Offered jointly with the Nebraska Partnership for Philanthropic Planning,
this one-day conference has a special focus on planned giving and major gifts.

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 (Scroll Down for Conference Itinerary, Speaker Bios and Registration)

This event is approved for five hours of continuing education credits for CFRE, CSPG and CAP.

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CONFERENCE ITINERARY

8 a.m. to 9 a.m. – Registration/Vendors

9 a.m. – Opening Remarks 

9:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. – Keynote Speaker 

Topic: Stories of Amazing Donors and Inspiring Gifts
Presenter: Deb Ashton
When the right donor and the right charity come together, the result can be both magical and transformative — and not just for the charity, but also for the donor. These are true stories of incredible donors and their inspiring gifts. The presentation will include 5-10 minutes of questions and answers.

10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Breakout Sessions  

Topic: How to Run a Major Gift and Endowment Program
Presenter: Deb Ashton 
Organizations with a small office frequently spend most of the time on annual giving outside endowment fund raising. This can prevent organizations from achieving fiscal stability through building a permanent endowment. By discussing how to work with people interested in long term investments, this session will change your paradigm from focus on short-term hand-to-mouth fund raising and will lay the foundation for success with those donors who can make a transformative gift if you have the infrastructure and the discipline to handle it.

Topic: Innovative Examples of Charitable Remainder Trusts
Presenter: Jim Gustafson
This session is designed for the philanthropic planning professional who wants to move beyond the basis of what a Charitable Remainder Trust is to explore the use of several innovative and creative assets for funding Charitable Remainder Trusts. You will have the opportunity to explore actual case studies to learn about the income and tax benefits Charitable Remainder Trusts provide to donors.

Winning Words from First Visit to Making the Ask
Presenters: Meg Johnson & Kathy Katt
This highly interactive session will feature ideas and fresh language to help you secure an initial visit, discover a donor's philanthopic passion, and secure a financial commitment.  Be prepared to share your best (and worst!) initial approaches and asks.

11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – Lunch / Table Topics

Table Topics will be available during lunch for the following topics:

·  Stewardship
·  Prospect research
·  Opening the door/qualifying calls
·  Special events
·  Social Media
·  Legacy Societies
·  One-day giving challenges
·  Planned Giving Marketing
·  Connecting with Community Foundations
·  Prospect Tracking Systems/Moves Management

Tables will be first come, first serve. It is up to the participants to concentrate the conversation on the table topic.

12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. – Plenary Session

Innovative Partnerships for Social Change

Panelists: Jude Beller, Kathy Campbell, Andrew Loudon, Kristine Morton (moderator) and Calvin Sisson

From crowdfunding to capital campaigns, Kristine Morton will moderate a panel of fund raising experts familiar with innovative partnerships. Panelists will discuss projects that transform our communities by bringing together the right people to the right place at the right time. The discussion is aimed to help audience members think about their own organizations and how a shared vision can achieve greatness. Calvin Sisson will talk about transformational capital projects he has seen come to fruition and how they have happened. Kathy Campbell will share some of her vast experience in working with non-profits and also as a Nebraska state legislator. Jude Beller will discuss his experiences working with non-profits through Tetrad’s innovative building program and Andrew Loudon will discuss how benefactors use estate plans to stimulate innovative change… This lunch panel hopes to inform and inspire.

2 p.m. to 3 p.m. – Breakout Sessions

Topic: Convert Supporters with Powerful Landing Pages
Presenter: Jay Wilkinson
When prospective donors are directed to your website, do you grasp them firmly and get them to commit? According to a study conducted by NonprofitHub.org in 2013, you probably don’t. The report reveals a major chasm between the importance of landing pages and a NPO’s ability to create them. MarketingSherpa says that 44% of clicks are directed at homepages rather than a relevant landing page. Jay Wilkinson will navigate through landing page landmines and share dozens of real-world, nonprofit landing pages that get results. Learn why donors will pay more attention to nonprofits with great landing pages and how to create calls to action that get results.

Topic: Planned Giving for Ordinary People
Presenter: Amy Sajko
“Planned Giving for Ordinary People” has a double meaning. This session will help “ordinary” professionals understand planned giving, and also demonstrate that any non-profit can launch a planned giving program and all donors – even “ordinary people” – can make planned gifts. This program will help you understand various planned giving vehicles, identify potential planned giving prospects among your donors and feel confident to start or enhance a planned giving program within your organization. You will receive concrete examples of how to talk about planned gifts with your supporters.

Topic: Become a Better Planned Gift / Major Gift Negotiator
Presenters: Paul Strawhecker & Jodie Nolan
Negotiation skills are indispensable to the process of securing major gifts. In this session we will review some of the most recent developments in academic research relating to negotiation, and demonstrate how fundraisers can take advantage of these findings in their communication with prospective donors. Attendees will be asked to share their own experiences to develop specific strategies to enhance their solicitation skills based on the research.

3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. – Breakout Sessions 

Topic: Innovations in the Charity/Advisor Partnership: The Compelling Social Capital Connection
Presenter: Doug Olson
The concept of social capital (the distribution of the portion of an individual’s wealth that cannot be kept) has added a new dimension to the estate planning process, and offers a new bridge for partnerships between charitable planners and professional advisors. Conventional estate planning focuses on strategies that produce the greatest benefit for clients and their heirs. However, it is common that minimal value is placed on the client’s social capital options by the advisory community. A cutting edge approach and better appeal to advisors than “we need the money”… is to engage with them in a conversation about addressing the mutual goal of how their clients/our donors may self-direct social capital and thus meet personalized legacy objectives through the use of charitable gifts. 

Topic: Approaching a Major-Gift Prospect
Presenter: John Fettig
OK, it’s not rocket science. More like brain surgery. This session introduces a fundamental tool that will help the fundraising professional be comfortable and confident as s/he helps the philanthropist decide to embrace the project that requires major financial investment. So much has been written, discussed and even debated about how to be successful at major-gift fundraising. For just about every organization, it’s an important topic. A BIG topic, excuse the pun. Too important and too big for there to be a single magic bullet or perfect method. But there are a few universally applicable principles. Discover some “Best-kept secrets.”

Topic: Beyond Basic Demographics - Attitudes and Behaviors Related to Healthy Aging
Presenter: Josh Hanson
This presentation will explore a new U.S. study on elements of healthy aging and the impact of charitable giving. We will look at how health, financial and relationship factors play a role in how today's boomers and mature persons look at charitable giving. Understand how life expectancy affects attitudes toward planned giving. Gain a better understanding of the degree of influence various audiences have on charitable giving. Examine the trust levels of different generations (Millenials, Gen X, Boomers and Matures) regarding non-profits.

PRESENTERS

Deborah Ashton
Generations of new and experienced planned giving officers have relied on her wise advice and keen insight on creating and running a planned giving program. Debra has run the Planned Giving programs for Boston College, Boston University, Wheaton College, and WGBH in Boston.

She taught a graduate level course in fund raising at Lesley College, Cambridge, MA and for many years, authored a column, "The Planned Giving Clinic," in New England's fund raising publication, Contributions. She was a founding advisory board member and frequent contributor to Planned Giving Today, a newsletter for practitioners published in Seattle.

Jude Beller
As President of Tetrad Property Group, Beller leads the development and execution of company strategy and is responsible for day-to-day management decisions and operations. He is also responsible for legal oversight of the Company's risk management and general corporate and administrative matters. Prior to joining TPG, Beller was a partner in the real estate and development division of the Omaha law firm Baird Holm, LLP, and prior to that, with the St. Louis based law firm Husch Blackwell Sanders, LLP. Beller is licensed to practice law in Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois.

Sen. Kathy Campbell
Kathy Campbell has served in the Nebraska Legislature since 2008. The Norfolk native is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.In addition to being a teacher with Lincoln Public Schools and Sierra Vista Arizona Public Schools, Campbell served as Executive Vice President of CEDARS Home for Children Foundation, and was the owner of Campbell's Nurseries. She has served on numerous boards and organizations including the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners, Food Bank of Lincoln, United Way of Lincoln, and the UNMC Board of Counselors. Campbell is currently a member of the BryanLGH Medical Center board of trustees. 

John Fettig
Before joining Peru State College Foundation as Senior Advancement Officer in 2011, John Fettig had worked with nonprofit organizations for more than 30 years and in resource development for more than 20 years, including higher education, economic development and disabilities services and for 12 years as a consultant with a wide variety of nonprofits. John is a past president of the Nebraska Chapter of AFP and helped develop AFP's national Youth in Philanthropy program. John holds the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential (6-times re-certified).

Jim Gustafson
Jim Gustafson is the Director of Advancement and Gift Planning for the Nebraska Community Foundation.  Jim provides a wide range of supportive charitable gift planning services for donors and professional advisors. For the past 30 years Jim has worked in various areas of estate and financial planning. He has served on the planned giving staffs of the University of Nebraska Foundation and The Salvation Army.  Jim consults and lectures on various fundraising topics. He has led workshops for financial advisors and volunteers throughout the region. He has been a speaker at the National Conference on Planned Giving. 

Josh Hanson 
Josh Hanson is a marketing consultant for The Stelter Company, a leading source for strategic marketing for the nonprofit community. The Stelter Company, which was founded in 1962, currently serves more than 2,000 organizations nationally. Josh's responsibilities include planning, facilitating and executing strategic marketing programs for Stelter Company clients in the Midwest region. Prior to joining The Stelter Company, Josh owned a sales and consulting company that worked with Fortune 500 companies in the areas of leadership training, sales training and coaching and small business owners. Josh is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a B.B.A. in finance.

Kathy Katt
Senior Director of Development & Marketing, Habitat for Humanity Omaha Kathy Katt has more than 18 years of experience in development and non- profit management. She spent 10 years with the American Lung Association in addition to time with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Omaha Symphony, and the Boys Town National Research Hospital. She joined Habitat Omaha in July 2011 as Senior Director of Development and Marketing. 

Meg L. Johnson
Meg Johnson is the Assistant Vice President - Development with the University of Nebraska Foundation. Meg has worked in the nonprofit sector for more than 25 years. Meg worked for the NU foundation from 1997-2001 and rejoined the team in 2011 to work on behalf of UNMC. Her past non-profit experience includes Nebraska Children and Family Foundation, the Arthritis Foundation and Family Violence Council. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Nebraska Wesleyan University and is a past-president of AFP Nebraska.

Andrew Loudon
Andrew Loudon is a trusts and estates attorney. His practice is limited to wills, trusts, business succession planning, federal estate tax planning, non-probate estate administration, probate proceedings, powers of attorney, living wills, and guardianship and conservatorship proceedings.  Andrew earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and received his law degree from the University of Nebraska College of Law.  His community involvment includes the Rotary Club, Boy Scouts of America, Bryan Health Foundation and the Clark Jeary Retirement Community.

Jodie Nolan
Jodie Nolan, Vice President for Gift Planning Services at Paul J. Strawhecker, Inc., has more than 20 years of development experience associated primarily with child welfare organizations, higher education and healthcare institutions. Previously, Jodie served in the positions of National Director of Major Gifts/Planned Giving for Boys Town; Vice President, Institutional Advancement for the College of St. Mary (Omaha NE); and Director of Development at Child Saving Institute and the St. Joseph Health Care Foundation (Omaha NE). Jodie has experience in all areas of fundraising, including annual giving, planned giving, capital campaigns and major gifts. Jodie serves on various boards both nationally and locally, and is past president of the Nebraska Chapter of the Partnership for Philanthropic Planning.

Doug Olson
Before joining Thompson & Associates in 2006, he served as Interim Chief Development Officer and Director of Capital Appeals/Planned Giving for Alegent Health in Omaha and prior to that as Vice President for Advancement at Augustana College and Vice President for Gift Planning at Nebraska Methodist Hospital Foundation. Doug first earned the CFRE designation in 1997. For Thompson & Associates, he provides charitable estate planning services for not-for-profits and planning clients in the Midwest region including Nebraska. Doug began his career in resource development in 1990, and has worked with organizations in a range of fields including the arts, social services, higher education and healthcare. He has been a mentor to many and a speaker on philanthropy and planned giving at local, regional and international conferences. Doug served has served as AFP President of the Nebraska Chapter. Doug is a magna cum laude graduate of Augustana College. He earned his M.Div. degree from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota and served as a pastor in both rural and urban congregations from 1984 to 1990.

Amy Sajko
Amy Sajko began her philanthropic career in 1996 and has been a CFRE since 2002. She’s worked in a variety of higher education settings. To further develop her planned giving expertise, she also worked five years as a bank trust officer: advising charitable clients, administering charitable trusts and overseeing $127M in assets.  Amy serves as Senior Director of the NASPA Foundation. NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession. Their work provides high-quality professional development, advocacy, and research for 15,000 members in all 50 states, 25 countries, and 8 U.S. territories. The NASPA Foundation supports the profession through research, scholarships and awards.  A Minnesota native, Amy has a BA in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and an MBA from Illinois State University. NASPA is based in Washington DC, but Amy telecommutes from her home in Omaha, Nebraska. 

Calvin Sisson
A graduate of Hastings College, Calvin got his start in fundraising as director of alumni relations for the Hastings College Foundation. Calvin moved to Omaha in 1998 and worked for the Fontenelle Nature Association and Heritage Services prior to joining the Omaha Zoo Foundation in 2005.  While at the Zoo, Calvin managed all of the fundraising programs and raised more than $100 million for capital improvements and endowment including $37 million for the most recent Gateway to the Wild Campaign. He was selected as executive director of the Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation in August 2012. He is a member of the Omaha Estate Planning Council, NPPP, and serves on the boards for the Omaha Zoo Foundation and Lion's Eye Bank of Nebraska.

Paul J. Strawhecker
Paul has spent his career assisting nonprofit organizations in fundraising, marketing, planning and public relations activities.  Paul has been responsible for programs generating more than $300 million dollars. He has assisted government, social service, healthcare, education and religious organizations. In 1996, AFP accredited Paul as the 27th Advanced Certified Fund Raising Executive in the nation.  He served as chair of the AFP International Foundation on Philanthropy, and has served on the AFP International Board of Directors.  He has also served as President of AFP chapters in Michigan, North Dakota and Nebraska.  Paul has led the consulting firm, Paul J. Strawhecker, Inc., since its inception in 1995.  Paul started the planned giving program at Boys Town and has served as Assistant to the Mayor of Omaha. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and has served as Vice President of Development for a national nonprofit hospital and nursing home group with 75 facilities. Paul also directed fundraising for a private university system with campuses in Michigan, Florida and Texas. 

Jay Wilkinson
Jay Wilkinson has been actively involved in the nonprofit community his entire life.  He sits on the board of several nonprofits and is an avid supporter of programs that provide leadership and enrichment for America's youth.  As a philanthropist, Jay has raised millions of dollars for nonprofit organizations.  As an educator, he has trained thousands of fundraisers, marketers and nonprofit executives and has appeared on CNN and other national news outlets discussing the important role nonprofits play in the U.S. economy.  Jay is the founder and CEO of Firespring - a company that provides beautiful websites and essential tools to nonprofit organizations.  Firespring helps nonprofits raise money, manage donors, organize volunteers and dondict events while presenting a powerful and professional online presence.  Firespring is proud to be the only B-Corporation based in Nebraska and is on a quest to transform the business landscape by encouraging all companies to leverage their people and profit as a force for good.