Ask The Experts 2024 Speakers & Sessions

Keynote Speaker: Eileen R. Heisman, ACFRE
Eileen is a nationally recognized expert on charitable and planned giving. Eileen has been interviewed about philanthropy and donor-advised funds on CNBC, PBS, NPR, CNN International and Bloomberg TV, and by nearly every national newspaper and major trade publication, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, CBS MarketWatch, Financial Advisor, and Investment News. She has been named ten times by NonProfit Times as one of their Power and Influence Top 50, an annual listing of the 50 most influential executives in the philanthropic sector, most recently in 2023.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS (10:30 - 11:30 a.m.) 

Option #1
Women, Wealth, and Legacy
Presenters: Amy Bacon, Senior Planned Giving Officer, Texas A&M Foundation and Jennifer Hester 
Women control a third of total U.S. household financial assets – more than $10 trillion. By 2030, American women are expected to control much of the $30 trillion in financial assets that baby boomers will possess. This session will focus on taking a look at this significant wealth transfer, discuss the different approaches for engaging women prospects/donors, and explore the tremendous opportunities and challenges that fundraisers and gift planners can navigate through as we work with the new face of wealth and legacy.

Option #2
Status & 1-on-1 Meetings: The Secret to Keeping Your Star Performers Happy
Presenters: Vanessa Oler & Holland Hettinger, Ask Your Work Wife 
Through answers to over 160 questions women have about corporate America, we've realized the vast majority of employee discontent can be solved with effective and meaningful status and 1-on-1 meetings with their direct manager. We'd like to teach you how to do that and work through common challenges and objections.

Option #3
Who is Telling Your Story?  Demonstrating Your Mission Through Storytelling
Presenters: Dr. Kelly J. Zúñiga, Kelly Zúñiga Consulting & Janice Adamson Splawn, MSM, CFRE, Adamson Splawn Grants & Fundraising, LLC 
We will discuss how to bring awareness of your nonprofits' good work through storytelling and how that may be incorporated into meetings with donors and grant requests. By having the panelists share their stories, we will demonstrate the impact it has on the donor and of course the audience. Janice will speak to this in relationship to writing grants and how creative storytelling and methods of delivery can make all the difference to funders. The Executive Directors demonstrate how to communicate their organization's mission in front of an audience.

Option #4
How Will You Pay For It? Aligning Strategic Priorities and Funding Opportunities
Moderators: Andrea Romero, Senior Consultant, Sterling & Sarah Thornton Lewis, Principal Consultant, Sterling 
Panelists: Sonja Gee, President & CEO, Memorial Assistance Ministries, Nick Espinosa, Chief Advancement Officer, Houston Zoo & Darrow Zeidenstein, Chief Development Officer, MD Anderson Cancer Center 
Boards of directors and executive leadership often set ambitious goals to advance the vision for their organizations. Sometimes achieving those goals requires new capital projects and major programmatic investments, which require leadership to ask this all-important question: How will we pay for this? Should we plan a comprehensive campaign? Do we need a capital campaign? How much will it cost to maintain new and expanded facilities? Too often, organizations jump headlong into projects without thoroughly considering a realistic funding plan, which could include revenue from philanthropy, public entities, and other sources. This session explores how to synchronize fundraising with strategic priorities. Through a brief presentation and a panel session, we will learn how organizations of different sizes and missions align their fundraising potential to drive key strategic priorities. We will conclude with a Q&A component.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS (1:15 - 2:15 p.m.) 

Option #1
Starting Young, Standing Out: Launching a Distinguished Career in Fundraising and Nurturing the Growth of an Aspiring Fundraiser
Presenters: Abby Trahan, CFRE, Director of Development, University of Houston Law Center, and Brena Baumann-Gonzalez, JD, Senior Director of Development, University of Houston Law Center
Embarking on a fundraising career, especially as a young professional, can be both exhilarating and challenging. This session is meticulously designed to guide early-career fundraisers through the essential steps of carving out a successful path in the philanthropic world. By focusing on key areas such as networking, mentorship, professional development, and strategic career transitions, participants will leave equipped with the tools and knowledge to not only navigate but thrive in the field of fundraising. Moreover, this session extends a warm invitation to seasoned fundraisers who are eager to play a pivotal role in sculpting the next generation of philanthropic leaders. Learn valuable strategies on fostering and encouraging emerging talents within your organization, ensuring a legacy of excellence and innovation in the field.

Option #2
Annual and Capital Campaigning on a Limited Budget
Presenters: Michelle Buchanan, CFRE, Principal, Dini Spheris & Matt Pham, Development Director, Battleship Texas Foundation
Staying Scrappy: Leveraging Pivots for growth; Capital campaigns attract big gifts but can also bring big changes. The Battleship Texas Foundation scaled rapidly and has executed several strategic pivots to facilitate ongoing fundraising. Join is for a strategic overview, lessons learned, and tips on how to navigate change while staying the course, and staying scrappy!" This is a real time case study of one of the most historic properties in the State of Texas. It will help people think about fundraising in partnerships and a firsthand look at changing a culture.

Option #3
Turning a Vendor into a Trusted Advisor
Presenter: Liju Mathew, Major Gift Officer, Houston Food Bank, Heather Icenogle, CFRE, Director of Annual Giving & Philanthropy Operations, Houston Food Bank & Jessica Dominguez, CFRE, Annual Giving Manager, Houston Food Bank 
In this presentation, we discuss into the benefits of building up vendor relationships within the nonprofit sector. By shifting the traditional vendor-client dynamic to an advisor and partner-based approach, nonprofits can leverage expertise, insights, and resources to foster innovation, efficiency, and long-term success. We explore practical strategies for building trust, communication, and collaboration with vendors, empowering nonprofits to elevate vendors into trusted advisors who contribute strategically to organizational goals and mission fulfillment. Through real-life examples and actionable insights, attendees will gain valuable perspectives on maximizing the value of vendor relationships to drive positive impact within their organizations.

Option #4
The Art of Ethical Storytelling in Fundraising
Presenter: Nekia Robinson, External Initiatives Director, SERJobs
As fundraisers, we all look for compelling story that will pull at the heart agents of donors. We get consent from participants and that consent allows us to use the stories as much as we want. We never stop to think, especially after a year or more has passed, does my participant want their story to continue being told, especially after they are no longer in the space or place they were in a year ago. This thought provoking session will allow us to put ourselves in our participants; shoes and ensure we are aligned with participants' needs as well as our organizational needs. 

BREAKOUT SESSIONS (2:30 - 3:30 p.m.) 

Option #2
Navigating Grant Opportunities: A Collaborative Approach from the Consultant and Client Perspectives
Presenter: Allison Boyd, GPC, Boyd Grants
Grant funding can be a significant driver for organizational growth and impact, and understanding how to effectively collaborate with a grants consultant can greatly enhance your chances of success. In this session, we'll begin by examining the consultant's point of view, shedding light on their role, expertise, and strategies for identifying and securing grant opportunities. Drawing from real-world experiences, we'll explore the consultant's perspective on grant research, proposal development, relationship building with funders, and navigating the complexities of grant requirements and deadlines. Next, we'll shift our focus to the client's perspective, offering insights into the challenges, expectations, and considerations when engaging a grants consultant. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how to communicate effectively with consultants, set clear goals and expectations, and leverage the consultant-client relationship to maximize outcomes.

Option #3
The Secret Sauce to a Successful Major Gifts Initiative for a Small and Mid-sized Development Teams
Presenter: Paige Myrick Conway, CFRE, Director of Development, ROCO Chamber Orchestra 
Often a major gift initiative is overlooked for small to mid-sized organizations. The belief is that if resources are limited, staffing is minimal, and the day-to-day efforts are beyond grueling, how could it be possible to get even more money from current donors? It doesn't have to be as daunting as one would think. This session will present the steps implemented to successfully increase ROCO's annual budget from $1.4 million to $2.3 million over the course of 18 months. The strategies can be applied in many contexts but will highlight how a small development shop can succeed and dismantle the idea that it takes extensive staffing to achieve big wins. The session will cover the following actionable steps to take before launching your major gifts plan: 

• Define the term "major gift"
• Data templates to use from the start
• How does a major gift fit within the context of your organization? 
• Key conversation points and tactics to secure the gift 
• What's missing from the equation? How do you dream big and lean into this strategy?
• Shifting the mindset and approach - major gifts don't have to be scary!  

Option #4
Gift Planning Tools for 70+
Presenters: Jillian Day, CFRE, CSPG, Director of Development Programs, Houston Zoo & David Starnes, Senior Director, Estate and Gift Planning, UTHealth Sciences Center Houston 
There are several gift planning tools that savvy fundraisers can bring up or share information with their donors over 70+ to maximize their charitable giving. We will review these different types and the non-cash assets they represent. Then, we'll discuss ways to gauge a donor's interest about them and how to leverage them for a holistic gift planning conversation with your donors over 70.