Super-size your Meeting of the Minds experience with one of two FREE workshops! Tuesday, July 21st – 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the DePaul Conference Center, 8th Floor, 1 E. Jackson Blvd.
An Introduction to Donor Relations with UNICEF’s Mary Weingartner
Donor relations is the umbrella term for the experiences we create for donors when they invest in our organizations — acknowledging gifts, recognizing support, conveying impact through stewardship, fostering meaningful engagement, and more. A strong donor relations program touches many parts of an organization and creates a journey that carries donors from one gift to the next — retaining their support and deepening their commitment along the way.
Introduction to Donor Relations will be led by Mary Weingartner, Managing Director of Donor Relations at UNICEF USA. In her current role, Mary leads programs to thank and care for donors, celebrate their generosity, and connect them to the impact of their support. With nearly two decades of experience across higher education, healthcare, youth development, and international humanitarian aid, Mary has watched donor relations evolve from a back-office fulfillment function into a recognized and necessary strategic partner in the donor cycle. An active member of the Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP), Mary has chaired two international conferences, served on the ADRP Board of Directors in an ex officio capacity, and chaired the Education Committee. She currently serves on the Workshops Team and enjoys presenting on donor relations at Midwest Meeting of the Minds, ADRP conferences, and pretty much anywhere people want to learn more about the field.
Takeaway learning outcomes from this workshop will include:
▪️A clear understanding of what donor relations is and why it matters;
▪️An introduction to some of the core components of donor relations — acknowledgment, recognition, stewardship, engagement, advocacy, and compliance — and how they work together;
▪️An understanding of how donor relations intersects with and supports other functions across an organization;
▪️An introduction to donor journeys and how they carry a donor from one gift to the next;
▪️An overview of how donor relations programs measure success, including key performance indicators;
Attendees will also have ample opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion. This session is ideal for professionals who want to broaden their understanding of donor relations and stewardship, explore best practices, and discuss where the field is headed next.
An “AI-Infused” Introduction to Annual Giving with Bob Burdenski
It’s been twenty years since Bob wrote his first “Innovations in Annual Giving” book for CASE. Much has changed since, but much remains the same. Bob provided an introduction to annual giving at CASE fundraising institutes for more than two decades. Come and get your annual giving overview — a great foundation for the conference sessions that will follow!
Take-away learning outcomes from this workshop will include:
▪️ An overview of an annual giving program’s role in engaging a broad base of support, prospect identification and segmentation, and subsequent donor relationship pipeline development;
▪️ A discussion of traditional, new and emerging annual giving fundraising methods and channels, from the author of three CASE books on “innovations in annual giving;”
▪️ A collection of examples of annual giving case for support messages that resonate (and why) with their audiences;
▪️ Essential metrics for measuring and evaluating annual giving program success in a multi-channel world;
▪️ Examples of specific strategies where AI solutions are increasing annual giving efficiency and creativity;
This annual giving orientation is ideal for new members of the team (or those in need of a refresher). What do pipelines, pyramids, “the wave,” Starbucks, Cheerios, and Michael Bloomberg all have to do with annual giving and a broad base of support? Bob will provide an overview of the institutional reasons for annual giving, the fundraising channels in use today, case for support messages that resonate (and with which audiences), and the metrics that define annual giving success.