Get ‘em and Keep ‘em: Recruiting and Retention Strategies for a New Era (2022)

The war for fundraising talent is real. The so-called “Great Resignation” presents both challenges and opportunities for philanthropic organizations across the country. Learn about best practices in recruiting, retention, intentional leadership, and team building from two experts who work in this space. You will leave this session with practical tips to help you get and keep your best people.

Presenters

Torrence Sparkman, Ph.D. started his career as an executive recruiter, and continued his education by pursuing a Master of Divinity and a Ph.D. in Human Resource Education. Having worked as a minister and educator for the last fifteen years, Torrence is currently utilizing all of his skills (speaking, leading, teaching, recruiting, and research) while leading Rochester Institute of Technology's Office of Faculty Diversity and Recruitment.

Craig Evans, Ed.D. is a professional violinist who owns five cats and volunteers at the local animal shelter--a dream job called "Cat Socializer". He travels near and far to attend world-class opera and other musical events. He's conducted an orchestra and has also sung Mozart in Carnegie Hall. He is a cancer survivor.

Craig is a retired executive in the nonprofit world and a former middle school principal and school district leader. His passion is growing leaders and helping teams become more productive, engaged, and grow the bottom line. He coaches to win!

Craig has led teams to success in increasing donor levels and attaining advancement initiatives, particularly within major gifts and planned giving programs. He has led middle school teams to increase student performance and staff engagement. He worked to grow the leadership skills of his team members to get them promoted and a higher salary!

Now, Craig is a team and individual leadership coach, working with teams and leaders to become high-functioning and results-driven through mutual trust, acceptance, and clear communication.

Donor Data Analytics on a Budget (2022)

For-profit companies rely on mining their databases to increase profits and boost ROI. Why should it be different for nonprofits? Sure, most organizations can’t afford to dedicate a large budget to trendy data analytics tools. But, there are simple and cheap ways to get high-level analytics from your database.

Presenter

Tricia Marsherall is a non-profit consultant who empowers organizations to grow their fundraising efforts through sustainable best practices. She specializes in identifying inefficiencies in operations and develops solutions to create efficient workflows.

She is passionate about streamlining her client’s operations and brings more than a decade of experience working with databases and nonprofit software including Raiser’s Edge, Donor Perfect, Greater Giving, and Altru, among others. Her experience in donor data analytics helps organizations make strategic decisions using a data-informed approach which results in improved ROI and directly impacts the bottom line.

Prior to starting her firm, she worked in various capacities in the nonprofit sector. Most recently, she served as Manager of Advancement Operations at Jewish Senior Life Foundation where she was responsible for the day-to-day operations of a $52M Foundation embarking on a $50M Capital Campaign in support of a $108M Campus Renovation project. While there, she led the Raiser’s Edge infrastructure improvement project, prospect management and data analysis in support of the $52M Capital Campaign, while building an operations team, converting the organization to Raiser’s Edge NXT and managing $13M in restricted funds for the organization.

Tricia was recently featured on Be Inspired, a televised broadcast featuring inspiring entrepreneurs. Learn about Tricia’s background, experience, drive and passion for her work through her interview here.

Tricia currently serves on the Association of Fundraising Professionals Genesee Valley Chapter Board of Directors and is Co-Chairing the 2021 National Philanthropy Day, serves as a mentor in the AFP Genesee Valley Chapter Mentorship program and is a board member for Christopher’s Challenge.

Are Campaign Feasibility Studies Still Relevant? (2022)

Feasibility studies executed by outside counsel are a standard practice used by nonprofits preparing for a campaign or major fundraising project. But is the information gained during the course of the study truly useful to the organization in its decision-making process? Are the time and expense of a feasibility study necessary to attain campaign success?

Karen Higman, senior advancement professional and recipient of the AFPGV Robert A. Clinger Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award, will provide insight into the latest trends in feasibility studies, and offer tips to colleagues as they look ahead to planning a campaign or project.

Presenter

Karen Higman has been a fundraiser since 1991 and is currently the Director of Advancement and Alumni Engagement at Allendale Columbia School where she is responsible for driving the school’s fundraising efforts for annual support as well as capital needs and special projects. She has extensive experience in the Rochester area, holding senior leadership roles at the University of Rochester Medical Center, St. John Fisher College, and the YMCA of Greater Rochester.

Karen also founded and ran her own fundraising consulting firm, SBS Fund Counsel, for six years prior to joining Allendale Columbia School. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History from Hartwick College and a Master of Science in Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.

The State of Giving in 2022: What the Economy, Investment Markets, and Legislative Environment Says About Donors Ability to Give (2022)

Donor motivations are complex. Although altruism and other philanthropic incentives are important, a donor’s personal financial situation also has a bearing on their ability and willingness to give. Join us as we share insight into donor’s finances, tactics to navigate a shifting giving landscape, and the impact that planned gift strategies can have at your organization.

Presenter

Nicholas A. Cintineo, CFA, CIPM, is a Senior Investment Consultant at Manning & Napier and has been with the firm since 2006. Nick's primary responsibilities include providing analytical support to institutional clients in the areas of objective setting, cash flow analysis, and asset allocation. He is a member of the firm's Endowment & Foundation Services Team and is a frequent contributor to the firm's communication and thought leadership in the non-profit space.

Nick earned his Bachelor of Science in Business from the State University of New York at Geneseo. He is a CFA® charterholder and holds a Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM).

Board Engagement: We’re In This Together (2022)

Fundraising is not just the Development Director’s responsibility. In this deep dive, Maggie and Carol invite you to share in exploring the board’s fundraising role with the following in mind:

• Reducing the stressful outlook around fundraising
• Getting the right people on board
• Giving them what they need to work with
• Making the donor connection
• Celebrating fundraising successes

Presenters

Carol Love is a veteran of 50 years in nonprofit management, 21 of them as a CEO. She has served diverse organizations including the YWCA, Planned Parenthood, the American Red Cross and Jewish Community Center. Thanks to involvement with numerous boards and serving as chair of three, she offers both professional and volunteer perspectives. Currently, she is a nonprofit leadership consultant specializing in board development and strategic planning. She is a community fellow at the Center for Community Engagement at St. John Fisher College.

Maggie Symington, Geva Theater Board Chair, moved to Rochester in 2011. During her career, she held various positions in investment management and consulting at MetLife and Price Waterhouse. She retired from corporate life in 1999 and became a community volunteer, first in London, and then in Morristown, NJ. She holds a BA in Economics and German from Middlebury College, and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University. She has served on several local non-profit boards in addition to Geva Theater: Allyn's Creek Garden Club, Concentus Women’s Chorus, Corn Hill Navigation, Garth Fagan Dance, and Rochester City Ballet. In 2014, she founded a women’s a cappella group, Rocappella, which performs at area nursing homes and non-profits.

The Changing Landscape of Charitable Giving: A View from Our Nation’s Capital (2021)

Join us for an hour-long webinar with Michael Cooney to explore how decisions made in D.C. are impacting and influencing philanthropy in our community.

Presenter

Michael Cooney is a partner at the international law firm Nixon Peabody LLP and the head of its higher education and exempt organizations groups. He has spent more than three decades at the firm representing a range of colleges and universities, healthcare providers, foundations, cultural and religious organizations.

Mr. Cooney provides the nonprofit corporate and tax-exempt context in which these organizations can drive mission and margin. Mike is proud to have served as the first non-business officer board member of the Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers. Mike serves as a senior fellow to the Association of Governing Board of Colleges and Universities, and was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in both 2017 and 2019 as Non­ Profit/Charities Law "Lawyer of the Year" in Washington, DC.

Mike is a member and past speaker of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. He is a volunteer board member of the George Eastman Museum, Charity Navigator, and Mother Cabrini Health.

The Perfect Match: Finding the Best Grants for your Nonprofit (2020)

Is obtaining grant funding part of your fundraising strategy? Are you overwhelmed thinking about how to find your best grant opportunities (without spending all your free time at the computer drowning in a database)? Or perhaps you just need some new funding sources for your programs?

This webinar will provide you with steps you can take to:

• Find the best foundation, corporate, federal and state grants;
• Approach funders once you find the right grant opportunities;
• Keep track of it all using grant calendars, tech tools, and software options; and,
• Integrate grant funding into your development strategy.

Presenter

Margit Brazda Poirier, GPC, M.S., Owner and Founder of Grants4Good LLC® (grants4good.com), created the company in 2009 to help nonprofit organizations and businesses find and get grant funding. She is one of only 350 nationally-certified Grant Professionals and 1 of only 20 Approved Trainers in the U.S.

Margit and her team have written and received millions in grants from government and foundations– and she has the unique perspective of understanding both grant seeking and grant making, given her experience leading a prominent New York foundation. Her passion is teaching others about the power of grants through her online presence at grants4good.com.

The Ask, Before and After (2020)

The date and location for a meeting with your prospective donor has been set. Are you ready? The meeting takes place and you asked for a contribution. What do you need to do to follow up to close the gift? Tracy Schleyer, CFRE will discuss how to prepare for the ask and what follow-up needs to take place. Learn how a little planning and pre-ask preparation, will make your ask go well.

Presenter

Tracy L. Schleyer, CFRE, is Vice President of Community Engagement at Goodwill of the Finger Lakes. With a 35 year career in fundraising, Tracy’s prior fundraising was as Development Director for the Seneca Park Zoo Society, Director of Annual Giving for Boston University, and an Account Executive at Epsilon, Inc. where she raised funds for national non-profit clients: National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Catholic Relief Services and Tau Beta Pi Association. Her first entrance into fundraising was overseeing the telemarketing operation at Alfred University. 

For 19 years, she has been raising funds for the two mission programs of Goodwill: The Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI) and 2-1-1/LIFE LINE. For both ABVI and the Seneca Park Zoo, Tracy led the fundraising for capital campaigns that positioned these organizations for the future of service to the community.

Tracy has held many volunteer roles throughout her adult life. Since 1998 she has volunteered for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Genesee Valley Chapter, including the position of Board President. Current volunteer work includes Board Member of ColorBrightonGreen and National Philanthropy Day Awards Chair for AFPGV.

Tracy holds an MBA from Boston University and a BS degree in Marketing from Alfred University. She is also a Certified Fundraising Executive and in 2011 received the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Genesee Valley Chapter, Outstanding Fundraising Professional Award.

Financial Literacy: What Every Fundraising Professional Needs to Know (2019)

For Executive Directors and Directors of Development to be effective in their diverse roles, it is essential that they have a strong understanding of non-profit finance. It is critical to building a robust and thorough development plan that meets the overarching needs of the organization, but also important in understanding the total health and viability of the business. In this session, we will review the cornerstone components of non-profit financial literacy to provide you an introduction to these key topics.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to understand:

• Financial Planning and Cash Management
• Financial Statements and Reporting
• Requirements of local, state and federal governments
• Role of the Board of Directors and Staff 

Presenter

Amy Wolfe, CFRE, is the President and CEO of AgSafe, whose mission is to be the education leader for the food and farming industries in supporting their commitment to a healthy, safe and wholesome food supply. Her career has included tenure as a professional staff member in the California State Assembly, serving as an account executive for E&J Gallo Winery and as Vice President of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation. 

Ms. Wolfe is also dedicated to her community and profession, serving on the Boards of Directors for the Association of Fundraising Professionals and the Agricultural Awareness and Literacy Foundation, as well as being involved in the Girl Scouts Heart of Central California. Ms. Wolfe received her Master of Public Policy and Administration from California State University, Sacramento, her Bachelor of Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and is accredited as a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE).