CharityChannel's Masters of Fundraising Summit™
30 Master Classes | Stream from Your Office, Home, or on the Go!
30 Recorded Master Classes on Fundraising.
Instant Access to All Master Classes for a Full Year.
Fast-paced discussions with America's master fundraisers on topics for experienced fundraisers. Yes, you read that right.
Announcing CharityChannel's Masters of Fundraising Summit
Who: Sessions are for experienced fundraising professionals
What: 30 fast-paced discussions ranging from 45 minutes to one hour with master fundraisers
When: As often as you want for a full year!
Where: Online, from your office or home or download the MP3 for listening while on the go!
Why: CharityChannel is celebrating its Silver Anniversary!
How: Stream the videos or download the audio MP3s.
You'll have a ring-side seat from your home, office, car, or train.
We host the masters.
Get a ring-side seat from your home, office, car, or train as CharityChannel's Stephen Nill engages in a fast-paced interactive dialog with the masters of fundraising on topics that are directly relevant to your professional development and the success of the organizations you serve.
NOT the same old thing.
Our sessions aren't the usual narrated Powerpoint blah blah blah! They are dynamic, fast-paced discussions on the chosen topic. You won't want to miss a drop!
Not for beginners.
Unlike most of what's available these days, sessions are designed for experienced fund development professionals.
Just $297.
You'll receive instant access to all sessions for a full year.
What you'll learn.
Each fundraising expert is interviewed on the topic indicated below. Yes, it really is that amazing of a lineup.
Stephen Nill, JD
CharityChannel's Stephen Nill guides the discussions throughout the fast-paced event. Stephen is a veteran fundraiser with four decades of experience. He is the publisher of more than 30 leading books and over 2,000 articles on fundraising.
What's Included?
30 Masters of Fundraising
Hand-picked masters in the fundraising profession impart their wisdom and expertise in fast-paced interviews by Stephen Nill.
A Full Year
to watch or listen to the sessions on your own schedule. You can do other work at your desk between sessions. You can download the separate MP3 audio version of the session and listen to it on the go. You're welcome!
Recordings
and materials of all sessions are available immediately on purchase. You can watch the videos from any Internet device, such as PC, tablet, or smartphone. Or, you can download the MP3 audio file and listen while commuting.
28 CFRE Points
Full participation in CharityChannel's Masters of Fundraising Summit™ is applicable for 28 points in Category 1.B – Education of the CFRE International application for initial certification and/or recertification.
Our Scholarship Fund
receives a portion of the proceeds from the sales of all-access passes, enabling us to assist deserving colleagues to access our online courses and trainings. Thank you for joining with us to give back to the nonprofit professional community.
Handouts and Book Excerpts
You'll be able to download free materials and excerpts from books discussed in the session.
30 Online Sessions
where you'll learn powerful fundraising methodologies and approaches that will make you even more effective as a fundraiser. You can watch or listen to all of the sessions or just the ones that you want. See below for session details.
What You'll Learn
Scroll down to see the topics, which cover best practices, evolving practices, and even revolutionary practices in fundraising.
Private Facebook Group
for interacting with Stephen Nill and many of the other masters from the Summit. Only registrants may join.
Kent Stroman
Best Practices Track
The 10-Step Staircase
Kent will take us on the journey from discovering a donor's charitable interests to making the ask for a major gift. Utilizing his signature 10-Step Staircase metaphor, he will guide us through each of the steps leading to the ask. He will take a deep dive into the very nature of what it means to represent a nonprofit organization in discussions with a prospective donor about a major gift, discussing the very real-world challenge of how to deal with a donor who has the capacity to make a significant gift but has another charitable cause in mind besides the one you are advocating.
Revolutionary Track
Crash the Fundraising Matrix
In the Author's Acknowledgements to his book, Personalized Philanthropy: Crash the Fundraising Matrix, published by CharityChannel Press, Steven L. Meyers wrote perhaps the best and most succinct description of his work:
When I crashed my own Matrix and the silos and blinders came down, I suddenly realized that philanthropy was a much larger field of interest than I had ever imagined and that there was so much more to explore, discover, and create. Personalized philanthropy became a quest to restore creativity and balance to this important work.
Steven L. Meyers
Deborah Kaplan Polivy
Revolutionary Track
The Donor Lifecycle Map
Until now, the accepted wisdom in the nonprofit fundraising world was that everything you need to know about fundraising strategy is embodied in the venerable Donor Pyramid. In this session, Deborah Kaplan Polivy shows you how to retool your fundraising program by employing a much more powerful model—the Donor Lifecycle Map—in conjunction with the Donor Pyramid. You’ll learn how your organization will raise more funds and in a less painstaking way, where donors will contribute again and again, and where the relationships to the organization are so deepened in the process that an "ultimate" or endowment gift becomes increasingly likely.
Evolutionary Track
Cross Border Giving: Risk Mitigation, Regulatory Compliance, and Reputation Protection
Effective and informed cross-border philanthropy is increasingly important in a world in which access to international funding is becoming more and more restrictive. This session will explore questions focused on the inherent risks of granting to foreign countries, the challenges of navigating tough regulatory environments, and the reputational risks donors face if proper due diligence does not precede giving around the world. You will learn about international philanthropy in the context of risk mitigation, regulation compliance, and reputation protection, as well as to get an exciting inside look at the forthcoming book edited by CAF America: Cross-Border Philanthropy: a Legal and Practical Guide, to be published by CharityChannel Press.
Ted Hart serves as President and CEO of CAF America Donor Advised Funds. CAF America is a US 501(c)(3) and the leader in donor advised international grantmaking.
Ted Hart
Julia Campbell
Revolutionary Track
60-Day Digital Storytelling Campaign Blueprint
Nonprofit storytelling is a hot topic, no doubt about it. And no wonder. Storytelling is incredibly important in many phases of fundraising. But nowhere does it shine like in the online storytelling campaign. Whether the campaign is designed to stand on its own or to provide a boost to existing fundraising activities, if the organization you work for or advise is not rolling out a storytelling campaign, it is missing a huge opportunity. We're going to take a look at creating a digital storytelling campaign in just 60 days. Better buckle up!
Best Practices Track
Creating a Culture of Fundraising on Your Organization's Board
Few things are as critical to the success of a nonprofit organization as creating a culture of fundraising on the board. The thing is, you really can't address the board culture of giving without taking a step back and considering board culture from several perspectives. And that's just what we'll do in this session. Be prepared to discover powerful new perspectives on ensuring that a board has a culture of giving, among other important attributes.
Susan Schaefer
Pamela H. Witter
Best Practices Track
Five Powerful Strategies to Increase Annual Fund Revenue
If there is an unsung hero of fundraising methods, it has to be the ubiquitous annual fund. Perhaps because it is such a common program for all sizes of nonprofits, it's easy to overlook it in favor of other, "sexier" fundraising approaches. Yet, when executed right, it forms the bedrock of consistent, dependable support and so much more. In this session, we'll look at how to grow the donor base, increase revenue, retain donors, reach project milestones, and more. We'll ask our expert, Pamela H. Witter, to give us the secrets to how, in one instructive example, she and her team increased renewable revenue by more than 40 percent by employing five powerful annual fund strategies.
Pam is Vice President for Development & Community Engagement for Trocaire College in Buffalo, New York. She is a veteran fundraiser, accomplished speaker, and coaches front-line fundraisers and stakeholders to raise more money for their mission. She is the author of three books, including Five Strategies to Increase Annual Fund Revenue: Groundbreaking Fundraising Solutions for Nonprofits, published by CharityChannel Press.
Revolutionary Track
Getting Ready for Value-Based Healthcare Philanthropy
At the core of efforts to improve the quality of healthcare in the United States is a shift to value-based care, a drastic transition from the long-standing focus on volume-based healthcare. The now outdated fee-for-service model had incentives to "do" more. Order more tests. See more patients. Do more procedures. Make more money. Healthcare philanthropy is also in a state of transition. Like healthcare professionals, hospital fundraisers are also being asked to challenge assumptions and look for ways to do better instead of just doing more. We'll explore the revolutionary concept of value-based healthcare philanthropy, which puts its focus on people, not money.
William J. Mountcastle
Linda Wise McNay
Best Practices Track
Fundraising for Schools
Being a head of school is both challenging and rewarding work. Heads of school and those who aspire to the role are expected to engage alumni and parents and raise money effectively; yet most have received little or no training or support in advancement. Linda Wise McNay will discuss best practices that school leaders should employ to raise maximum support year after year. She'll discuss how heads of school should manage their time in every stage of their fundraising and stewardship efforts, the importance of board leadership, the critical relationship between the head of school and, if there is one, the chief development officer, and more.
Revolutionary Track
Zen and the Art of Fundraising
After spending a few years in the trenches, you may ask yourself, “what more is there?” or “am I doing all I can do?” When you reach this crossroads, it is a great time to pause, embrace how far you have come, and reflect on what brings you success. As a busy, stressed fundraising professional, you could use a bit more Zen. We who choose careers that require asking others for money must discover how to recharge. How to discover our Zen. Only then can we be most effective in our roles.We'll discuss the eight principles that will help you find yourself on the path to being an even more successful fundraiser, not to mention a great person!
Alexandra Brovey
Helen Arnold
Career Track
Crush the CFRE Exam the First Time
Best Practices Track
3 Secrets to Raising Major Gifts Right Now
There is so much written (and taught) about how to attract major gifts that it's far too easy to miss the three essential pillars of attracting big gifts. In this session, Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE will remind us that, as deep and complex as it can be to attract major gifts, when it comes right down to it, there are really just three secrets to success.
Amy is an author, speaker, trainer, and consultant. Before creating her consulting firm in 2008, she served for more than 10 years in the nonprofit sector as director of development in large and small nonprofit organizations, raising millions of dollars through capital and annual campaigns, direct mail, major and planned gift solicitations, fundraising events, and writing grants. She is the author of 50 Asks in 50 Weeks: A Guide to Better Fundraising for Your Small Development Shop, 2nd Edition and Major Gift Fundraising for Small Shops: How to Leverage Your Annual Fund in Only Five Hours per Week, published by CharityChannel Press.
Amy Eisenstein
Goodwin Deacon
Ken Ristine
Best Practices Track
What Do Funders Really Want to Know?
We've paired up a master grant writer, Goodwin Deacon, with a veteran funder, Ken Ristine, to ask them to help us get into the minds of funders and how to carefully craft grant applications that get funded. This is a rare opportunity to learn the inside scoop of what funders really think and what it takes to get them to "yes."
Best Practices Track
Leverage Your Existing Grantwriting Skills to Move into Federal Grantseeking
Even experienced, savvy grant writers can feel that federal grants are such a different world that they don't pursue them on behalf of their organizations or clients. But the good news is that your existing skills as a grant writer go a long way toward tackling the federal grant application process. In this session we will explore how your current skills translate into the federal grant arena and look at what additional knowledge and skills you'll need to succeed.
Cheryl Kester
Danny Blitch
Career Track
Crush the GPC Exam the First Time
Revolutionary Track
Measuring Fundraising Performance
Even some of the finest fund development programs have leaks—pockets of inefficiency that, left unaddressed, will continue to reduce the support the nonprofit organization receives from its fundraising program. This topic is inspired by Ellen Bristol's online assessment, the Leaky Bucket Assessment for Effective Fundraising. We'll cover ways to plan, manage, and improve fundraising performance based on the continuous improvement method. Ellen will show us how to find the leaks and plug them quickly and effectively!
Ellen Bristol
Marilyn Donnellan
Best Practices Track
Rocket Fuel for Your Fundraising Program: Pristine Case Statements and Passionate Brand Identity
Forget about the latest resource development or fundraising fad. Ignore everything you know about brand identity. Every single one of those issues comes down to your understanding of case statements: how to write and implement them. At the heart of every fundraising appeal and brand identity strategy, at the very core of your nonprofit is the passion driving your existence. If you can’t articulate that passion into a concise, powerful written case statement you won’t be able to identify your brand, market your program outcomes, or effectively raise resources. Even your resource development assessment tools will be meaningless without a passionate vision and mission-driven case statement.
Evolutionary Track
Gift Planning in the Twenty-First Century
Brian Sagrestano
Sarah Matthews
Revolutionary Track
Fundraising for Churches
Best Practices Track
Mastering the Major Gift Discovery Call
John Greenhoe
Margaret Guellich
Evolutionary Track
The New 21st Century Donor: How to Secure the Major Gift
The philanthropic landscape is dramatically changing, aided by the ever-fast-growing world of social media. New development officers will have a good grasp of the technology but may lack the techniques and the experience. Seasoned development officers may need to change their way of thinking and the tools used to cope better with the technological advances and the changing demographic profile of today's donor. We'll dive in to examine how donors have changed and how, as experienced development professionals, to continue to adapt to these changes.
Best Practices Track
Return on Investment: Getting the Most from Your Fundraising Efforts
Norman Olshansky
Kent Stroman
A.J. Steinberg
Revolutionary Track
Alchemy: Turning Fundraising Events into Major Gifts Gold
Major gifts are major gifts and fundraising events are fundraising events, and never the twain shall meet. Right? But what if we were to look at fundraising events through the lens of major gifts? And that's just what we're doing by teaming up a major gifts expert with a fundraising events expert. We'll explore how to multiply the effectiveness of a fundraising event and supercharge a major gifts program by viewing them as a single, integrated process.
Kent Stroman, CFRE is a graduate of AFP's Faculty Training Academy and has earned its Master Trainer designation. In his long career as one of the top fundraising professionals in our sector, he has honed his skills while developing a successful relationship-based model for engaging donors, which he writes about in his book, Asking about Asking: Mastering the Art of Conversational Fundraising, now in its second edition, published by CharityChannel Press.
A.J. Steinberg has been creating outstanding special events since 1999 with her Los Angeles-based event planning company, Masquerade Events. In 2015, A.J. created Queen Bee Fundraising, a company that teaches the art of nonprofit event planning to thousands of nonprofit professionals through online training, workshops, and speaking engagements. In collaboration with CharityChannel Courses, she has developed online training teaching the art and science of creating successful fundraising events.
Best Practices Track
Mastering Fundraising Events
A.J. Steinberg
Anne Freedman
Best Practices Track
Preparing to Give the Speech of Your Life to Raise Awareness of Your Organization's Vital Mission
As an experienced practitioner, you are frequently called upon to speak in front of groups about your organization's vital work. A recent survey by CharityChannel shows a high degree of self confidence among CharityChannel practitioners, and yet, as shown by the survey, there is a willingness by members of our professional community to become even more effective in public speaking. We're going to take a look at how you can step up your game as a public speaker. Doing so will not only enable you to better serve your organization but boost your career in amazing ways.
Revolutionary Track
The Shift from Fundraising to Social Enterprise
Jean Block
Linda Lysakowski
Evolutionary Track
Rich Nonprofit, Poor Nonprofit: Harnessing the New Trends in Corporate Philanthropy
Only 5 percent of philanthropy comes from the business sector, but statistics can be deceiving. First, there is no reason why your organization can't wage a successful campaign in the business community and garner a much larger share of business philanthropy than the organization down the street or across the country. It's there right before you, if only you'll learn how to go about it. Second, reaching business donors can help you raise money from individuals, gain corporate volunteers, and raise awareness of your organization. What's not to like? The key is to do it right. And that's what will be talking about in the session.
Best Practices Track
Friend or Foe: The Development Director/ Executive Director Relationship
There are few relationships more critical to the success of a nonprofit organization than that of the than that of the CEO/executive director and the development director. Unfortunately, busy CEOs can and often do unintentionally sabotage the effectiveness of the development director. On the other hand, development directors can and often do either underutilize the CEO in the development process or waste the CEO's time. Finding the right balance is critical to the effective running of the fund development program. We'll dive right in and look at the issues and how to handle tough challenges.
Joanne Oppelt
Robert Wahlers
Best Practices Track
Engaging Professional Advisors to Boost Your Fundraising Success
Professional advisors such as attorneys, accountants, financial planners, insurance agents, real estate professionals, and bankers have substantial clientele of their own. Moreover, they are often quite familiar with those in their client base who are capable and even predisposed toward making substantial charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations. The secret to opening up the potential of receiving significant gifts is to know how to identify and engage these professional advisors. We'll explore how.
Robert Wahlers is the Vice President of Development for Meridian Health Affiliated Foundations, where he oversees the gift planning, annual giving and grants development program for the eight hospitals in the Meridian Health System. Over his more than twenty-five-year-plus career, Robert has worked in the financial and estate planning field and in the nonprofit sector with the Boy Scouts of America, the American Cancer Society, Virtua Foundation, and now Meridian Health. Robert learned early on the value of developing relationships with professional advisors and honed those skills while with the American Cancer Society, where he saw how philanthropic planning can be an asset for the donor and the charity. He is the coauthor of Getting Started in Charitable Gift Planning: Your Guide to Planned Giving and Getting Started in Charitable Gift Planning: The Resource Book, published by CharityChannel Press.
Revolutionary Track
When All is Said and Done: How Will You Create Sustainability?
In our last session of the Summit, we'll be address an important question: When all is said and done, how will you create sustainability for your organization? We'll also ask: Why are some nonprofits well-funded and others not? Why do certain organizations grow income year-after-year and others commence frantic begging 30 days before the end of their fiscal year? Why do some nonprofits obtain a steady flow of donated and earned money, while others chase after every dollar—even those that cost them money? We'll look at the answer: Sustainable organizations develop and use consistent income strategies. These lead to more income and long-term sustainability. We'll roll up our sleeves and see how they do it and how your organization can, too.
Karen Eber Davis
