Fundraisers know that having a relationship with a donor is key to moving an annual donor to become a major donor. Often, we need to use the relationships our volunteers and stakeholders have with a donor to initiate a discovery meeting and to grow the donor’s relationship with our organization.

Paul Yeghiayan will share his wisdom as a Senior Consultant with Benefactor Group and as the president-elect of the nation’s largest Association of Fundraising Professionals chapter in Washington, DC. He is an AFP Master Trainer, a Certified Fund Raising Executive, a Certified Specialist in Planned Giving, a Fellow in Charitable Estate Planning, and is currently earning the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy designation.

Non-Profit organizations that are serious about building a sustainable and robust advancement program need to design their operation to identify, engage, cultivate, and secure gifts from and steward affluent and high-net-worth individuals.

David Garamella will share his wisdom as the Founder & CEO of The Giving Collaborative, a global comprehensive philanthropy and management consulting firm, and use his 30 years of executive and consulting experience in philanthropy.

Services that provide donor philanthropic capacity estimates, like iWave, DonorSearch, and others, are considered must-haves to support campaigns and work with major donors. Like all things, these services have their shortcomings.

Natalee Martin will share her wisdom as a former advancement officer for sixteen years, primarily in healthcare, before becoming the Director of Development at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. As the Chief Advancement Officer at the Seacoast Science Center, she was charged with building a development shop from scratch and beginning a $12 million dollar capital campaign. Natalee is now an Enterprise Customer Success Manager EverTrue, a SaaS company that equips fundraisers with everything they need to build intentional, personal donor relationships, from major gifts to annual giving.

Research has demonstrated when fundraisers are presented with the same information about a donor, their suggested Ask amount will range wildly by as much as 1000%. This is because of the influence of personal and institutional biases about money.

Melissa Kogut will share her wisdom as a nonprofit sector leader for more than 25 years – currently as Vice President of Development at Riverside Community Care, which provides community-based behavioral healthcare and human services to more than 40,000 children, adolescents, and adults each year. She has many years of experience leading mission-driven nonprofits in Massachusetts, raising funds, and influencing a range of health and public policy issues, including women’s reproductive healthcare and food systems issues.