Workshop: Increasing Alumni Participation

University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL — April 6th & 7th, 2020

Overview

A growing number of advancement programs report that alumni participation is among their highest priorities. But limited resources, competing interests, and a twenty-year national decline in the percentage of alumni who donate to their alma maters annually offer many challenges for academic institutions who seek to buck the trend.

Join us on April 6th and 7th at the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center at the University of Central Florida in Orlando for a 2-day intensive workshop that will provide you and your colleagues with a framework for understanding the importance of alumni participation and empower you with ideas and strategies for increasing it at your own institution. Participants will have an opportunity to:

  • Learn from experts about the latest trends and best practices in alumni participation
  • Participate in focused, small-group strategy sessions
  • Network with peers to share ideas and experiences
  • Obtain workshop handouts and other materials
  • Receive a complimentary copy of Dan Allenby’s book, Ideas for Annual Giving
  • Earn CFRE credit
  • And more!

This event is ideal for annual giving, alumni relations, and other advancement staff, as well as volunteers and colleagues from outside of advancement who wish to develop a plan for increasing alumni participation rates. A networking reception on Monday evening and breakfast and lunch on Tuesday are included with each registration.

  • Save $200 when you register by February 7th
  • AGN Members save an additional 20%
  • Receive further discounts when registering multiple attendees from one institution

Program

AGN workshops bring together advancement professionals in a small group setting to learn about important topics and develop new skills. This event includes general sessions as well as interactive breakouts where participants can share challenges, exchange ideas, and discover best practices.

Monday

12:00pm - Registration Begins

1:00pm - Welcome / The Alumni Participation Crisis

2:00pm - Acquiring New Donors 

3:00pm - Break

3:15pm - Stewarding and Retaining Donors

4:15pm - Setting Goals & Balancing Priorities (Small Group Break-Out)

5-6:30pm - Networking Reception

Tuesday

8:00am - Breakfast Roundtables

9:00am - Annual Giving & Alumni Engagement Collaborations

10:00am - Break

10:15am - Messaging the Case for Alumni Participation

11:15am - Leveraging Special Campaigns & Challenges to Boost Participation

12:15pm - Networking Lunch 1:30pm - Evaluating the ROI of Your Alumni Participation Efforts (Small Group Break-Out)

2:30pm - Faculty Q&A - Overcoming Obstacles

3:30pm - Bringing It All Together / Workshop Wrap-up

Faculty

Dan Allenby | Principal & Founder at AGN Resources

Dan is an author, speaker, and consultant who has worked with academic institutions for over two decades to train their advancement staff and volunteers. A recipient of the prestigious CASE “Crystal Apple” award for teaching excellence, Dan is an internationally-recognized expert on annual giving and alumni engagement. He chaired CASE’s Institute for Senior Annual Giving Professionals and its Annual Giving Workshop for five collective terms and served on the faculty for CASE’s Summer Institute in Educational Fundraising. His book—Ideas for Annual Giving—offers the latest designs for helping institutions increase annual giving and boost alumni participation. Previously, he served as the Assistant Vice President for Annual Giving at Boston University, and also led annual giving and member marketing efforts at Tufts University, Georgetown University, and the National Geographic Society. Dan received an MBA from Boston College and a BA from James Madison University, and a certificate in the Management of Communication Organizations from Tufts University. Connect with Dan on LinkedIn

 

Skylar Beaver | The Lawrenceville School

Skylar currently serves as the Director of The Lawrenceville Fund at The Lawrenceville School. In her decade of experience, she has also led annual giving efforts at The Spence School, Washington and Lee University, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Skylar holds an MPA in nonprofit management from SUNY Brockport and a BA in Sociology from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

 

Steve Hall | Boston University

Steve is the Vice President for Alumni Relations at Boston University, where he has responsibility for alumni relations, annual giving, advancement communications, athletics fund-raising, and stewardship and donor relations for more than 335,000 BU alumni world-wide. Prior roles include CEO of the University of Houston Alumni Association and Vice President for Major Gifts at the Washington State University Foundation. A recipient of CASE’s Crystal Apple Award for excellence in teaching, Steve is a frequent CASE faculty member, has served on multiple CASE Commissions and CASE District Boards, and is a former president of the Council of Alumni Associations Executives.

 

Elizabeth Keppel | University of Florida

Elizabeth's career has spanned direct marketing, frontline fundraising, volunteer and board management, and special campaigns. She is currently the Director, Annual Giving amd Strategic Initiatives at the University of Florida, where she oversees a university-wide leadership annual giving program. She has also worked in annual giving at the College of William & Mary. Elizabeth holds a B.A. in Government & Philosophy and an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from William & Mary.

 

Michael Morsburger | University of Central Florida

Mike is the Vice President for Advancement at the University of Central Florida and CEO of the UCF Foundation, where he recently led their IGNITE Campaign, which successfully concluded in June 2019 with $531.5 million in gifts and commitments. Prior roles include Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations at the George Washington University and at Duke Medicine, AVP of Development and Alumni Relations for the University of Virginia Health System, and Executive Director of Oncology Development at Johns Hopkins Medicine. Mike has served on more than two dozen nonprofit boards, and is a frequent guest speaker on the topic of fundraising and philanthropy. Mike holds a B.S. in Journalism from Radford University and an M.A. in Philanthropy and Development from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Travel

AGN is pleased to host this event at the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center on the campus of the University of Central Florida. UCF is an emerging preeminent research university located right outside of Orlando. Just a short ride from Orlando International Airport, the Alumni Center is easily accessible. The FAIRWINDS Alumni Center’s address is 12676 Gemini Blvd. N., Orlando, FL 32816.

Overnight Accommodations:

The workshop is a two-day event, and out-of-town attendees have a variety of options for lodging. The following hotels are located less than 10 minutes from the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center:

Transportation:

  • Air Travel: UCF is approximately 30-40 minutes from Orlando International Airport (MCO)
  • Uber and Lyft: Approximately $40 ride from Orlando International Airport (20 miles); there is a drop-off area right in front of the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center.

Parking:

  • Parking is first come, first served and available at the UCF on-campus garages. The fee is typically $5 for a day pass at a kiosk located in each parking garage.

For more information about this workshop, please contact us at 888.407.5064 or [email protected].