Morning  Session
11:00 a.m.  - 12:00 p.m.

Higher Education Trends & Insights: Current Landscape and the Rise of Next Gen Philanthropy

With nearly 2 million non-profits spending $2 trillion annually, the competition for – and motivation of – donors is evolving. With research culled from Just Giving, EAB, and industry best practices, let’s discuss the top trends and behaviors impacting the philanthropic marketplace.

Katharine Wiseman is the Director of Donor Insights for the University of Delaware. Part of UD’s Development and Alumni Relations division, she originated her role in 2019 and is charged with developing an integrated analytics and segmentation strategy for the team, as well as leading benchmarking, insights, and best practice research. Katharine has 20 years of higher education fundraising experience, having worked at the College of William & Mary and Temple University in annual giving, donor relations, analytics, college/unit giving, events, marketing, and individual giving roles across her tenure. In addition to her undergraduate degree in religion & art history, Katharine earned a master’s in educational policy, planning, and leadership from the College of William & Mary.

Afternoon  Session

12:15 - 2:00 p.m.
Identifying & Integrating the "7 Donor Motivations"

The salient 1994 Prince/File study titled The Seven Faces of Philanthropy identified specific donor motivations that people generally have when it comes to giving. Short of requiring a donor to complete a questionnaire, how might a development officer or professional advisor easily identify which motivation applies to the person across the table from them?  What words and phrases might they use, or not use, so as to coax a gift planning conversation?

There are two engagement questions suggested that easily do this.  Listening to the answers to these questions can set-up very dynamic framing questions, envisioning opportunities and perhaps alternatives to the normative gift planning paradigm most donors might have.

Being cognizant of phrases that both excite and perhaps turn-off donors based upon their particular motivation is especially helpful.  For instance, a Repayer is all about “giving back” to their charity, but an Investor or a Devout might hear the phrase as a plea of entitlement to their money.  Leading with the tax advantages of a particular gift planning arrangement may excite an Investor or a Communitarian, but an Altruist or Devout might find this oft-putting. The presenter particularly emphasizes that this awareness and application not only needs to be honed in one’s style of dialogue with donors, but also in the actual language used in gift proposals.  Another issue covered is how to diplomatically navigate the motivations of not only donors, but their professional advisors in gift planning situations.

A reference chart the presenter designed will be given to each audience member as a take-away.   

Marc Littlecott is the Advancement Director for Estate & Planned Giving at the University of Mississippi, where he has been on staff since 2022. He has worked as a specialist in the field of planned giving since 1999 with both The Salvation Army, as well as the South Dakota State University Foundation.  Among his certifications, Marc is a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy®.

He was the Secretary & Treasurer of the former Charitable IRA Initiative, a.k.a. Conrad Teitell’ s Rollover-Rangers, which lobbied for passage of the Charitable IRA Rollover and its expansion for split-interest gifts under the SECURE ACT 2.0.  He presently serves on the editorial board of Planned Giving Today  magazine and is a frequent contributor of articles for the same.  He has presented at national planned giving conferences and many planned giving chapters throughout the nation.

After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute, Marc served as a commissioned Army Reserve officer before working in the nonprofit field. 

*Members who register but who then are unable to attend, please let us know at least 48 hours in advance of the program. Members who do not attend without notice will be charged a $25 no-show fee.