Courses & Seminars

Unlock the potential of planned giving to significantly enhance your organization’s fundraising efforts. This comprehensive course is designed to equip participants with the knowledge and tools needed to develop and grow a successful planned giving program. Key topics include advanced and integrated marketing strategies, planned gift administration, donor recognition, and developing a comprehensive planned gift plan. Participants will also learn how to identify potential donors, cultivate relationships, and navigate legal and ethical considerations. Register now and bring a colleague with you!

This course is designed for one fundraiser and one team member from an organization to attend together. The team member should be the CEO, Executive Director, finance team member, board member, or other member of the leadership team.

Maximize your fundraising success through this timeless course that teaches the tried-and-true practical skills of effective fundraising. Strengthen your fundraising abilities by learning proven fund development tools, and draft a specific fundraising plan to grow your organization. This course serves as the foundation for the rest of the curriculum. Upon completion of the course, participants will receive a digital copy of Achieving Excellence in Fundraising, fifth edition, the go-to reference for fundraising principles, concepts, and techniques.

This course focuses on the techniques and application of evaluation methods to assess the effectiveness of nonprofit programs.

Fundraising success depends on organization-wide efforts from the leadership of the board to the dedication of front-line staff. This course focuses on the role the board plays in fundraising and how to best structure the organization to support this role. Board members and staff will work collaboratively to develop an action plan to improve the culture of philanthropy in your organization, improve board recruitment and training, and ensure the organization has a solid case for support. We recommend that a staff person and a board member attend together but it’s not a requirement for the course.

Throughout this course, you will explore the fundamental principles and strategies of optimizing social media for fundraising purposes. You will learn how to create compelling content that captures the attention of your target audience and aligns with your organization's mission. Discover the techniques for crafting impactful social media posts, including engaging storytelling, persuasive messaging, and utilizing visuals to evoke emotion and inspire action.

In addition, you will gain insights into social media analytics and measurement tools to track the performance of campaigns. Explore key performance indicators (KPIs) and learn how to interpret data to make informed decisions and optimize social media strategies for maximum impact.

Learn clear action steps for refining and sustaining your strategic plan and enhancing your planning effectiveness.

The Fund Raising School Webinars highlighting the latest research from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and address the most pressing issues in the field

Do not let the complexity of federal laws and tax codes prevent your nonprofit from including planned gifts in your fundraising strategy. Christy Boysen, CFRM, who serves as CEO of Apex Legacy Consultants, will describe user-friendly techniques for planned gift fundraising, regardless of your nonprofit’s size or capacity.

Communicating with the for-profit sector can feel like communicating in a foreign language. Tiffany Benjamin, who led the Eli Lilly & Company Foundation before her current leadership role as CEO of the Humana Foundation, will present practical methods for translating your nonprofit’s mission and funding opportunity to business sector funders.