Sessions IV

8:30 - 10 AM

- Friday May 18th 2012

Employing Dynamic (and actively changing) Strategy in a Capital Campaign as the Timeline to the Goal Shortens; or, you can build a bicycle while riding it.

A campaign generally has a fixed timeline and a fixed dollar goal. This panel will use Reed College's public phase of a $200 million comprehensive campaign as a case study. We will emphasize the importance of gearing a campaign with different major gift fundraising strategies at different points of the 5-year campaign.

The goal of the discussion is to be relevant to any organization currently working through or planning a campaign, regardless of the size of one's shop, the amount of one's campaign goal, or the capacity of one's constituents. We aim to encourage organizations to be intentional with campaign strategy, to be comfortable with flexibility and adept with change.

Presented by:
Marianne Calhoun, Major Gift Officer - Reed College.
Jan Kurtz, Director of Development - Reed College.
Duncan Rotch, Major Gift Officer - Reed College.
Susan Walcutt Major Gifts Officer - Reed College
Jeff Wright, Major Gift Officer - Reed College.
Hugh Porter, Vice President for College Relations - Reed College.
Chris Brentlinger, Director of Major Gifts - Reed College.

♦ Renaissance Room (Third Floor) ♦

Grant Review Work Session

A hands-on session, participants bringing a one-two page grant they have written will get specific feedback from an experienced grant professional and their peers

A panel of experienced grant professionals will share their top tips for putting together a successful grant. We will discuss specific pieces of the proposal including: Needs section, Sustainability, Budget and Evaluation plans as well as how to effectively weave all of the pieces together. We will also share lessons learned from our own successes and denials!

Experienced grant professionals for this sessions will include:

Rick Horton, Grants Manager for the Oregon Zoo Foundation and President of the Oregon and SW Washington Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association
Alyssa Hanada, Grant Consultant and Secretary of the Oregon and SW Washington Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association
Susan Jordan, grant writer for Portland Public Schools, founding member of Oregon and SW Washington Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association, and federal grant reviewer
Michael Wells, published grants author and PSU faculty, founding member of Grant Professionals Association, one of the developers of the Grant Professional Certification exam, and federal grant reviewer

Presented By: Darcie Spar, Associate Director, Development Operations - Oregon Red Cross

♦ Grand Ballroom (Third Floor) ♦

Helping your board find their Inner Fundraiser

Ways to help your board become a source of long-term funding for your organization and love doing it.

Though fundraising is an important part of the job description for most board members, it is often one of the most challenging for them. By implementing this successful formula, participants will learn a series of skills that they can implement with their boards and staff. This includes transforming how board members think about fundraising and reconnecting them to their personal passion for their agency through group/partner exercises. By articulating the stories about their agency that inspire them, board members are empowered to motivate prospective donors to become involved/contribute and to help rekindle the interest of current or past donors. Participants will gain insight into the value of nurturing long-term relationships vs. one-time gifts and develop ideas for their agency’s ‘Buckets of Opportunity’.

These “Buckets” are opportunities to introduce prospects to the organization, providing an experience of the agency’s mission and interaction with staff. For some it may be fundraising events, graduation ceremonies or tours. This process helps dispel the age-old fear that fundraising is about strong-arming, pressure or manipulation, and it builds long-term, passionate donors.

Participants will learn the following:

How to shift board members into a more comfortable – even enjoyable - relationship with fundraising

Participants will reflect on their own thoughts about asking for money and what it means to them. By getting in touch with these thoughts, they are able to move past negative stereotypes that can keep them and their board members from asking for support.

How to reignite passion and commitment

Participants will develop their own story of what fuels their passion for the organization that they are a part of and share it with others. These stories serve as a critical springboard for gaining interest and involvement. They can then lead their board through the same exercise to gain the same results.

How to design options for engagement of prospective donors that are fun, educational, and very compelling

Participants will identify ‘Buckets of Opportunity’ that their agency has (or could have) for board members to introduce or more deeply involve people with their agency. These Buckets could include auctions, tours or one on one visits.

Presented By:
Sally Dadmun Bixby, Director of Development - Our House
Nancy Sellers, Vice Chair - Our House

♦ Library Room (Second Floor) ♦

Mastering Efficiency: Social Media Tools & Tricks

Diving deeply into social media tools, metrics, and examples of tips and tricks from successful social good campaigns

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media tools have become a powerful force in helping nonprofit organizations connect with their donors, volunteers and supporters. We will review social networking strategies and tactics for nonprofits with a focus on ensuring the time invested in these new tools leads to marketing and fundraising success. Topics will include: measuring return on investment, locating prospective partners and clients and making the nonprofit’s voice coherent and cohesive on all levels.

Learning objectives:

Developing strategies and tactics that reflects the organization’s goals and mission
Discovering free tools that can replicate the more expensive ones used by large organizations with big dollars and staff
Finding efficiency through automation, time management and community building

Presented By:
Noland Hoshino, Co-Founder - [B]cause Media Social Communications
Ash Shepherd, Project Strategist - NPower Northwest
Zan McColloch-Lussier, DJ & Strategist - Mixtape Communications

♦ Billiard Room (Second Floor) ♦

Super Storytelling: the Power to Unite, Inspire and Engage

Using Storytelling to unite different groups; creating fundraising ambassadors from volunteers, staff and even donors

Co-presenters Richelle Morgan and Amy Blake have honed their story-collecting and storytelling skills through 28 years of combined experience in the communications field. Their expertise includes strategy, planning and execution in direct mail fundraising, employee communications and marketing. They have worked with non-profit and corporate organizations in the areas of education, environment, community development, energy, science and human rights.

Participants will learn:

5 Keys to shaping a story that unites, inspires and engages donors, volunteers and staff alike
How to find and generate stories to benefit their organization
How to break down organizational silos to share and disseminate stories more effectively and turn staff, volunteers and donors into fundraising ambassadors

Presented By:
Richelle Morgan, Creative Consultant - ARC Communications
Amy Blake, Creative Consultant - ARC Communications

♦ Card Room (Second Floor) ♦