Session Descriptions

Morning Session: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Communicating With Style: Building Strong Donor Relationships With DiSC
Presented by: Carol Moreland, President, InterAction, Inc.

Have you ever pondered these questions about donors and prospects?

“What makes that person act that way?
“What motivates him/her?
“Why can’t we move forward?

Effective communication is an essential component for building long-lasting relationships, especially for planned giving professionals. Although we all know the importance of relationship building, the “how-to’s” are often elusive.

Learning to read and “flex” to the other person’s communication style helps move discussions forward, and helps both parties feel more comfortable. The DiSC Classic assessment provides the answers to these questions. Carol Moreland is a certified DiSC trainer and has been successfully using this tool for over 15 years with Gift Planning and Major Gift officers around the U.S.

In this session, you’ll learn the strengths and limitations of each of the DiSC styles, and what to do when your natural mode of communicating is poles apart from that of your donor or prospect. You’ll learn how a person’s style preference drives their gift-giving behavior, and how to influence people who prefer different styles.

Each participant will have an opportunity to take the DiSC Classic 2.0 assessment, and the group will learn techniques for recognizing the styles of others.

Carol will offer examples and practical tips for listening and observing the verbal and nonverbal clues that help you adapt to others’ styles. Using these strategies helps build the trust needed to gain donor commitment to the gift.

You’ll see immediate benefits from attending this session, because the skills are useful not only in conversations with prospects and donors, but with co-workers, friends and family. You'll receive:

• An easy to digest, personalized analysis of your preferred communication and work styles when dealing with donors and prospects.
• Comprehensive descriptions of all DISC styles (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness), to help you identify styles of donors and co-workers. This will serve as a handy reference guide after the session.
• In-depth information about the strengths and limitations of your classical pattern (unique combination of DISC characteristics), and how to adapt appropriately with other styles.

If you're interested in finding out more, click here to view a sample DISC Classic 2.0 report.

Lunch Session: 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Fundraising in Times of Change
Presented by: Robert F. Sharpe, Jr., President, The Sharpe Group

Economic conditions over the past two years have presented fund raisers with challenges, but these challenges are not unprecedented. Past experience tells us that Americans continue to give generously despite economic ups and downs. But history also tells us they tend to make their gifts in different ways. Discover what the combination of a rapidly aging changing donor base, stock market fluctuations, low interest rates, and proposed tax policy will mean for the ways donors may make gifts, especially larger ones, in coming months and years.

Afternoon Session: 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Cultivating & Soliciting the Planned Gift & Major Gift Through the Moves Management Process
Presented by: William T. Sturtevant, VP for Principal Gifts, University of Illinois Foundation

What's New In Planned and Major Gift Fundraising:
Is there anything new in the quest for planned and major gifts? There is! And it's important that you know. Find out where the field is now and what the future holds. There has never been a time of more dramatic change. You need to know how to anticipate the problems and opportunities - and come out a winner.

The Anatomy Of a Major Gift:
Discover the dynamics of prospect identification, cultivation, and solicitation - plus the role of stewardship as a cultivation tool in securing the big gift. Discover what makes planned and major gifts different and how that affects our approach.

The Marketing Of Planned and Major Gifts:
The concepts of marketing are as vital to successful fundraising as they are to sound business practice. You'll discuss such strategies as institutional positioning, market segmentation, donor profiles, and gift options - and how they affect the exchange relationship.

Managing The Planned and Major Gift Process Through Moves Management™:
A pragmatic, workable framework for managing the long-term relations involved in planned and major gifs fundraising.

• How the Moves Management(TM) system will assure your success
• Cultivation: Ideas, techniques, and strategies
• Matching strategy to giving capacity
• Involving other partners in the process of cultivation

Profiles Of Gift Prospects:
What we know, and perhaps more importantly, what we don't know about special gift prospects. What really motivates donors?