Transforming Members into Major Donors
*UPDATE*
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous sponsor, Billings Consulting Group is now able to offer this workshop at the reduced rate of $265 per person! Although the donor wishes to remain anonymous, they share BCG's goal of strengthening non-profits by providing enhanced training opportunities for current and future development professionals. This need was recently emphasized in the report entitled "Underdeveloped: A National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising" that was a joint project of CompassPoint and the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. The entire report is available on ComPassPoint's website - http://www.compasspoint.org/.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
As a result of the economic downturn and the decrease in support from government agencies, foundations and corporations, individual donors are more important than ever. However, many non-profits with established membership bases struggle with transforming their members into major donors. During this interactive and informative workshop, Mecca Billings Nelson, Founder and Principal of Billings Consulting Group, will offer a nuts and bolts approach to both the back-end and front-end steps necessary to grow support from individual donors to your organization. Her goal with this workshop is to give new and experienced fundraisers a hands-on road map to major donor fundraising that they may begin using immediately.
WORKSHOP PRESENTER
Mecca Billings Nelson has been a professional fundraiser for 18 years, and she has been successful in growing both individual and institutional giving throughout her career, which has included positions at Harvard University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, the Bar Association of San Francisco Foundation and The Marine Mammal Center. In 2011 she created Billings Consulting Group in order to help more non-profits achieve their fundraising goals. To see her full bio, please visit www.bcgfundraising.com.
Mecca most recently delivered fundraising workshops to a group of international conservationists during the October 2012 annual meeting of the Wildlife Conservation Network in San Francisco.
SPECIAL GUEST
Dana Pace will be our special guest presenter during the workshop.
With over 20 years of development experience, Dana is well-regarded as a major and principal gifts fundraiser in individual giving. His tenures have included Duke University where he staffed the Northeast region’s major gifts program during the Campaign for Duke, which raised over $2 billion. Dana has also worked in major gifts at Stanford University and Brown University. At Stanford, he helped to launch The Stanford Fund, the university’s annual fund for undergraduate education. He went on to join the major gifts team for the central university development office. At Brown, Dana spearheaded reunion giving and implemented the university’s comprehensive reunion program, joining annual and major gifts asks in reunion solicitations. A lover of the arts, Dana pursued graduate studies in Arts Management at The American University. His devotion to the arts led him to the San Francisco Symphony, where he was Director of Leadership Gifts during the Second Century Campaign. Dana is currently Director of Leadership Gifts with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Dana firmly believes that relationship building, with an emphasis on good listening skills, is the key to highly effective development work. He prides himself on providing excellent staffing to fully match a donor’s interest with institutional priorities. This belief is the foundation for many successful gift conversations, resulting in satisfied donors and transformational gifts to deserving institutions.
Dana will join us for the final session of the workshop and will offer perspectives from the field.
WORKSHOP DETAILS
The workshop size is limited to 35 guests (including the presenters). A luncheon will take place in the private dining room of Il Davide restaurant in San Rafael (one block from the workshop location) and we will end the workshop with a wine and cheese reception with Giving Vines - www.givingvines.com.
The registration fee includes the private luncheon and the wine and cheese reception, as well as a take-away manual that will be available on a flash drive for all participants.
WORKSHOP AGENDA
9:30 AM-10:00 AM Registration/Coffee Reception
10:00 AM - 11:15 AM "Back-End Preparation: Using Data to Identify Major Donors"
11:15 AM - 12:15 PM "Front-End Part I: Segmenting Messages to Major Donors and Prospects"
12:30 PM - 1:45 PM Private Luncheon at Il Davide
2:00 PM -3:15 PM "Front-End Part II: Specific Engagement and Recognition Tools for Major Donors"
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM "Tales from the Field: A Conversation with Dana Pace"
5:00 PM -6:00 PM Wine and Cheese Reception
PARKING
Parking is available in the San Rafael City Garage located on A Street between Third and Fourth Streets (one block from the workshop location). Workshop participants are responsible for parking fees.