2024 Building Blocks Topics

29th Annual Building Blocks Conference: Foundation For The Future

Friday, September 20, 2024 | 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Kauffman Foundation Conference Center

 

TOPICS

Register Today | Credentials: 5.5 CE points

Schedule | Speakers | Topics

8:25
Opening Keynote: Planned Giving During Changing Times – Josh Birkholz
We’ve seen some of the biggest changes in philanthropy over the last few years.  Amid shifts in the economy and donor behavior, and from declining donors to growing sophistication among the wealthy, the landscape continues to change.  Can Planned Giving rise to meet new expectations?  Join Josh Birkholz, CEO of BWF and Chair of the Giving USA Foundation board as he presents the latest trends and gives his take on ways you can spark acceleration in giving and enhance the experience for donors.

9:50
The Great Wealth Transfer: Building Trust and Seizing Opportunities in Philanthropy –  George Frenandez
Join us for an enlightening presentation on “The Great Wealth Transfer: Building Trust and Seizing Opportunities in Philanthropy.” As we witness the largest wealth transfer in history, non-profits must navigate a changing landscape by focusing on building and maintaining trust to thrive.

This presentation will explore how generational differences shape philanthropic behavior, emphasizing the importance of trust in donor relationships. Learn strategies for engaging Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z, each with unique motivations and expectations. Discover how technology and innovative fundraising techniques can help build trust and enhance engagement.

We will also introduce the Influence Model, a powerful tool to strengthen donor relationships and ensure effective engagement across generations. Through an interactive group activity, participants will gain practical insights and actionable strategies to navigate the evolving philanthropic landscape.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understanding the scope and impact of the Great Wealth Transfer.
  • Insights into generational differences in philanthropic behavior.
  • Strategies for building trust and engaging donors across generations.
  • Application of the Influence Model to enhance donor relationships.
  • Interactive sessions to brainstorm and share new ideas.

11:25 Breakouts
Room 1
Navigating the Codes of Ethics for Charitable Gift Planning Professionals – Bryne Brown
Charitable gift planning often involves multiple advisors – philanthropic professionals, attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, and perhaps others. This presentation explores various codes of ethics that guide these professional advisors, in order to help each other (and the donor) better navigate the philanthropic, legal, and tax challenges of charitable gift planning.

Room 2
Inspire Your Donors to Create Legacy Gifts – Nathan Stelter
It’s the all-important human connection. To inspire your donors to consider and create legacy gifts, make a meaningful connection by showing them why they matter and how they can make a difference. Understanding whjy your donors give allows you to make more effective and engaging appeals that resonate with their own priorities. Get acquainted with your donors and learn more about their reaons for giving.

Whether it was the natural experiment forced on the world by COVID-19 forcing us to rethink what ‘connecting with people’ looked like, the lack of trust many people have given the continued polarization of our society around politics or the anxiety surrounding the explosion of AI that gives us pause around what’s authentic and what’s not…the last few years have pushed people to pivot and think differently about a multitude of things impacting their lives. The planned giving world was no exception!

There was a momentary shift from a reflective to a reactive planned giving conversation, and renewed focus around how we build connections and steward our donors and the ongoing generational shift in planned giving and the mediums they chose to engage with, we’ve all been forced to rethink how we engage donors. Through Stelter’s experience working with nonprofits from all subsectors, insights gleaned from studies across our industry as well as data we’ve received from fundraisers like you, this presentation aims to provide clarity and ideas for better understanding the donor journey and the all important ‘why’.

In this presentation you will learn:

  • The unique challenges and opportunities facing nonprofit subsectors and how the recent events and disruptions have accelerated and/or brought attention to the need for support
  • Donor expectations and interactions by generation and how understanding 7 critical donor mindsets can help you navigate your engagement with them
  • The role of authenticity, technology and managing change as we steward and build connections with donors going forward

Room 3
Unlocking the ‘Why’; Using Focus Statements to Deepen Donor/Client Relationships – Alison B. Patterson
This session guides participants through a process of creating a powerful focus statement for their clients, donors or themselves. Creating and using a focus statement is vital for gift planners and wealth professionals because it clarifies purpose, enhances engagement, builds trust and streamlines decision-making. In this session, we will explore why a focus statement and understanding “the why” is crucial in enhancing your practice. Attendees will learn practical techniques to craft and use a focus statement to deepen client and donor relationships and drive meaningful, high-impact engagement.

1:30
Behind-the-Scenes of Charitable Funds: An Insider’s Guide to Legacy Planning – Nicole Stuke, Andrea Sellers and Rosisella Blakney
Join representatives from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation to hear how they work with individual donors and families to build legacy plans for donor-advised funds and other charitable funds. You’ll hear real-world examples from Sr. Philanthropic Advisor Nicole Stuke, Sr. Corporate Counsel Andrea Sellers and Sr. Manager of Scholarship and Grantmaking Services Rosisella Blakney. They will highlight the many ways the Community Foundation can work with donors and their estate planners to develop plans for grantmaking beyond donors’ lifetimes, and they’ll provide insights into how charitable assets can be passed for the next generation to advise.

2:50
To Be a Donor: Enriching the Donor Experience – Josh Birkholz
So much of the work in advancement is focused on encouraging people to become donors. Once an individual gives, is being a donor all they hoped it would be? Research suggests the experience after the gift, regardless of gift level, might be the most important expectation of the donors. This session will dig into practical ways to sustain positive and productive donor relationships.

 

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