2023 Wednesday, February 8th Sessions

All times are Pacific Time.  Note that recordings for all sessions will be available for attendees after the conference.  Sessions are unlikely to change, but they might.

12:00-1:00 p.m.

Registration and Networking in the Sponsor Lounge

1:00-2:00 p.m. Opening Session

Be Mindful: All The Sessions You Don’t Want To Miss… Welcome, Introductions and a Celebration of 20 Years of Minds Meeting
Bob Burdenski and John Taylor, Conference co-Chairs with Dan Montplaisir, Vice President for Advancement, Cal Poly Pomona
Auditorium Room

Well-known Crystal Apple teachers, CASE Laureates, authors, listserv moderators, and fundraising curmudgeons Bob Burdenski and John Taylor launch the 2023 Meeting of the Minds Conference with a festive welcome and a rapid-fire rundown of their favorite advancement services and annual giving conference sessions and speakers to follow. Often in sync, lovingly in conflict, and always working in support of philanthropic goals, annual giving and advancement services offices play a critical role in advancement success. Join Bob and John as they provide a preview of the great conference sessions to come, and hear a special welcome from our sponsors. And let’s see what they misspelled this year!

2:15-3:30 p.m. Breakout Sessions

An Introduction to Annual Giving and the “Meeting of the Minds” Conference
Bob Burdenski, Robert Burdenski Annual Giving
Auditorium Room

New to the profession? New to the conference? Join CASE Laureate and long-time MOTM host Bob Burdenski for an overview of today’s annual giving fundraising. We’ll talk about the evolving goals, methods, channels, messages, metrics — and the very idea of “annual giving” itself. Ideal for “newbies” (or you “oldbies” in need of a refresh) and also get some ideas for maximizing your “Minds” conference experience in Pomona.

Talent Management in Advancement
Dr. Shalonda Martin, Pomona College, Christiana Simpson, Loyola Marymount University and Kevin Corbett, USC
Mountain Vista Room

CASE Alumni Engagement Metrics – What Are They & How Do You Track Them?
John Taylor, John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC, Elissa San Juan and CPP Student Interns, Cal Poly Pomona, Rodger Devine, Pomona College
Hillside West

John will begin the conversation by reviewing CASE’s 3-year-old Alumni Engagement Metrics (AEM) survey and the types of information it’s tracking. Rodger will provide an overview of the dashboards created at Pomona College to track its AEMs. Elissa will then discuss how CPP is collecting the new AEM survey data. Then, she’ll introduce a group of CPP students who will present on the data collection solution they mapped for one CPP college.

AI and the Opportunities for Annual Giving
Rachel Crosbie and Mark Hobbs, Fundmetric
Hillside Central

Annual Giving is about to enter a golden age. Artificial intelligence (AI) runs on data, and the necessity of data capture will see annual giving teams play lynchpin roles in their organizations. The talk will dive into the unlikely marriage between AI and Annual Giving and the impact AI can have on all facets of your fundraising program.

3:45-5:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions

Life Before Advancement – Lessons From the Business World
Andrew Kaufteil, JD, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, and Laurent DeJanvry, “Meeting of the Minds” Laureate
Auditorium Room

Andrew and Lo both spent time in the business world prior to their foray into fundraising and philanthropy, and both have insights about marketing and business fundamentals that are essential in the “for-profit” world, but often are lacking in the not-for-profit world. What corporate lessons can be transferred to our work in advancement, and what advice do Andrew and Lo have about our work? Come learn about how traditionally private sector practices are being applied to non-profits and higher education fundraising and advancement, hear a discussion about the pros and cons of both the for- and non-profit sectors, and how one might navigate between them.

A Crowdfunding Forum
Catherine Quirk-Hanneke, CFRE, Cal Poly Pomona
Mountain Vista Room

It’s a crowdfunding check-in with Catherine, as she’ll talk about what’s cooking with crowdfunding at CPP, and then she’ll moderate a discussion on all things crowdfunding. What projects do you select? How many? How long do you fundraise for each? When do you say “no” to a student group – and why? And when you say “yes,” what’s their accountability? And what about other budget-relieving institutional needs?

A Donor Wants to Give us What? Accepting Non-Standard Gifts
Mallory Wiswell, City of Hope, John Taylor, John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
Hillside West

We will attempt to demystify the mysterious when accepting the “weird and bizarre.” We will begin the discussion by reviewing the importance of gift acceptance committees and policies. And then we will dive into areas of specific concern these days, including:
• Gifts-In-Kind, including the need to distinguish between related and unrelated-use gifts of property
✔ Cryptocurrency and NFTs
✔ Certain forms of planned gifts, including CGAs funded by property
✔ Gifts you should think twice about before accepting, like timeshares, life insurance, closely held stock, and certain bequests.

Direct Mail – Tips, Tricks and Tactics
Sara Pond and Matt Sulzer, MCR, Inc.
Hillside Central

Is it time to spice up your approach? Direct mail is fundamental to building the donor pipeline, but with new channels in the mix it may be time to revisit your mail strategy. Join this conversation to discuss printing hallmarks that target the right people, grab donor attention, calendar the project, and integrate storytelling to optimize results. Attendees will receive free samples from other institutions and gain insights on:
✔ Audiences – segmenting, engagement, personalization
✔ Calendaring – channel integration, production, timing
✔ Design – photos, layout, color
✔ Packaging – envelopes, paper stocks, inserts

5:00-6:30 p.m. Conference Opening Reception

Join your fellow Minds for some complimentary nibbles and drinks on the patio just outside the sponsor lounge area. Sponsored by MCR!