Education

Under the guidance of the Education Committee we continue our commitment to an annual roster of educational seminars and workshops.

Members may visit scholarship guidelines to explore education scholarship opportunities offered by our chapter.

2010 Schedule

• March 26: Messaging in 2010: New Ways to Talk with Donors About Your Good Cause
  Grand Rapids & Traverse City - Calvin College & Northwestern Michigan College
  In this interactive workshop, you will learn practical communication strategies to better engage your donors and prospective donors in a meaningful relationship with your organization. Via live webinar, Kivi Leroux-Miller will share her expertise by addressing: *what donors want to hear from nonprofits these days; *creative ways to freshen up your old messages; *tips for using email and social media most effectively, including stats on who is using social media; *and ways to empower donors to do more by making them feel like part of your team. Following the webinar, marketing and public relations professionals will be on hand to lead small group roundtable discussions taking the information presented by Kivi and provide strategies to put it to practical use in our organizations.
  registration flyer

• April 16: Motivations for Giving: A Multi-Generational Approach
  Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids Community Foundation
  Approved for CFRE credit: 2.5 points - Join us for a two part session discussing the impact of generational differences in West Michigan and what, specifically, appeals to donors at different generational levels. The first part of our morning will be spent discussing generational differences and how these distinctions are created. Roberta King will present her research and observations with donors that will help you understand how best to communicate across different generations and through different mediums. Following Roberta’s presentation, meet local philanthropists that will share their personal motivations for giving, responding to Roberta’s work. There will be time for questions and discussion and hand-outs will be provided.
  registration flyer

2010 Audio Conferences

The following AFP audio conferences will be held in Traverse City in room 216 of Northwestern Michigan College's University Center.

• January 26 - Evaluation Tools That Can Strengthen Your Development Program
  Target audiences: Entry to advanced-level practitioner. This session will teach participants how to perform an internal assessment of your development programs strengths and weaknesses, and learn how to analyze your infrastructure and human resource needs.

• February 4 - Warming the 'Cold' Call: Strategies for Major Gift Prospect Identification and Qualification
  Target audiences: Entry to advanced-level practitioner. Many charities are, for the first time, making the transition to major gift fundraising. While they are to be applauded in their pursuit of long-term sustainability and strategic growth, the reality is that many organizations have far more “suspects” than truly qualified prospects. Identification calls are needed. This session examines the process of opening the door for the first time. Using proven methods, participants will learn basic but effective methods for qualifying prospects for the purpose of major gift cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.

• March 24 - The Innovation Impulse
  Target audiences: Entry to advanced-level practitioner. “Innovation is the only sustainable competitive advantage” says Philip Kotler, marketing guru. This challenging webinar will demonstrate how organizations, both commercial and not-for-profit, are ensuring they gain and sustain that competitive fundraising advantage.

• May 6 - A Comprehensive Review of Capital Campaigns
  Target audiences: Entry to advanced-level practitioner. Successful capital campaigns require careful planning, pre-campaign research, and sophisticated strategies. Before you launch, learn from an expert at this session that will provide a solid overview of capital campaign planning.

• June 9 - 50 Asks in 50 Weeks: How to Jumpstart Your Small Development Office
  Target audiences: Entry to mid level. 50 Asks in 50 Weeks is a "back to the basics" concept for executive directors and development directors who want to raise more money for their organizations. It specifically targets non-profit organizations with small development offices (0-3 paid staff members,) and provides clear steps on how to create a simple plan for raising more money. Most development directors are so busy doing day to day tasks of fundraising, including writing thank you notes, grant reports and newsletters; managing databases; creating budgets; and more, they don't have time or forget the most important thing – asking! This session will help participants create a development plan which ensures a diverse funding stream, a system for asking for gifts in smarter, more efficient ways, and ensuring they ask for gifts all year long. Brief discussions on event planning, grant writing, individual solicitations, and direct mail will be included.

Each workshop is a 90-minute audio conference that offers the opportunity to learn the latest from the best in the field and qualifies for 1.5 points toward CFRE education requirements.

The cost for each session is $10/person.  Advance registration requested. To register, visit www.northskynonprofitnetwork.org or by calling 231.929.3934.

All audio conferences will be held in room 216 of Northwestern Michigan College’s University Center from 1 to 2:30pm.  Please arrive 10 minutes early to confirm registration.  Each session begins promptly at 1pm.

This series is sponsored by NorthSky Nonprofit Network and the West Michigan Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals with the support of Northwestern Michigan College.

2010 Regional Education Offerings

The following educational opportunities are available through GVSU's Johnson Center and the Western Michigan Planned Giving Group, respectively. For Johnson Center events, visit www.johnsoncenter.org or contact Matthew Downey at . For WMPGG events, contact Kathi Bates at or visit wmppp.org/meetings.php.