The first day of the conference is based on Lynne Wester's book, The Four Pillars of Donor Relations. This interactive learning experience is perfect for anyone new to donor relations or even the experienced professional. Filled with fresh content and real-life examples, day one of this conference will teach you the basics of donor relations as well as next practices and new industry trends.

We'll dive into the first two, must-have pillars of The Four Pillars of Donor Relations—acknowledgment and stewardship—to help you assess your current program and identify where and how you can advance your efforts. We'll also provide you with time to workshop your own acknowledgments and impact reports. 

Then, we'll explore the final two pillars—recognition and engagement. You'll learn why and how nonprofits are moving from dollar-based to behavior-based recognition programs, the importance of crucial conversations around gift agreement policies and procedures, and see examples of ways donors really want to be recognized and engage with your organization. (Hint: It's not a giant check or a rubber chicken dinner in a ballroom.) You'll return to your organization ready to create amazing experiences that will surprise and delight your donors. 

Lynne will bring each topic to life as she shares personal stories of tragedy, triumph, ridicule, and redemption. You’ll leave inspired and energized, equipped with tangible ideas that you can implement immediately with any size staff or budget. 

All participants who complete the comprehensive training on the 4 Pillars of Donor Relations will be awarded a digital certificate and badge.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the Foundations of Donor Relations: Learn the principles of acknowledgment and stewardship as the foundational pillars of effective donor relations. 

• Assess Current Donor Relations Practices: Conduct a thorough assessment of your current donor relations program to identify strengths and areas for improvement, and prioritize key areas to advance your donor relations efforts.

• Refine Acknowledgment Processes: Workshop acknowledgment strategies to enhance effectiveness and personalization.

• Craft Creative Expressions of Gratitude: Identify unique ways to express gratitude that surprise and delight donors, and review real-life examples to recognize common acknowledgment mistakes and learn actionable fixes.

• Optimize Stewardship Practices: Discover how to tier and structure reports for different donor segments to maximize efficiency and relevance.

• Understand the Transition to Behavior-Based Recognition: Assess current recognition practices to identify areas where a shift from dollar-based to behavior-based recognition can better align with evolving donor expectations.

• Create Unique Donor Experiences: Identify opportunities to create meaningful donor recognition and engagement experiences that go beyond traditional approaches, surprising and delighting donors.

Day 2: May 23, 2025

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Morning Workshop: Increasing Donor Retention Through Behavior-Based Donor Relations

Let’s face it—"the way we’ve always done it" is fading into the background as new efforts emerge. But some shops are still stuck in traditional thanking methods, usually based on gift amounts, to define their communication and recognition efforts. It’s 7 times cheaper to retain the donors you have than to acquire new ones. The reality is, we have finite resources—both with our staff and budgets—and we must strategize ways to satiate many donors with different interests and needs. By developing a program based on donor behaviors, in lieu of arbitrary giving amounts, we can ensure we are communicating gratitude and impact to our donors at all levels of giving.

During this half-day workshop, you will learn:

• How to identify priority donor behaviors you need to reinforce

• How to craft personal communications for these groups

• Strategy development to increase donor retention

• Why behavior-based practices are in alignment with core principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion

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