CDO Central / Class of 2011

Session 1:
The New Wave of Philanthropy and the Art of Donor Cultivation

February 24, 2011

For-profit companies do it all the time – position themselves to be attractive to their investors (their “funders”). From the everyday messaging to their annual reports, everything is done with laser-sharp focus on indicating that they are worth investing in. They cultivate investors just as much as they cultivate customers.

How do you work to cultivate your donors? Is your “stock” worth buying? Will you be able to show that a donor’s investment in you has had an impact? This session will help you take a fresh look at your organization to help you identify to your current and potential funders—your “investors”—just how much your “stock” is worth to them.

Session 2:
The Correlation Between Board Giving and Board Experience

April 7, 2011
 Instructor: June Bradham
–Author of What Nonprofit Boards Really Want

The experience of serving on a nonprofit board should not be a complicated one, but it is one that needs to be planned for and nurtured. To get the most out of the board, you must be able to infuse their board experience with work that is poignant, thought provoking, and actionable. You may recruit a board member to tap into their reputation, talent, skill, or money; but to get the most out of them, you must understand their needs and values and how to ensure you can deliver a rewarding board experience for them.
You are invited to bring a Board member to this program.

Session 3: Joint Session with CFO Central
Panel Discussion: Capital Campaigns

May 19, 2011

Planning, implementing, and managing a capital campaign can seem exciting and overwhelming at the same time. Come hear a frank discussion from both financial and development officers about the challenges, joys, and tribulations of successful nonprofit capital campaigns.

Session 4:
Strategies for Success: Planned and Major Gifts

August 25, 2011
Instructor:  John D. Clark
Associate VP for Development
Georgia State University

Maximizing donations from planned and major gifts requires a solid strategy and organized system for the identification, involvement, and solicitation of potential major benefactors. Integrating that system into overall fundraising strategies can be tricky, as major gift fundraising is ruled less by the budgetary needs of your fiscal year than by the thought and commitment that motivates the gift.  Join your peers for an interactive session to discuss the implications of strategy on successfully attaining major gifts, while examining models and gaining knowledge to successfully build, refine or launch your major gifts program.

Session 5:
Managing Up for the Quadruple Win

September 22, 2011

Managing up is about much more than being able to effectively work with your CEO and board – it's about making yourself indispensible. It's about stretching yourself and helping others recognize your value to the organization. Just as importantly, failure to manage up can result in misunderstandings about expectations, miscommunications, wasted time and effort, and project failure. Learn how managing up results in a quadruple win - for you, your boss, your board, and ultimately your organization.

Session 6:
The Strategy of Moving Funders Up Your Chain of Support

October 20, 2011

Learn how to manage the growth and maturity of your donors and take them up the ladder of support. Learn how to develop a small, first-time donor into a dedicated, lifetime supporter and ultimately a planned giver of your organization and its mission.

Session 7: Joint Session with CFO Central
Issues Driving Charitable Activities of High Net Worth Philanthropists

November 10, 2011

Based on an ongoing research partnership between Bank of America and The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, this session will focus on understanding the motives and methods of giving amongst wealthy Americans. We’ll delve into which nonprofit sectors they support, how they direct their largest gifts, what motivates them to give and to discontinue support for a nonprofit organization, where and how often they volunteer, and who they turn to for philanthropy guidance. We’ll also touch on how charitable decisions are made within households, investment risk tolerance as it pertains to donors’ philanthropic assets, and how wealthy individuals respond to disaster relief.