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Breakout 1C: Three Ways AI Affects Fundraising | Salon C-4, LL
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has undergone a few hype cycles— neural networks, expert systems, and deep learning. But the latest advancements in large language models have sparked everyone's imagination, and the possibilities seem limitless. In the past 15 years, the nonprofit industry benefitted from prospect identification using statistical models and machine learning. What does the next 15 years look like when AI touches every aspect of fundraising? While we can't predict the future, we can explore the possibilities. In this session, you will gather a brief history of Artificial Intelligence, its current applications, and three ways it might impact fundraising with examples. You will also participate in a thought experiment designing possibilities using the “alternative futures” framework. Let's dive into the world of AI and fundraising together!
 Ashutosh Nandeshwar is an award-winning data science leader who has championed innovative techniques to help nonprofits and higher education institutions become effective. Ashutosh has over 20 years of experience applying advanced data science and currently leads the data science practice at CCS Fundraising. He has built data science teams and practices from the ground up at institutions like USC, Caltech, and Michigan. Ashutosh holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, specializing in machine learning, and an MS in Design Thinking, and is the author of multiple books, including “Data Science for Fundraising.” He has served on the Apra national board and the CASE DRIVE committees
Breakout 2C: Buy now; Pay Later: Recovering Investment in CRM Conversions | Salon C-5, LL
Advancement as an industry is in the thick of a technology modernization transition. Many institutions recognize or have acted on their awareness that legacy systems are nearing the end of life and require a leap into the world of CRM ecosystems to raise more money and engage more constituents. Statistics and studies abound on the percentage of CRM projects that fall short of even modest expectations. This session is a case study of the University of Idaho's CRM conversion project: its successes, areas of falling short, and post-go-live strategy to sturdy the business information system for future enhancement. This topic will tickle your fancy if you are considering selecting, converting, or enhancing your core advancement CRM and system of record. In our time together, we will discuss core selection considerations, key success factors and concepts, and strategies on what to do if life after go-live isn't as expected.
 Christian Elsberry is a strategic leader with 15+ years of experience in higher education. In her 7 year tenure as the Associate Vice President for Advancement Services at the University of Idaho, Christian has directed the offices of Prospect Management and Research, Advancement Analytics and Reporting, Advancement Data Management and Records, Advancement Information Technology, Donor Relations and Stewardship, Advancement Events, and Advancement budgeting and operations. Christian has also presented at the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) in Washington DC on the process and importance of Strategic Planning. Christian has a passion for translating the details of Advancement Services work into compelling narratives and actionable plans for the successful systems integrations in the service to philanthropic support.
Breakout 3C: Privacy First, But How? Future-proofing Your Operations for Emerging Donor Privacy Legislation, with Real-World Examples | Salon C-3, LL
Donor privacy law is evolving fast and it can be hard to keep up. This panel discussion draws on expertise from across the industry to help you understand what is happening and ways you can prepare your organization for change. Ultimately, we hope to take the fear factor out of tackling this complex subject, inspire creative solutions, and help improve your processes along the way. We will look at how recent state privacy law set a precedent and the implications of this for other legislation in the pipeline. We will explain why even when a specific law doesn't apply to you, donors will increasingly expect careful and consistent behavior from all organizations they interact with. We will then explore ways you can future-proof your operations, putting you in a great position for legislation when it arrives. The ideas discussed will be real-world examples and will apply to both small and large organizations.
 Bill Connors, CFRE, bCRE-Pro, is an independent consultant and trainer on Raiser’s Edge. His work extends beyond the buttonology of the software, however, into the operations and fundraising contexts in which the software resides. He is the author of Fundraising with The Raiser’s Edge: A Non-Technical Guide (2010). Until 2005, Bill was Principal Consultant for Fundraising Systems for Blackbaud, having helped found the Blackbaud consulting program in 1998. He has been providing consulting and training on Raiser’s Edge worldwide since 1995. Bill has spent his entire career in nonprofit work. He previously served as Senior Consultant for Fundraising Technology for a London fundraising consulting firm, and he worked for Junior Achievement as a director of development and for the national headquarters overseeing the roll-out of Raiser’s Edge nationwide. Bill has degrees from Yale and Harvard Divinity School. He lives near Sacramento, CA, with his partner, and he loves sweets. https://billconnors.com
 Aldera Chisholm caught the non-profit bug while working as a customer service rep for a prominent Prospect Research provider. Since then, she has spent over 15 years working in Database Management, Prospect Research and Annual Giving. She has worked with non-profits ranging from post-secondary institutions and professional theatres to a zoo. (Talk about wild coworkers!) Whether creating a great Direct Mail package or building a Prospect Management program, Aldera loves solving puzzles. As a Strategist at Sargent Solutions, Aldera loves blending the art and science of fundraising: using data and technology to give fundraisers the training and support they need to focus on what they do best – building great donor relationships. Aldera likes to play Roller Derby and cross-stitch, but usually not at the same time.
 Amy Daultrey Krishnaswamy is an independent consultant from the UK who helps clients resolve challenging problems with their donor databases and processes. She’s been following evolving data privacy law in the US and in 2022 created a white paper and case study that grew out of discussions with colleagues. Having seen the impact of privacy law on charities in the UK Amy is on a mission to wave red flags and help US organizations get out in front of what’s in the pipeline. Amy has been in the charity sector for over two decades, first in alumni relations and fundraising before switching to database consultancy in California in 2008 where she spent a busy 5 years working with a huge range of clients. Today she works with organizations across the US and UK. She lives in the rolling hills of southern England with her well-travelled rescue cat from Oakland, CA.
Breakout 4C: Gift Fund Compliance - Tackling Underutilized Funds | Salon C-1, LL
The Office of Gift Compliance at the University of Colorado Foundation is focusing on tackling underutilized funds through a variety of approaches, encompassing an in-house developed gift compliance-focused data set and report (Fund Purpose Report). This work has greatly improved the Foundation's relationship with campus (controllers, fund managers, deans, etc.) and Advancement staff and has led to overall improvements in spending, transparency, and communication surrounding gift funds.
 Originally from Germany, Saskia Sawyer moved to San Francisco in 1998. She worked as a producer for a computer game company before moving to Washington D.C. in 2002. In 2007, she left her job as an Executive Assistant for the Boston Consulting Group and moved to Denver to welcome her first child. Saskia joined the University of Colorado Foundation in 2015 as the Director of Gift Administration & Compliance after working as the Director of Gifts & Records at the University of Denver for over six years. She was promoted to Assistant Vice President, Gift Services in 2017 to oversee the Foundation’s Gifts Services functions (gift management, gift & grant administration, gift compliance and gift services data management). In this role she serves as a liaison and partner between the Foundation and the University of Colorado System Advancement staff and represents the Foundation on various task forces and committees. Saskia has spoken about Gift Compliance at industry conferences and served as the co-chair of the Ethics Committee at the Association of Advancement Service Professionals (AASP). Her dedication to ethics led to her receiving the University of Colorado and University of Colorado Foundation McCord Leadership Award in 2016 for upholding the highest ethical standards and motivating those around her to achieve their best. Outside of her professional role, Saskia is involved in many groups and initiatives, with a primary focus on fundraising and community outreach as well as staff and program development.Saskia is a University of Denver (BA ’12) and University of Colorado Boulder (MS ’20) alum and lives with her husband Ben and daughter Lia in West Washington Park in Denver, Colorado.
 Shannon McBratney is the Director of Gift Compliance at the University of Colorado Foundation. Since 2016, Shannon has fulfilled this role by acting as a compliance liaison for all four of the University of Colorado’s campuses, advising on issues, leading discussions and providing in depth training. As a 2018 University of Colorado McCord Award in Excellence recipient, Shannon strives to advance the University of Colorado to the highest of ethical industry standards. Prior to the University of Colorado Foundation, Shannon was a Senior Records Specialist at the University of Denver and in Collections Management at the Denver Art Museum.
Breakout 5C: Failure to Plan is Planning to Fail: How to Create an Amazing Strategic Plan for Advancement Services | Salon C-6, LL
Are you jealous of fundraising colleagues who use quantifiable metrics to assess and demonstrate progress? If so, this session is for you! Using GW as a case study, we'll walk you through creation of a multi-year strategic plan for Advancement Services, including development of a scoring system to help prioritize initiatives, justify resources, and measure success. As we'll explain, this process begins by defining the scope of your operation, followed by a visioning exercise in which you outline a perfect "10" vision for each area of responsibility. We'll show you how to engage your team and stakeholders to assess where you are now and outline what steps need to be taken to move toward your ideal vision. Finally, we'll demonstrate how to morph the invaluable nuggets from these brainstorming sessions into a strategic plan for your department as well as performance expectations for individual team members. We will share sample plans, scoring sheets, and project management templates!
 Nadine Francis is the Founder and Principal of Betterverse Consulting, a firm dedicated to working with educational institutions, hospital foundations and other non-profits to develop Power BI, QlikView, Tableau and Cognos dashboards and reports; streamline business processes; improve data integrity; and select and implement technological tools designed to meet organizations’ growing needs. A graduate of Scripps College with a BA in Studio Art and the University of Redlands where she received an MBA with an emphasis on information systems, Nadine has worked in non-profits and education for nearly twenty years, including decades-long stints at Pomona College and Pitzer College in Claremont, California. She's been a jack of all trades: major gift fundraiser, associate vice president responsible for capital campaign fundraising, advancement services guru, leader of alumni and parent programming, programmer and report writer, and resident donor relations expert. Although Nadine’s true passion lies in all things tech, she always says, “There’s no better way to understand systems than to spend a day in a fundraiser’s shoes.” A Montana native, Nadine lived in Zimbabwe for four years in the early 90s and has been a Southern California transplant ever since. In her free time, you can find her with her nose in a book, heading out to the yoga studio, or preparing material for her weekly radio show at KSPC 88.7 FM or kspc.org.
 Sylvia Galen is the Assistant Vice President of Advancement Systems and Analytics at the George Washington University where she is responsible for reporting and analytics, project management, technical support, as well as system implementations and conversions for development and alumni relations. Sylvia came to GW from The Nature Conservancy where she served in a variety of positions from 1999 to 2012. She has advancement services experience in many areas, including prospect research and management, and training.
Breakout 6C: How the University of Washington Successfully Launched the Anthology Raise CRM | Salon C-2, LL
 There’s so much to consider once you’ve selected an advancement CRM. In this session, Michael Visaya, assistant vice president for information management at the University of Washington, will share how his team got from selection to launch with Anthology Raise, including key areas to keep in mind. He’ll also highlight some easy wins for any institution going through a similar process and how to show added value to leadership shortly after Go Live. He’ll be joined by Heather Andring, director of product management for advancement solutions as she shares both her experience going through a CRM transition at her prior institution and how that has impacted Anthology’s approach to implementation and client support.
Michael Visaya, Assistant Vice President for Information Management at the University of Washington
Heather Andring, Director of Product Management for Advancement Solutions at Anthology
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