Keynote Speaker: Sharise Harrison
Unveiling Leadership: A Journey of Self and Influence
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 2 pm ET
Sharise, the the Assistant Vice President of Advancement Services and Prospect Management at Sacramento State University, will reflect on her leadership journey from a prospect development and data perspective.
Conference Sessions, Speakers, and Schedule
Day 1 - Wednesday, October 23: 11 am - 4:30pm ET
11 am ET – How AI Actually Works: Behavioral Psychology and What It Means for Fundraising
Griff Bohm, Co-Founder and CRO, Momentum
In this session, experts from the team at Momentum, formerly behavioral psychologists from Duke University and the University of Colorado, will take you on a deep dive into how artificial intelligence works, how human psychology plays a part, and how AI can (and already does) scale your productivity in a responsible way.
Griff Bohm is a behavioral psychologist by training where he studied
the psychology of giving and philanthropy at CU-Boulder. Since founding Momentum, he has worked with hundreds of nonprofits and raised many millions. In the 2020 election cycle, his work raised $15M. He has led successful capital campaigns for two international nonprofits and founded a microbrewery in Chilean Patagonia. He was Executive Editor of the BikeLife magazine, the nation's 3rd largest cycling related print publication by circulation. When he has free time, he's on his bike.
12 pm ET – Operational Training and Development in Higher Ed Fundraising: Program Development in a Changing Technological Landscape
Amber Lighston, Director of Information Services, University of Maryland, College Park
An operational approach to training program development in the face of a changing technological landscape.
Amber Lighston is the Director of Information Services at the University of Maryland, College Park, within the Division of University Relations' Advancement Services unit. She oversees User & Information Services as part of the Business Intelligence team, with a focus on user enablement, records management, and data integrity. Prior to her current role, Amber worked at the University System of Maryland as the Advance consortium trainer for over 6 years, where she was responsible for training Advance users across 9 of the consortium institutions and one of the regional centers. A proud University of Maryland alumna and Baltimore native, Amber enjoys reading psychological thrillers, tackling DIY projects, and sipping iced coffee.
1 pm ET – Evidence-Driven Excellence: Smart Strategies for Institutional Advancement
Dr. Chase McNamee, Director of Campaign Operations, Advancement, University of Denver
Explore practical strategies for institutional advancement that blend research with real-world experience. Discover how leveraging diverse knowledge types can improve donor engagement and navigate the challenges of today’s educational landscape, fostering sustainable success in your fundraising and engagement efforts.
Dr. Chase McNamee is a scholar-practitioner in institutional advancement and higher education. He has served in a variety of roles across advancement, including in campaign operations, alumni relations, donor relations and stewardship, development strategy, and advancement services. Dr. McNamee is currently the Director of Campaign Operations for Advancement at the University of Denver. He also currently serves as a research fellow for The Tzedakah Lab at Teachers College, Columbia University and as the Associate Editor of Philanthropy & Education. He is a co-founder of Alumni Belonging Consultants. His research, consulting, and practice focuses on evidence-informed practice and policy and identity-based philanthropy in institutional advancement and higher education.
2 pm ET – Keynote: Unveiling Leadership: A Journey of Self and Influence
Sharise Harrison, Assistant Vice President of Advancement Services and Prospect Management, Sacramento State University
Learn about leading from a prospect development and data perspective from Sharise Harrison, the President-Elect of Apra International.
Sharise Harrison is the Assistant Vice President of Advancement Services and Prospect Management at Sacramento State University. Prior to this, Sharise spent nearly four years as Senior Director of Prospect Management & Analytics at Santa Clara University. At Santa Clara University, she served as the inaugural chair of the University Relations Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce, creating DEI recommendations for the university's philanthropic arm. She instituted data-centered DEI prospect development programming, as seen in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. She is also an APRA board member, an international professional association that serves, represents, and advances members who work at the intersection of fundraising and data. This includes professionals working in prospect intelligence and identification, data science, relationship management, and campaign planning and feasibility. She has served on the APRA board since 2022 and held leadership roles in governance, data science, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. In her writing and speaking on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in non-profit organizations, Sharise promotes the use of data to aid in creating more inclusive, equitable systems for constituents and staff. Sharise holds an MA from Georgetown University, BA from LaSalle University, and Fundraising Operations Certificate from Rice University.
3 pm ET - From Source to Success: Fostering a Healthy Pipeline
Catherine Flaatten, MPH, CFRE, Associate Vice President of Prospect Development, BWF
Get ready to channel fundraising success with pipeline development! In this session, we’ll tap into the wellspring of essential activities for internal and external prospecting. From identification and verification to assignment and qualification, you’ll sail away with practical insights to keep your organization’s prospect pipeline flowing.
Catherine Flaatten, MPH, CFRE, is the associate vice president of prospect development at BWF where she partners with clients to develop creative solutions to their prospect development challenges. Previously, she served in various roles at The George Washington University, most recently as the managing director of research and relationship management. Catherine has also worked in prospect development at Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry, the National Psoriasis Foundation, and the BrightFocus Foundation. A regular speaker and author, Catherine currently serves on Apra’s Board of Directors, Fundamentals Committee, and Foundation Board of Trustees. Former volunteer roles include serving as president and programming chair of Apra Metro DC, chairing the aasp Best Practices in Prospect Development and Apra Membership Committees, and serving on Apra’s Body of Knowledge and PD Curriculum Planning Committees. Catherine holds a BA in International Affairs and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health, both from The George Washington University.
Day 2 - Thursday, October 24: 8:30 am - 1pm ET
8:30 am ET Apra Maryland Chapter Update
Apra Maryland Board Members
The Apra Maryland Board will share results from the spring membership survey and what it revealed about our members’ and programming attendees’ skills and learning interests. Additionally, the board will share other highlights from the past year.
9 am ET Portfolios from the Perspective of Donor Maturity
Joan Steiner, Temple University
The Prospect Development team at Temple decided to revisit the model of categorizing prospects by cultivation stage and instead developed a model reflecting maturity. Three simple measures uncovered new insights about prospects, portfolios, and Temple's fundraising potential.
Joan Steiner is the Director of Prospect Development at Temple University. She has been a prospect research and development professional since 1980, with detours into front line fundraising, management consulting, and business analysis.
10 am ET How You Can Contribute to DEI Efforts in Your Organization as A Prospect Researcher and Beyond
Priya Balachandran, Prospect Research and Management Specialist, Northern Illinois Food Bank
As organizations strive to enhance their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, the role of prospect researchers has become increasingly pivotal. This session will explore how prospect researchers can actively contribute to DEI initiatives, both within their teams and organization. Drawing from my experience, I will share insights on integrating DEI principles into prospect research and beyond. Key Learning Objectives will include understanding the intersection of DEI and Prospect Research; recognizing why integrating these values is crucial for fundraising and organizational success; the ethical aspects and challenges of managing DEI donor data; expanding your DEI impact beyond your team; advocating for ethical and inclusive policies and practices; real-world examples; and plans to enhance DEI efforts.
Priya Balachandran is a Prospect Research & Management Specialist at Northern Illinois Food Bank, managing and overseeing all aspects of Prospect Development for the organization. She is a lifelong learner and volunteer who serves on the APRA Illinois board, the APRA International Fundamentals Committee, the Program Committee of the International Thiru Kural Conference, Northern Illinois Food Bank’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, and the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Continuous Learning Council.
11 am ET - Exit the Slow Lane of SEC Filings Research
Elise Lynch, EVP of Kaleidoscope, Gold Conference Sponsor
SEC filings have always been seen as a big brick wall where only the “brave” would dare to tread. Elise Lynch, EVP of Kaleidoscope, will demonstrate how Kaleidoscope’s Insider Focus breaks down the barriers and unveils the wealth buried in SEC filings by delivering an innovative user interface designed specifically for Prospect Researchers. In seconds, it automatically identifies prospects, generates lists and surfaces all the vital facts about wealth, calculates current holdings value, net sales, current stock appreciation, history of gifting stock, education, career, and board relationships in a single profile. Jen Filla, Prospect Research Institute says, “I can’t believe it’s so easy!”
Elise Lynch serves as the Executive Vice President for Kaleidoscope, which is a euphemism for “chief cook and bottle washer”. Over the past 20 years, she’s honed her research and knowledge of securities research in support of a wide variety of industries, including leading law firms, accounting consultancies, investment companies and non-profit fundraising teams. Dedicated to simplifying SEC research, her commitment to client success drives the company’s development of solutions that meet client expectations. Elise is “Mom” to 3 grown children, “Nana” to 10 grandchildren ages 26 -10, and a great-grandmother of 1.5 kiddos.
12 pm ET – How DonorSearch Ai has changed the prospect identification process for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
C.J. Drymon, Manager of Prospect Research and Management, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
In January 2024, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta went live with DonorSearch Ai. C.J. Drymon, Manager of Prospect Research, will share how Children’s made significant changes, as a result, to its prospect identification work. To date, gift officers are spending 71% less time doing outreach and yet there have been significant increases in the conversion rate of prospects in qualification to primary portfolios, the average dollar per donor, and the average number of gifts per donor among other wins!
C.J. Drymon is the Manager of Prospect Research and Management at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Children’s is in the final months of Never Settle: A Campaign for Kids, the largest fundraising campaign in its history, which will transform pediatric healthcare for the next 100 years. Drymon has more than 35 years of experience in advancement services, fundraising, prospect research and management, annual giving, and donor relations. She also has experience in providing strategic leadership and long-range and short-term planning in the areas of gift processing, database integrity, reporting, data analysis, system enhancements and budgeting for organizations in healthcare, education, and the arts.
Thank you to our Conference Sponsors!
Gold
Questions? Interested in joining as a sponsor? Please email Frank and Sara, Apra Maryland Co-Presidents, at [email protected].
.png)