Finding Individual Funders: the art of successful research | Boston, MA

Finding Individual Funders: the art of successful research

Are you looking to establish a major gifts component to your capital, annual, or planned giving campaign but wondering where to begin? Prospect research is an integral part of any well-rounded fund development plan and can make all the difference in boosting your average gift size, but it can be a daunting task for the uninitiated. Too often, there’s a lack of direction and more importantly, a lack of information. Learning how to describe your ideal donor, developing data mining skills, and devising a plan to cultivate donor relationships is the key to getting to “Yes.”

In this session, learn the basic prospect research building blocks:

- Project planning: what are you trying to find funding for?
- Profile your funders: what (and who) is a prospect?
- Prospect research tools: using web-based tools to identify eligible funders
- Building a pool of potential prospects
- Prospect tracking: planning and recording significant interactions with potential funders

Attendees will leave this session convinced of the importance of prospect research and equipped with the fundamental tools needed to develop a successful plan for getting started.

Speakers for this session:

Howard Amidon

Fundraising Consultant

Howard Amidon is a fundraising consultant with fifteen years of development experience. He honed his expertise in identifying and evaluating funders while serving as Director for Individual Giving at Boston Ballet and as senior gifts officer for Partners In Health and the Boston Symphony. Howard has also worked with special events, both as events director for New England Conservatory and as the director of Amidon Events, producing fundraising and celebratory events for a broad range of professional and personal clients. He has taught courses on special event design and production at the University of California in San Francisco and in San Jose, and at Lasell College in Newton. Amidon graduated cum laude from the University of New Hampshire.

Beth Emery

Development Officer

Northeastern University

Beth Emery has nearly eight years of non-profit fundraising experience, ranging from annual fund and special events fundraising to cultivation of major gifts. As a Development Officer for the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University, she identifies, solicits and stewards major donor prospects and current major donors to support the college and university-wide initiatives. Ms. Emery’s previous professional fundraising experience includes positions at Boston Children`s Museum, where she was the Director of Annual and Leadership Giving, Handel and Haydn Society and Boston Lyric Opera. Ms. Emery earned a B.A. from the University of Maine and an M.A. in Art History from McGill University.

Sandra Larkin

Principal

Larkin Research Associates

Sandra Larkin has been a prospect research professional for twenty years. After working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, she founded Larkin Research Associates in 1994. Since then, she has provided custom research services to hundreds of nonprofits nationwide, including independent schools, universities, hospitals, churches, human service organizations, and development consulting firms. Sandra served on the board of the New England Development Research Association from 1993-99, and was the editor of NEDRA News, a quarterly research newsletter, from 1992 to 2000. Sandra has made presentations on development research to NEDRA, the Association of Professional Researchers for Advancement, the Association of Professional Fundraisers, and other organizations. In 2005, she received the fourth annual Ann Castle Award for her contributions to the prospect research community.

Boston Fundraising Summit

A relationship approach to fundraising
Nonprofit fundraising has become highly specialized, and each segment of your donor market requires a different set of relationship management skills. Whether you are reaching out to private foundations, wealthy individuals or your own members, you need to understand who they give to, and why. The Boston Summit focuses on the relationship aspects of fundraising, and offers you several ways to enhance your relationship management skills:

Day One:
In the morning, listen to a panel of private, corporate and community grantmakers who will openly discuss their philosophy on grantmaking, how they operate, and most important, how you can build a more successful relationship with the grantmaking community. In the afternoon, participate in seminars led by experienced grant seekers who have successfully secured many corporate and foundation grants, and have built successful relationships with the grantmaking community.

Day Two:
Attend a series of fundraising seminars covering the hottest areas of fundraising (capital campaigns, major gifts, annual giving campaigns, and many more). Panels of experts will discuss the latest developments in these fields, and then enter into a dialogue with the participants that addresses their most pressing questions.

WHY ATTEND THE FUNDRAISING SUMMIT?
Fundraising is primarily a relationship business, and with increasing pressures facing all nonprofit professionals to build key relationships, it is becoming more important, though much more difficult to meet people face-to-face. Our innovative Summit format provides the most efficient and cost effective use of time away from the office by enabling attendees to interact with experts in the field, as well as other nonprofit leaders.

CAN ONE ATTEND SPECIFIC SESSIONS ONLY?
We understand the demands that are placed on you and on your time. That’s why you can attend only the seminars that are of interest to you. Come for the day or stop by for a couple of hours. You pay for only the seminars you wish to attend and only for the information relevant to you. It’s a novel approach to learning that allows you to get exactly what you’re looking for in a short amount of time. In 2009, we are introducing a two-day pass so that attendees can attend all sessions at a reduced price.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE SEMINARS?
Each seminar features a panel of 3-4 experts who will break down the fundraising process into a series of phases with measurable outcomes and action steps for each phase. During the seminar, panelists will engage with the audience in an interactive manner to ensure that the sessions are educational and also fun to attend.

ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING SESSIONS
In 2009, we are adding an exciting new component to our Summits: one on mentoring sessions. In these 30 minute sessions, you can sit down with an experienced nonprofit fundraiser to discuss specific questions not addressed by the seminars. Mentoring sessions will cover the same topics as the seminar topics.

HOW IS THE SUMMIT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER EDUCATIONAL EVENTS?
The Summit offers a unique format to help you accomplish the following:

Build relationships: to ensure maximum exposure to the experts and other nonprofit leaders, each seminar offers structured networking before the session starts
Hear different perspectives: the experts are drawn from different sectors of the nonprofit community to ensure cross-pollination of ideas and practices
Provide a global view: speakers give an overview of key issues so that you can eliminate any gaps in your understanding of the subject
Drill down to the specifics: speakers will also focus on providing specific answers to real-world questions that are common to most attendees
Obtain information you can use: the emphasis in all sessions is on avoiding theoretical discussions in favor of practical tools and techniques that nonprofit leaders can actually use

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUMMIT?
The Summit is organized by the Center for Nonprofit Success, a nonprofit organization that specializes in bringing highly relevant information that nonprofit leaders need to run their organizations successfully. We developed the Fundraising Summit series as a follow-on to the Nonprofit Success Forum, a highly successful educational series on grantmaking that has been taking place around the country for the past two years. The Fundraising Summit drills down into specific areas of fundraising to give nonproft leaders cutting edge tools and techniques.

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT?
Simply click on the seminars listed below to learn more about the topics that will be covered in each seminar. Then select only those seminars that you wish to attend.

Location/Directions

Location:

The Summit will take place in the east wing of the Main College Building on the Simmons College Campus. Registration will be setup outside the Linda K. Paresky Conference Center on the third floor of the Main College Building. Simmons College is located only 6 miles from Logan International Airport and is easily accessible by public transportation. The full address is:

Simmons College
300 The Fenway
Boston, MA 02115

Public Transportation:
Due to the limited parking on campus, we highly recommend that you take public transportation to the event.

The Main College Building is accessible by both MBTA Train service (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority), MBTA Commuter Rail, and by MBTA bus service.

If Traveling by MBTA Train:

MBTA Green Line E train (Jamaica Plain to Cambridge through Boston) outbound Heath Street/Arborway to the Simmons stop (Museum at Huntington Ave & Louis Prang).
Connections: Red, Blue, and Orange Lines, and commuter rail at North Station.
At the Museum Stop, exit train and take a right onto Louis Prang Street. Walk past the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The Main College Building, 300 The Fenway, will be on left.

MBTA Green Line D Train — Newton to Cambridge through Boston.
Simmons stop: Fenway Station at Park Drive & Brookline Ave.
Connections: Red and Blue Lines.

MBTA Orange Line Train — Roslindale to Malden through Boston.
Simmons stop: Ruggles Station at Ruggles Street & Columbus Avenue.
Connections: Red, Blue, and Orange Lines, and commuter rail at North Station.

If Traveling by MBTA Commuter Rail Service:

Needham Line — Boston to Needham through Roslindale and West Roxbury.
Simmons stop: Ruggles Station at Ruggles Street & Columbus Avenue.

Attleboro Stoughton Line — Boston to Southeastern Massachusetts.
Simmons stop: Ruggles Station at Ruggles Street & Columbus Avenue

If Traveling by MBTA Bus Service:

#8 Bus — Harbor Point/UMass, Dorchester to Kenmore Station, Boston.
Simmons stop: Ave Louis Pasteur & The Fenway.
Connections: Red, Green, and Orange Lines and commuter rail.

#39 Bus — Copley Square, Boston to Forest Hills Station, Roslindale.
Simmons stop: Huntington Ave & Louis Prang.
Connections: Green Line.

#47 Bus — Central Square, Cambridge to Broadway Station, South Boston.
Simmons stop: Avenue Louis Pasteur & The Fenway.
Connections: Orange, Green, and Red Line trains.

#60 Bus — Chestnut Hill, Newton to Kenmore Square, Boston.
Simmons stop: Brookline Ave & The Fenway.
Connections: Green Line.

#65 Bus — Brighton Center to Kenmore Square, Boston.
Simmons stop: Brookline Ave & The Fenway.
Connections: Green Line.
Operates Monday-Saturday.

CT2 Bus — Ruggles Station to Sullivan Square Station, Charlestown.
Simmons stop: Ruggles Street & Huntington Ave.
Connections: Green, Red, and Orange Line trains and commuter rail.
Note: An MBTA Subway pass is accepted as fare on the CT2.

CT3 Bus — Andrew Station, Dorchester to LMA.
Simmons stop: Avenue Louis Pasteur & Longwood Ave.
Connections: Green, Red, and Orange Line trains.
Note: An MBTA Subway pass is accepted as fare on the CT3.

Directions by Car:
If Traveling from the West (also NYC and CT)
If traveling from the West take Route 90 east (Massachusetts Turnpike/Mass Pike) to exit 18. Exit from left lane. Bear right. Follow signs for Cambridge. The Doubletree Guest Suites Hotel will be on your right. Turn right at first light onto Storrow Drive to Boston. Follow local directions below.

If Traveling from the South (Route 3, Southeast Expressway)
If traveling from the South take Route 3 north (Southeast Expressway) to Storrow Drive. Follow Storrow Drive west. Follow local directions below.

If Traveling from the North (Route I-93 or Route 1)
If traveling from the North on Route 1-93 or Route 1, at the merge with Route 3 (the Southeast Expressway), take Storrow Drive exit. Follow Storrow Drive west. Follow local directions below.

If Traveling from Logan International Airport (6.5 miles)
If traveling from Logan International Airport take 1A south to I-93/Sumner Tunnel/Boston. Go through Sumner Tunnel. Follow sign to I-93 north. Sign will say "93 North, Storrow Drive, Cambridge." Stay in right lane and take second exit - exit 26. Sign will say "Back Bay, Storrow Drive." Stay left and follow sign for Storrow and drive west. Once on Storrow, stay in center lane and proceed approximately 2 miles, then get in left lane. Follow local directions below.

Local Directions
Look for sign "Kenmore Square, Fenway, Route 1 South" and exit left, following sign for "Fenway 1 South." Do not take Kenmore Square exit. Instead, follow ramp up and exit right. Sign will say "Boylston St. Outbound, Riverway 1." You will be on Boylston Street. Stay in left lane and proceed to first light. Turn left onto Park Drive. Follow Park Drive to second light and cross Boylston Street and Brookline Avenue. Stay left. At third stoplight, bear left following "Fenway" sign. At fourth light, continue straight, crossing Brookline Avenue again. You will be on "The Fenway”. Turn right onto Avenue Louis Pasteur right after Emmanuel College. Simmons’s Parking Garage sign is on left, about 1/2 block down.

Parking near the Main College Building:
Due to the limited parking on campus, we highly recommend that you take public transportation to the event. If you drive, give yourself at least 30-45 minutes to find parking and walk to the Main College Building. Limited parking is available on nearby streets and private garages. There are two parking garages in the area:

P1 on map is no longer available. Please park at a lot below.

Landmark Center Garage [P2 on map]
401 Park Drive
Boston, MA 02115
617-927-0398

0.4 mi – about 7-10 minute walk to the Main College Building

Driving Directions to Landmark Center Garage: Head Southwest on Park Dr to lot at Brookline Avenue and Park.

Parking Rates:
2.5 hrs - 18 hrs. = $15.00

They accept cash and credit cards. You pay as you exit the garage.
Open 24 Hours a day
1500 parking spaces in the garage. The garage typically does not fill up.

Walking Directions to Main College Building: 0.4 mi – about 7-10 min walk
As you exit the parking garage walk down Brookline Avenue and take a left at the street called, "The Fenway" where there is a sign that says Emmanuel College. Continue on “The Fenway.” Continue walking straight past Avenue Louis Pasteur and you will arrive at the Main College Building, at 300 The Fenway.

Trilogy Garage [P3 on map]
180 Brookline Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
There are entrances on Brookline Ave. and Kilmarnock Street
617-236-5558

0.4 mi – about 6-10 minute walk to the Main College Building

Directions to Garage: Head southwest on Brookline Ave and just past Kilmanarock Street you will see the garage.

Special Early Bird Rate: Enter before 8am - exit by 7pm - $10.00

Hourly Rates:
1 hr. or less $6.00
2 hrs. or less $14.00
Anything over 2 hrs is the daily rate of $22.00 unless you arrive before 8 am, then it is the Early Bird rate of $10.00.

They accept cash and credit cards if you pay in the lobby. If pay on the way out, they only accept credit cards.

Open 24 Hours a day

500 parking spaces in the garage. The garage typically fills up by 10:00 am.

If the garage fills up they do valet parking and the price is $22.00 for the day unless you arrive before 8:00 am and then it is $10.00.

Walking Directions to Main College Building:
As you exit the parking garage walk down Brookline Avenue and take a left at the street called, "The Fenway" where there is a sign that says Emmanuel College. Continue on “The Fenway.” Continue walking straight past Avenue Louis Pasteur and you will arrive at the Main College Building, at 300 The Fenway.

Hotel Accommodations:
Most hotels near the Summit venue are within the $175-265 per night range. The following hotels are within a one-mile radius of the hotel.

1. Hotel Commonwealth                                BOOK NOW                       .67 miles from venue
2. Sheraton Boston Hotel            BOOK NOW     .89 miles from venue
3. Hilton Boston Back Bay                            BOOK NOW                        .9 miles from venue
4. Holiday Inn Brookline                                BOOK NOW                        .9 miles from venue
5. Hyatt Regency Cambridge            BOOK NOW                        1 mile from venue

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One-on-one mentoring

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