2025 Wednesday Afternoon July 23 – Breakout Sessions at DePaul

All sessions are Central Time.  

All Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday sessions are at the DePaul Conference Center, 8th Floor, 1 E. Jackson Blvd.

2:00-3:15 p.m. – Breakout Sessions

Writing for Annual Giving 
Shannon Dale, Grand Valley State University and Jordan Revenaugh, Albion College

Join us for a forum discussion on the annual giving writing process. What themes resonate? What voices do you use – including the voice of your institution’s leadership? What considerations do you make for different audiences? How do you use humor? Urgency? Guilt? Peer pressure? When do you write with brevity, when do you write an extended proposal, and when do you write for “however long it takes to tell the story?” And what about AI tools?  Join us for some direction and some discussion on ways to approach your annual giving writing objectives.

Text Success:  Michigan Medicine’s Messaging
Ann M. Fisher, Michigan Medicine 

With a lot of prospects (including patients), Michigan Medicine has found texting to be a productive channel for engaging audiences.  Hear Ann tell the story of how they effectively use this enduring channel as an important fundraising communications tool.  

Gift and Pledge Administration – A Panel Discussion
Moderator and Panelists TBD

This “audience participation” session will attempt to answer fundamental gift processing and entry questions that have raised concerns for decades! We will begin by asking the audience to list the gift processing issues rearing their ugly heads in day-to-day gift processing. The panel will try to suggest solutions to those problems and reflect on national best practices. The panel will also come prepared to discuss various topics, including gift dates, receipt requirements, gift processing metrics, copying/scanning requirements, and recurring giving issues. You are encouraged to email your discussion topics beforehand if you prefer to be anonymous!

The Best of Both Worlds: Properly Blending Direct Mail with Digital Campaigns
Theresa Aide and Kate Cominsky, CFRE, Suttle-Straus

Direct Mail is still the most effective tool for fundraising today, but when blended with a well-timed and coordinated digital campaign it becomes even better. Learn how 7 different techniques can be orchestrated together for a 30-day campaign where digital ads act as an accelerant to put “fuel on the fire” to get your donors to give more and give faster to achieve your goals in record time.

3:45-4:45 p.m. – Breakout Sessions

A Faculty and Staff Fundraising Forum
Kelly Brault, Oakland University, Jen Davis, Joliet Junior College

Your own employees can be a valuable constituent group for your fundraising, and a big challenge, too.  Join Kelly and Jen for an introduction into their highly-successful faculty and staff giving programs, and an open discussion about ways to engage your own internal audiences.  

Which Advancement Services Role is the Most Important? A “Friendly” Debate
Elizabeth Tavares, Moderator; Tracy Rush (Prospect Development), and Panelists TBD

The world of advancement services includes several subdisciplines – many of which are combined or “morphed” depending on the institution’s size. Yet one thing remains constant. Each subdiscipline argues they are the most important to the Advancement program 😊.  Elizabeth, who has done (or seen) it all, will lead this lively debate. Representatives from several subdisciplines will argue/debate why their functions are most needed. However, unlike most debates, this one will encourage audience participation to help the debaters make their cases!  Regardless, you will leave this energetic session with a list of 3-5 roles each AS area serves that no organization can live without!

Principles of Ethically Influencing Annual Giving
Clark Gafke, LEAD Philanthropy

Discover the science behind donor motivation in this engaging and insightful session! Principles of Ethically Influencing Annual Giving will equip you with eight proven principles—Authority, Consistency, Contrast, Liking, Reciprocity, Scarcity, Social Proof, and Unity—that inspire donors to make meaningful gifts to their university. Rooted in the groundbreaking research of the Cialdini Institute, these principles provide a framework for authentic and ethical donor engagement. Clark Gafke, a Cialdini Certified Professional and Ethical Influence Practitioner, will guide you through the subtle yet powerful elements of everyday communication that drive generosity. With practical examples and actionable takeaways, this session will empower you to build stronger connections with donors and achieve sustainable results in annual giving. Whether you’re a seasoned fundraiser or new to the field, this session will improve the way you approach donor engagement!

5:00-6:30 p.m.Drinks Reception

Conference Opening Reception at the Palmer House
(Located three blocks from DePaul north on State Street  at 17 E Monroe St,  Take the arcade escalator up one level to the lovely lobby bar area.  Please wear your conference badge to the reception to ensure your free drink.)