Finding Individual Funders: the art of successful research | Denver, CO

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:

Jacqueline Hall

Director Major and Planned Giving

Mile High United Way

Jacquie has a 25-year tenure in development, with experience in capital, annual, corporate/foundation and planned giving. Using research tools including rating sessions with staff/volunteers, discovery meetings with donors, hosting identification events and using formal and free online research tools, her team has raised $40 million in four years from major gift donors. Under her direction, gifts of $10,000+, has increased from 105 to 450 donors. Prior to United Way, Jacquie was the Director of Development for the University of Denver Daniels College of Business. She was responsible for the $22 million capital campaign. Jacquie is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a degree in Sociology. She is the current Chair of the Major Gifts Staff Council for United Way of America, providing leadership and training for Major Gifts programs around the country.

Peggy Lehmann

Councilwoman

Denver City Council

Having served six years as a Denver City Councilwoman, Peggy Lehmann has had opportunities to review applicants for non profit programs as well as grants submitted to the City requesting funding. In previous jobs in the non-profit sector, Lehmann sought support from various funders for education programs, environmental efforts, cultural endeavors and governmental partnerships. She is presently Chair of the Public Amenities committee and works with the Denver Public Library, the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs and Denver Parks and Recreation, reviewing partnerships that the City has with individuals, private non-profits and corporations to oversee the success of City programs. Peggy earned her undergraduate degree from Connecticut College, and her MA in Education from Stanford University. She is a member of the Denver City Council.

Megan Van Ens

Executive Director

Colorado C3 Roundtable

Megan Van Ens has spent the last 9 years working in both the non-profit and electoral campaign world. Her primary focus in the campaign world was Fundraising and Call-time Director. She worked with dozens of candidates on creating their list which involved substantial work on identifying and resesarching donors. Megan now serves as the Executive Director (and only staff) of the Colorado C3 Roundtable. The C3 Roundtable’s mission is to pursue public policy change and encourage civic engagement for a more progressive Colorado by working collectively and collaboratively. One of her top priorities is diversifying the funding base, which involves individual donor and foundation research. Megan grew up in Colorado and graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with two degrees---one in journalism and one in political science.

Dace West

Co-Director

Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships

Dace West currently services as the Co-Director of the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships, an office created by Mayor John Hickenlooper to serve as a bridge between the City and Denver’s nonprofit sector. Prior to coming to the City, Dace worked for over a decade in the nonprofit sector, including serving as Executive Director of the HealthBridge Alliance, Development Director of Colorado Bright Beginnings, Organizational and Resource Development Director at FRESC, and working with high level donors at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. In each of these positions, Dace engaged in extensive prospect research with limited resources and focused on utilizing that research to its best advantage. Dace holds a Masters in Nonprofit Management from Regis University and a BA in Political Science from the University of Colorado.

Denver 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 Denver 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

The Summit will take place at the Driscoll Center North, which is located on the University of Denver Campus. The Driscoll University Center includes two wings (North and South) joined by a bridge over East Evans Avenue. We will be in the North wing. The Driscoll Center is easy to reach by public or private transportation. The full address is:

University of Denver
2055 East Evans Avenue
Denver, CO 80208

Parking near the Driscoll Center
Visitor parking is available in three lots: Lot 302, Lot 301/E, Lot 316. These three lots are metered lots. Payment for parking in the lots may be made with credit cards, cash, or coins. Cost of parking is $1.00/hr up to 5 hours in Lot 302 and Parking Garage 301/E or $6.00 for the day in Lot 316. These lots are first come first served. This is the first week of school for students so plan ahead and arrive early to find parking as students may also be using these lots. There are approximately 100 visitor parking spaces between the three lots below. All of these lots have handicapped parking spaces available.

Lot 302 next to Driscoll Center North - Directions to Lot 302: When driving West on Evans Ave, Lot 302 will be on your left immediately before the sky bridge. If driving East on Evans Ave, Lot 302 will be just past the sky bridge and Driscoll Center North and you will turn right onto Race St. and right into the lot. This lot is very small and fills quickly. Exit the lot to the left side of the building and walk around to the other side between the two buildings. This is a metered lot. Cost for parking is $1/hr up to 5 hours and then you will need to refill it after 5 hours.

Parking Garage 301/E is across East Evans Avenue. (There is a sky bridge over Evans Ave or you can the cross street). - Directions to Parking Garage 301: When driving West on Evans Ave, the garage will be on your right before the sky bridge. If driving East on Evans Ave, the parking garage will be on your left but there is a median. You will need to turn left on High Street and turn around since no U-turns are allowed. Turn right on Evans Ave and turn right into the parking garage. You can cross Evans Ave by the skybridge by going into Driscoll South and crossing or crossing at street level. The Governor's Ballroom is on the opposite side of the building. Strum Hall will be on your left and Driscoll North on your right (not marked). Enter Driscoll North through the glass entrance and go up one floor to the registration desk. This is a metered lot. Cost for parking is $1/hr up to 5 hours and then you will need to refill it after 5 hours.

Lot 316 is across South Race Street. Directions to Lot 316: If driving West on Evans Ave, turn left on High Street. Turn right on Asbury Avenue. Turn right on Race Street (mostly closed for construction but can enter the parking lot). Take immediate right into Lot 316. If driving East on Evans Ave, turn right on High Street. Turn right on Asbury Avenue. Turn right on Race Street (mostly closed for construction but can enter the parking lot). Take immediate right into Lot 316. To get to the Driscoll Center, exit the parking lot where you drove in and cross over Race Street to the sidewalk. Walk along the sidewalk and chain link fence until you pass Strum Hall on your left. Just past Strum Hall there is a courtyard that you walk down into. Go through the courtyard and out the other side between the two buildings. Strum Hall will be on your left and Driscoll North on your right (not marked). Enter Driscoll North through the glass entrance and go up one floor to the registration desk. This is a metered lot. Cost for parking is $1/hr or $6/day.

Note: Parking Garage T which is located across from Lot 316 is parking permit only so we are not able to utilize this parking garage. Street parking may also be available on neighboring streets. However, most street parking meters have a maximum time limit of 1 hour. Street parking on East Asbury Avenue does not have a time limit but those spaces go quickly in the morning. All street parking is first come first served.

Due to very limited visitor parking on the DU campus, we highly recommend you take the Light Rail system or give yourself a minimum of 30 - 45 minutes to find parking and check-in at the registration desk prior to your first session.

The entrance to Driscoll Center North is on the North side of the building. The Registration desk will be outside of the Ballroom on Level 1.

Public Transportation
The Driscoll Center is Light Rail accessible. Light Rail runs parallel to I-25 and the University of Denver station is across the street from the north side of campus (Routes at DU Station E, F & H). The Light Rail station is 5-6 blocks from Driscoll Center, which is approximately a 5-10 minute walk. The website is http://www.rtd-denver.com.

From Downtown Denver (Market Street Station, Union Station or the 16th Street Mall) Take the E, F or H lines to University of Denver Station, which is north of Buchtel Boulevard at High Street.

From Littleton Station, take the C or D Lines North to Broadway Station then transfer to the Southbound E, F, or H Line to University of Denver Station.

From Denver International Airport, take the AF bus (located just outside either East or West baggage claim level, on the outermost island of the “Ground Transportation” section outside – look for “RTD- Public Bus” signs). The cost of this bus is $8 (exact change only). Upon boarding, be sure to ask for a “transfer.” Get off at Market Street Station. To get to DU from Market Street Station, exit the South door and walk to the island to take the Free 16th Street Mall Shuttle either 1.) East to Stout Street. Get off at Stout Street and take the F or H Light Rail lines SOUTH to University of Denver Station OR 2.) West to Union Station, take the E Light Rail line SOUTH to University of Denver Station. Use your transfer ticket you received from the bus so that you do not have to buy a ticket on light rail.

Directions by Car

If Traveling Southbound on I-25 from Thornton
If traveling south on I-25 take University Blvd Exit 205. Turn right (south). Continue on University Blvd to Evans Avenue then turn right. Driscoll Center North is on the right side of the road before Race Street. Visitor Parking lot 302 is just past Driscoll Center North on the corner of Evans Ave and Race Street.

If Traveling Eastbound from Arvada
If traveling east, take I-70 E to I-25 South toward Colorado Springs. Take University Blvd Exit 205. Turn right (south). Continue on University Blvd to Evans Avenue then turn right. Driscoll Center North is on the right side of the road before Race Street. Visitor Parking lot 302 is just past Driscoll Center North on the corner of Evans Ave and Race Street.

If Traveling Northbound on I-25 from Littleton
If traveling north on I-25, take University Blvd Exit 205. Turn left (south). Continue on University Blvd to Evans Avenue then turn right. Driscoll Center North is on the right side of the road before Race Street. Visitor Parking lot 302 is just past Driscoll Center North on the corner of Evans Ave and Race Street.

If Traveling Westbound from Aurora
If traveling west, take I-225 S to exit 1B and merge onto I-25 N toward Denver. Take University Blvd Exit 205. Turn left (south). Continue on University Blvd to Evans Avenue then turn right. Driscoll Center North is on the right side of the road before Race Street. Visitor Parking lot 302 is just past Driscoll Center North on the corner of Evans Ave and Race Street.

Hotel Accommodations

Most hotels near the Summit venue are within the $85-$189 per night range. The following hotels are within a three-mile radius of the hotel.

1. La Quinta Inn Cherry Creek BOOK NOW 1.2 miles from venue

2. Fairfield Inn BOOK NOW 1.9 miles from venue

3. Courtyard by Marriott Denver/Cherry Creek                 BOOK NOW        2.1 miles from venue
4. Hampton Inn & Suites Denver/Cherry Creek              BOOK NOW           2.7 miles from venue
5. Inn at Cherry Creek                                                      BOOK NOW            3.2 miles from venue

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One-on-one mentoring

Click on any seminar title or the arrow on the right side to learn more about that seminar

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