Development & Advancement

DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
Passing the Baton: Fundraising Success During Transition
Transitions in fundraising staff and school leadership are inevitable; therefore, it’s imperative that we ensure the sustainability of our fundraising programs during times of change. In this session, we'll show you how success during transition is possible, by demonstrating how to navigate and thrive during leadership transitions.
Alexis Alcantara Brock
Director of Advancement, The Hun School of Princeton, NJ
Andy Hamlin
Former Assistant Headmaster of Advancement, The Hun School of Princeton, NJ
Jackie Sullivan
Senior Vice President, Graham-Pelton, NY
DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
Advancing the mission through turbulent times: Building a culture of philanthropy during crisis — A case study with Peddie School
We will discuss best practices for Advancement when faced with individual, regional and global crises. We examine our fundraising campaign, held during the coronavirus and other economic challenges: how the school adapted strategies, pressed forward with fundraising, and strengthened the community during their campaign. CCS will also share lessons learned in crises like 9/11, the Great Recession, and the coronavirus.
Karyn Vella
Assistant Head for Development, Peddie School, NJ
Natalie Skinner
Corporate Vice President, CCS Fundraising, DC
DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
Long-term Disruption: Making Plans for a Bright Future through Smart, Strategic Advancement
Drawing on deep experience with a large network of schools, you will be presented with research and anecdotal information about the status of the advancement space in the wake of COVID-19.
Ann Snyder
Director, Independent Schools, CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education), DC
DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
Assessing Impact: The Value of the Alumni Perspective
In 2017, Woodberry Forest School (WFS) set out to answer a fundamental question: What is the value of a WFS education? To assess, the school collaborated with Art & Science Group to conduct a 3-year longitudinal study of its seniors and graduates. Results were used to refine the WFS strategic focus and improve market appeal. WFS's experience compellingly illustrates the value of such an approach for independent schools.
Craig Goebel
Principal, Art & Science Group, MD
Byron Hulsey
Headmaster, Woodberry Forest School, VA
DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
Design Thinking for Philanthropy
Is your development office prepared for the next generation of donors? Innovate, prototype, and iterate, to get ready to engage these emerging contributors. As a former consultant to Stanford's Effective Philanthropy lab, which sits at the intersection of design thinking and philanthropy, we'll discuss using the human-centered design principles used to develop a process for producing creative solutions to even the most complex philanthropic challenges.
Felicity Meu
Director, Partner Success, GiveCampus, DC
DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
Building a Strong Parent Giving Program
Parent expectations for college counseling, athletic recruitment, and internships offer an opportunity to articulate the school’s “value proposition” and to engage parents earlier. We'll demonstrate through synchronized parent programs how to make parents feel welcomed, appreciated and, ultimately, more generous when it comes to philanthropy.
Newell Grant
Director of Advancement, Westminster School, CT
Shannon O’Shaughnessy
Director of Advancement Operations, Westminster School, CT
DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
Storytelling: the power of data visualization
Data visualization is a powerful tool that helps an audience digest and process patterns and trends from a complex data set. Does your data tell a compelling and persuasive story?
Tanner Baker
Research & Analytics, Rational Partners, NY
DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
When a Wing and a Prayer Isn’t Enough: A Case Study on Shifting Advancement Strategy during Challenging Times
You have an incredibly exciting strategic plan, fully endorsed by your Board of Trustees. Plans are underway to launch the leadership phase of a campaign to fund the realization of this vision. And then COVID-19 hits. The outcome of the pandemic in terms of lost revenue is staggering and leaves your school on unsteady footing. How do you move forward? How do you preserve excitement for your vision while building a foundation to secure your future? It takes more than a wing and a prayer.
Karen Callahan
Senior Consultant & Managing Principal, Marts & Lundy
Jennifer Zaccara
Head of School, Vermont Academy
DEVELOPMENT & ADVANCEMENT
People First: Tending the Most Critical Internal Relationships in the Time of COVID
Even the most cliché-weary among us has to acknowledge that at its core, fundraising is about relationships. And many of us have experienced the power of that as we’ve reached out to donors, alumni and the community over these last challenging months. But how best to tend to those relationships even closer to home: the one between the CAO and the CEO? Or between staff leadership and governance? As the pandemic understandably draws attention and time towards other areas of the school, how can the CAO, academic leaders and senior volunteers pick up the mantle of fundraising? What is the most effective and strategic way to use the CEO’s time? And how can we use a time of challenge to make even greater headway on our vision and aspirations?
Taylor Stockdale
Head of Schools, The Webb Schools
Alison Holt
Senior Consultant, Marts & Lundy and Managing Director, Offord Group
Jim Zimmerman
Senior Consultant & Principal, Marts&Lundy