General Session: 8 -8:50 a.m.

Digital Trends for 2018 and Beyond Justin Ware, Co-Founder & President, Groundwork Digital

Flying cars? Not quite, but it is 2018 and we are using Facebook to (gasp) engage major donors. Digital concepts that seemed ridiculous just a few years ago are now proving to be rock solid development strategies.

Justin Ware, president and co-founder of Groundwork Digital, will talk about the three big areas for growth he sees in 2018 and beyond.

Online ambassadors – Doing digital volunteers the right way Digital major donor engagement strategies True multi-channel fundraising that leads to big increases in giving During this session, Justin will also share case studies and offer actionable tips and resources for making 2018 the year your organization fully embraces the digital revolution.

Session One: 9 - 9:50 a.m.

Staying Out of Hot Water: Legal Pitfalls of Fundraising Barbara Melbourne, JD - Vice Chancellor for Advancement, Palmer College of Chiropractic In our day-to-day efforts, it is easy to overlook the rules and regulations that govern our work, with high stake consequences. In this session, you will be able to create a checklist of legal and best practices to guide your organization's fundraising efforts!

Extravaganzas – Planning, Retooling, & Ramping Up Your Organization’s Signature Event Deanna Woodall | Owner, Event Solutions Group and Quad Cities Regional Manager, Iowa Women Lead Change Learn from one of the Quad Cities' premier event planners about how to make your organization’s signature event the extravaganza of your dreams. Learn how to set the stage for an event to remember – from venue, theme, food & drink, entertainment, auctions and every detail in between – on a budget.

Stop! Collaborate and Listen Angie Kendall - Director of Development & Communication, Child Abuse Council Nisha Ladlee – Director of Development, Family Resources Aside from measurable outcomes, nearly every grant application we seek asks about collaboration. How are you collaborating? Does it mean something more than a signed MOU or linkage agreement? We will spend time looking at the collaborations built between Family Resources and Child Abuse Council learning from their failures and successes. Leave this session knowing how you can better answer the question from funders on your next grant application.

Session Two: 10:10 - 11:00 a.m.

Working with a Planned Giving Professional Trista Foster, JD, AAMS – Vice President & Trust Officer, American Bank & Trust David Wierman, JD – Wessels and Wierman Law Firm What does a trust department do? What cues can I can take from a donor and how do I spot a charitable gift prospect? When is it time to call in a planned giving professional? How can I facilitate a conversation with a donor and planned giving professional? Join Trista Foster and David Wierman to learn the important cues, questions and steps in engaging a planned giving professional.

Events You Want to Attend and Support Kayla Kiesey – Director of Events & Community Partnerships, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley By engaging their program participants, corporate teams and community members, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley is raising funds and creating awareness through their annual Plant Sale and Putt-A-Round miniature golf tournament. Learn about two of our area's most successful fundraising events – that do not include meals or auctions!

Need an Extra Hand? Everything You Need to Know to Get an AFP Intern Linda Wastyn, Ph.D. – President, Wastyn & Associates Panel – Kelly Giovanine, Marketing Development Coordinator, Moline Public Library; Sue Rector, Assistant Vice President of Development, Augustana College; Leslie Scheck, Associate Director of Career Advising and Education, Augustana College

Did you know that the AFP Quad Cities Chapter offers FREE internships – with a mentor – to qualifying organizations? Learn how this program has helped organizations like yours and how you can apply for an intern to help your fundraising efforts. We will discuss questions like “Do you qualify?” “How can you apply?” “What do students want in an internship?” “How can this benefit my organization?” and “What does the mentor do?”

Session Three: 11:20 a.m. - 12:10 p.m.

In the Know with Your CFO Lee Gaston, MBA – Director of Finance, CASI Want a better understanding of how the non-profit financials work and how to better relate to your CFO and other leaders when it comes to your organization’s financials? Join Lee Gaston to learn how the important work you do in raising money for your organization impacts the overall financials. Learn Key Performance Indicators you should be looking at to measure your impact. Discover how important your work is in planning for the financial health of your organization from the perspective of a CFO.

Fully Charged Events, with Board and Volunteer Support Lysa Hegland, MOL, CFRE – Assistant to the President & Foundation Director, Scott Community College An in-depth look at moving your board and volunteers to engage them in your organization’s events, filled with helpful tidbits direct from a panel featuring a board member, volunteer, and support staff from the SCC Foundation. This is an opportunity to learn from the successes and avoid the failures as you too engage your board.

The Art & Science of Collaborative Grant Writing Linda Wastyn, PhD – President, Wastyn & Associates Alex Kolker, PhD – Community Impact Manager, United Way of the Quad Cities Area More and more funders look for community collaborations in programs that their grants fund. As the grant writer you need to collaborate with front-line staff and others in the organization to write the most compelling application. Learn from our experiences – good and bad – ways to most effectively collaborate with others internal and external to your organization and submit the most compelling application possible while meeting the deadline and remaining (relatively) sane.

Lunch and Learn: 12:20 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

2018 Tax Changes Barbara Melbourne, JD, Vice Chancellor for Advancement, Palmer College of Chiropractic A quick overview of the impact of the 2018 tax changes on fundraising and philanthropy – with key takeaways for your organization.

Closing Session: 1:00 p.m. - 1:50 p.m.

Giving Days – Launching Your First or Growing Your Best Ever Justin Ware, Co-Founder & President, Groundwork Digital

Massive celebrations of giving that expand your organization’s culture of philanthropy to enthusiastic hordes of new supporters. Or at least that’s what an online giving day should be, when done right.

Justin Ware, president and co-founder of Groundwork Digital, has helped plan more than three dozen online giving days for higher education, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations. Justin will draw upon that experience to offer attendees actionable steps toward launching their best possible giving day or #GivingTuesday. During this session, expect to learn:

--->The four "must haves" for giving day (or #GivingTuesday) success

--->How giving days depend on major donors and how major gifts programs are increasingly turning to giving days to expand their reach

--->Why an online giving day is one of the most effective marketing tools your organization can employ (in addition to a tremendous fundraising mechanism)

Post Conference Networking Social: 2:00 p.m.

Join us upstairs at the River House Bar & Grill (1510 River Drive – Moline) immediately following the conference for networking and connecting! Cash bar.