If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that engaging people – wholly, gracefully, and artfully – is a primary theme. Philanthropic investment is, most often, an action that succeeds (not precedes) other forms of engagement.
Major gifts, then, begin with those who you know best, your institution’s closest friends and champions. And engaging these individuals in various thoughtful and strategic ways should be the first and most important priority for any advancement program serious about increasing gift income.
If you are looking for new approaches and fresh insights into how best to find, recruit, and engage those individuals closest to your institution I want to encourage you to attend one of the Gonser Gerber Institute’s professional development workshops this spring. Here are three short, but interactive and smart upcoming opportunities for you and members of your team:
Building a Better Advancement Board – Thursday and Friday, March 12-13. If you want effective strategies focused on increasing the involvement of your Board members in advancement and encouraging them to give more generously, this workshop is for you.
Higher Education Advisory Boards and Councils: Positioning Them for Success – Thursday and Friday, April 30-May 1. Join me at the Gonser Gerber offices outside of Chicago for 2 days of interactive learning focused on best practices on advisory councils and boards. This is a topic that I’m passionate about and we’ve had fantastic participant reviews each time we’ve offered this course.
Major Gifts A to Z – A Training Session for New Major Gift Officers – Thursday and Friday, May 14-15. If you or someone on your team is relatively new to major gift work, this workshops provides the keys to getting started successfully.
Also, if you work in the donor relations area or are interested in making your donor relations program more effective without a ton of investment, please plan to join me next Thursday, February 5 for a 1 hour webinar: 5 Essential Tips: Innovative (and Inexpensive) Ways to Strengthen Your Donor Relations Program.
If you are looking for professional development opportunities this spring and major gifts and board member engagement is on your mind don’t let these programs pass you by. I hope to see you at an Institute program soon!