledge fundraising professionals at all levels of experience and create pride in our shared profession. Today, the event brings together development professionals representing more than 350 nonprofit organizations as well as community leaders from the philanthropic and corporate sectors and continues to recognize outstanding individuals and projects in the field of fund development.

A hand balancing act performed by Nicolo of The Circus Project to the song Singing in the Rain.

The Circus Project is a unique program which serves Portland’s homeless and at-risk youth. We aim to empower youth physically, emotionally, and intellectually through the development of highly skilled circus and theatrical performances.

We strive to expand the definition of art beyond that of the various disciplines to encompass a way of looking at the world, appreciating diversity, and approaching conflict. Training informs the identity of participants on stage, how they relate to others, and how they contribute to the society in which they live. Visit www.thecircusproject.org for more information.

Big meets tiny…With their booming Japanese drums together with the small stage of Ten Tiny Dances, Portland Taiko, Asian American drum ensemble, will perform an excerpt from their upcoming show Ten Tiny Taiko Dances at the WVDO Conference Breakfast.

Slipping Through My Fingers, originally written for the full stage has been adapted for this “experiment in confined space” as Ten Tiny Dances has been described.  Mike Barber, founder of Ten Tiny Dances and co-curator of the show with Portland Taiko says that he “relishes the idea of holding the big powerful energy of taiko on the tiny stage.”

This special artistic collaboration is a must see event!  Ten Tiny Taiko Dances, premieres June 19th and June 20th at the Winningstad Theatre.  For more information, go to www.portlandtaiko.org.

 

 

 

This interactive session will offer attendees a unique opportunity to make meaningful connections with Oregon's grantmakers. Over 20 foundation and/or corporate funders will be available to listen to your funding ideas and share insights into funding priorities. Following the conference theme of theoretical to practical, grantseekers are encouraged to attend related breakout sessions. If interested, participants can experiment with a summary logic model designed to facilitate clear presentation of project goals, deliverables, and evaluation plans important for developing well crafted projects and proposals.

 

Attending Funders:

The Autzen Foundation Bank of America The Community Foundation for Southwest Washington The Ford Family Foundation The Jackson Foundation The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit The Kinsman Foundation M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust Meyer Memorial Trust

Northwest Health Foundation The Oregon Community Foundation Pacific Corp The PGE Foundation Safeco Insurance Foundation Social Venture Partners Portland Spirit Mountain Community Fund The Standard U.S. Bank United Way of Columbia-Willamette The Wessinger Foundation

 

 

 

At a time when organizations need greater participation by our community partners, we are often getting less.  The first purpose of this session is to focus on the ways in which the traditional model and theories about the role and structure of a board are no longer appropriate.  The second is to present new ways of thinking and new strategies to create the roles, functions, expectations and structures of a board and also a board’s relationship with professional leadership in today’s reality.  Each organization can create the board and relationships it needs as opposed the one it is supposed to have.  The goal is to create more positive, healthy, productive and balanced organizations and relationships among staff, board and volunteers.

 

 

Explore Community Based Leadership and decision making models and tools with demonstrated outcomes for building strong community leadership capacity.

 

I envision three primary areas to cover in the presentation: Community Leadership Roles (the Catalytic Leadership Model), leadership and group decision processes and the role of Social Capital in a community. RDI has a vision of rural communities that have defined "vitality" for themselves and have the capacity to achieve their goals. We seek to change the landscape of the region by building a strong network of community leaders within and across rural communities by supporting individuals and building strong community organizations.

 

 

How to maximize the philosophies and activities of the annual giving program and a capital campaign to make the organization and its donors winners.

 

Annual fund and capital campaign managers use somewhat different language, operate on different time lines, and often differ in how they present the organization’s case for support.  Thus these managers may misunderstand each other and even work at cross purposes to the detriment of the organization and the opportunity for further relationship building with the donors.  Session attendees will explore how to build complementary elements and messaging that strengthen the overall development effort.

 

 

Legacy gifts can help your group be sustainable and financially resilient. Learn why big group methods fail with small/mid-sized groups and what DOES work.

 

This workshop is designed using real life examples and a “just enough” strategy guide to enable nonprofit leaders of any scale group to get to work immediately. Small and mid-size nonprofits (or large groups without well established planned giving programs) don’t have the budget or staff to use the same tactics as big institutions; instead, EVERY donor counts. Success building a stream of legacy gifts will not come from scaled down big institution methods. It is a dance, a give and take, a sharing of purpose that enables nonprofits to earn, receive, and strategically use bequest gifts of all amounts from all kinds of people.

 

 

Pick Up Lunch

 

Keynote Speaker - Madeline Stanionis

 

Fail Fast and Often!

 

The Internet demands that organizations take more risks, be faster, and be more transparent than ever before.  What are the outcomes – particularly related to fundraising, engagement, and marketing – when they do (and don’t). This session will be a combination of inspiration, observation, and lots of examples.

More About Madeline

 

 

 

 

In this workshop we will review the spectrum of grant administration activities – from project implementation to expense tracking to reporting.  We will identify critical actions that will create a smooth, organized, grant administration process.  Experienced grant professionals will share their tips for assembling a winning grants team that includes development, accounting and program staff, as well as project partners.  They will discuss the roles and responsibilities of each team member, and suggest remedies for administrative challenges encountered along the way.

   

Discover the prospects who love you the most. This innovative case study will show you how to reach and engage them at a low cost.

 

This presentation is a case study of a project that Amanda and Michelle are implementing at Portland State to pre-qualify major gift prospects using a low-cost telephone interview and low-cost cultivation opportunities.  This is a partnership of prospect research, annual fund, and major gifts staff, yielding  a presentation that blends the art and science of fundraising.  It will highlight lessons learned during this exciting project, while teaching participants how to design a similar program – no matter what the size of their shop.

 

 

What is good marketing? Can it help your fundraising?  A strategic look at the what, when, how, and where of your message and who needs to hear it.

 

This presentation will begin with some basic information about what marketing is and isn’t, describe a functional marketing plan and then give participants an opportunity to work on one aspect of a plan during the session.  The panelists will also describe some of the marketing challenges they have faced and how they solved them.  Finally, participants will be given several templates that they can use in their organizations as developing the agency’s elevator speech, a grid for working out key mission-based marketing messages, and a sample time line for a marketing plan.

 

 

Implement strategic planning in your organization.

 

Strategic Planning Tools and Practices will deliver practice-specific planning/change management worksheets, handouts and discussion guides participants can use with their Board or employee teams to address specific organizational challenges or opportunities.

 

 

In the small shop, it’s easy to be tied to the urgent needs of today, and challenging to take the long term view and work on major and planned gift programs that won’t bear fruit for months or years.  Lack of staff time, and lack of budget, may seem insurmountable obstacles to starting a major or planned giving program.  Not so!  Two seasoned professionals will boil it down to simple tasks that any shop can manage, with a budget to match.  You’ll leave this session with practical tools and suggestions you can put to work tomorrow. 

 

   

 

Taking a hands-on approach to technology in nonprofits, this Q&A session will focus on attendee areas of interest including: blogs, twitter, Facebook, websites, e-newsletters, on-line giving and more. Bring specific questions and be prepared for open discussion.

 

 

Most development officers feel they have more prospects than they can effectively cultivate and solicit.  Prioritizing your prospect pool will ensure that you spend the right amount of time on your best prospects.  It will ensure that you interact with the prospects that are most ready to give the largest gifts. Prioritizing your prospects is just the first step of a complete and on-going moves management program. This session will offer tools and techniques that will put your major gift efforts into focus and help ensure that you focus your valuable time on the right prospects at the right time.

 

 

Those who raise money and those who account for it could often work together better. Learn how to maximize the effectiveness of these important relationships.

 

Building a good relationship:  Learn how to communicate with your accounting department; get to know each other and learn to respect each other.  Preparing proposals:  Learn how your accountant can help you and what they need from you to do this.  Grant Reporting:  Find out what the accountant should be able to provide, how to ask for what you need and how to set up a reporting schedule.  Don’t surprise your accountant, but do work with them!

 

 

How do you illustrate that dollars are translating into measurable results? Program evaluation will show stakeholders exactly how far those dollars are going.

 

Ever wonder how to measure the impact your program is having? Do you have funders asking for data demonstrating how well your program is working?  Program evaluation is the tool that will help you do just that. It is a systematic process to studying how well a program is working.  It generally includes multiple research methodologies some of which include surveys, interviews, focus groups, and other forms of measurement. Program evaluation results can be used to not only improve your program, but also demonstrate accountability to funders, communicate with stakeholders, and provide direction for your strategic planning processes.

 

 

Direct Mail need not be daunting! Learn how you can motivate your donors through the envelope and subsequently raise more money.

 

Direct mail can be an intimidating process. Get the answers and more at this practical session on how you can achieve the appropriate blend of art and science in your direct mail program. You will learn the most important dos and don'ts, how to target your story and message to your audience, and you'll even do a hands-on exercise to help you write more persuasively.