2019 ANA Chicago Nonprofit Conference | Industry Conferences | Events & Webinars | ANA

2019 ANA Chicago Nonprofit Conference

This event is over.

Join hundreds of fundraising and marketing professionals at The ANA Chicago Nonprofit Conference, a three-day event where you can exchange innovative marketing and fundraising ideas. Get inspired to think creatively and  make the relationship with your donors even stronger.

Marketing’s evolution is getting more accelerated and you need to keep up. At this conference, you’ll hear case studies from your colleagues that will offer you a more realistic view of the issues, challenges, and successes that you face every day.

Join the conversation at #ANACHINP.


Agenda

Conference Track Descriptions

  • Professional Development (Sponsored by Production Solutions) - Join us for a suite of sessions that focus on topics focused on YOU, the professional.
  • Mid-Level Giving (Sponsored by ALC) - These sessions serve as a guide for organizations focused on identifying and building a framework for successful donor pipeline development.
  • Monthly Giving (Sponsored by MDS Communications) - Join us for discussions revolving around monthly giving topics such as attribution, channel, as well as a master class for those with advanced programs.
  • Transformational (Sponsored by ForwardPMX) - Identify growth opportunities that will transform your program. Disrupt the status quo and reinvent the way you engage.
  • Classic Direct Response (Sponsored by Pursuant) - Join us for sessions focused on: Direct Mail, Telemarketing, and Planned Giving; the mainstays of fundraising.
  • Digital (Sponsored by Integral) - Digital and multi-channel fundraising is evolving at a faster and faster pace. Learn about email segmentation, online privacy, the balance of brand + fundraising, and more.
  • Program Analytics (Sponsored by One & All) - Dive into measurement and attribution techniques. Leverage analytics to help prioritize investment opportunities.
TIME EVENT DETAILS LOCATION
Monday, August 26, 2019
1:00pm
- 5:30pm
Registration Open

Grand Ballroom Foyer
2:00pm
- 4:00pm

NONPROFIT EXECUTIVE ROUND TABLE (by invitation only)

Join this invitation only event, where nonprofit fundraising leaders like you openly discuss the latest trends, explore issues, and share insights that are being realized from organizations across the nonprofit community. Facilitated by Angie Moore, Chief Individual Fundraising Officer at CARE. This exclusive, nonprofit only, discussion will allow industry executives to network with each other on a personal, intimate level never seen before at an ANA Nonprofit Federation Conference.

If you’re interested in attending the round table, please complete the linked form. You must be approved to participate in the discussion.

Cloud Gate 1-2
2:00pm
- 5:00pm
Kickoff Sessions

Grand Ballroom
2:00pm
- 3:00pm

THE CULTURE CLUB – THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CULTURE AND OUR ABILITY TO THRIVE IN FUNDRAISING!

Track: Professional Development

This panel will discuss organizational culture and its impact on our ability to raise money and positively support our teams to do great work. So many fundraisers face real challenges in making change and persevering in the face of difficult organizational cultures. Through a lively conversation, our experienced panel will provide insights on their personal experiences with culture and help people who have a desire to build and facilitate great cultures and navigate through the process. Our panel will provide real life examples of how culture can enable people to do their best work, raise the most money and grow as individuals despite challenges and obstacles. 

Our experienced fundraisers will also look at how organizational cultures are enabling people to do more than survive – and actually thrive and provide participants with real advice on making a difference in their own organizations or in their own careers going forward.

Kimberley Blease
Executive Vice President, Client Relationships Blakely
Alicia Meulensteen
Senior Director, Direct Marketing USA International Rescue Committee
Alex Tom
Head of the Canadian Fundraising Unit: Private Sector Partnerships Officer UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency (Canada)
View Event Recap and Related Materials
3:00pm
- 4:00pm

LEAD FROM THE HEART TO UNLEASH YOUR TEAM’S POTENTIAL

Track: Professional Development

In a world that is exponentially more challenging and difficult each day, creating a culture that fosters the right mindset and “heartset”, with the most effective leadership behaviors to support the safety, empowerment, and trust in your people is a cornerstone for any organization’s viability and sustained success.

Through review of the latest scientific research and corporate success stories, this session will explore ways for all leaders, managers, and team members to effectively increase employee engagement. Learn how to drive organizational prosperity and profitability by making your people a priority and meeting their individual needs, as a leader and organization.  Examples will provide key takeaways and best practices you can begin using in your job and at your organization right away.

You’ll leave this session inspired recognizing how a caring culture, led by caring leaders and team members is an effective way to motivate people to excel and thrive.

Ben Harris (@ProdSolutionsDM)
President Production Solutions
John Perell
Director, Strategy and Member Experience Smithsonian Institution
View Video and Presentation
4:00pm
- 5:00pm

THE JOURNEY TO LEADERSHIP

Track: Professional Development

Becoming a leader in your organization is truly a journey. Learn from industry icons what path they took to achieve success within the nonprofit sector. You will be surprised to learn that it is not always the right decisions that propelled them forward, but sometimes learnings from the wrong ones that helped shape them into the leaders they are today. This fast paced session will feature the most recent Max Hart Nonprofit Achievement Award winner, Angel Aloma and the current Nonprofit Federation Rising Leader Award winner, Adrian White Slagle. Tom Harrison, a previous Max Hart winner, will moderate.    

Angel Aloma
Executive Director Food For The Poor
Adrian White Slagle
Director, New Business and Account Management One & All
Tom Harrison
Chairman Emeritus One & All
View Event Recap and Related Materials
5:00pm Dinner On Own

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5:00pm
- 5:30pm

FIRST TIME ATTENDEE SESSION

Come to the short 30-minutes session and learn great tips to navigate to conference!

  • Meet other first-time attendees so that you’ll have some friendly faces throughout your session
  • Review the educational tracks to help focus your session selections
  • Gain some quick and easy group event networking skills
  • Hear from industry veterans on what has worked for them to add skills and build a resourceful network
  • Build a 5-Step conference ‘to do’ list

Megan Den Herder
Director, Direct Response National Audubon Society
Amy English
Group Director MINDset Direct
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
6:30am
- 7:30am
FUN RUN

Who: Anyone looking to run around town. All levels welcome.
What: An early morning run around downtown Chicago to look at beautiful architecture!
Headed up by: Polly Papsadore, PMG Direct 
Bring: Running shoes, workout clothes, and a good attitude.

This is a rain or shine event. Dress for the weather. Have fun and get in a good run!

Meet in Hotel Lobby
7:00am
- 6:00pm
Registration Opens

Grand Ballroom Foyer
7:30am
- 8:30am
Breakfast  

Jeff Nickel
Chief Client Development Officer Moore DM Group
Grand Ballroom
8:30am
- 8:45am
Opening Remarks

Bill Tucker
Group Executive Vice President ANA
View Video and Presentation
Grand Ballroom
8:45am
- 9:45am
Opening Keynote

THE POWER OF PURPOSE

Brands have long held the power to shape perceptions, influence behaviors and create lasting value.  But in this age of radical transformation, brands are challenged to do even more – to imbue meaning that transcends the value of the goods and services they represent.  They must expose beliefs and establish an expectation for the way the organization will make an impact on issues of public interest and social relevance.

Against that background comes the age of the purpose-led brand.  And no segment of the world’s market is better positioned to drive purpose than the nonprofit sector.  As agents of good in the world, our DNA can be shared in authentic and meaningful ways to help other brands find and communicate their own meaning and values. 

In this session, we will explore ways that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is unlocking the power of purpose in its mission, and how others in the nonprofit community can apply these insights as a pathway for their own growth and sustainability.

Emily Callahan
Chief Marketing and Experience Officer ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
View Presentation and Video
Grand Ballroom
9:45am
- 10:15am
Networking Coffee Break

Grand Ballroom Foyer
10:15am
- 11:15am
Breakouts I

Various Locations

EFFECTIVELY LEVERAGING CO-OPERATIVE DATABASES

Track: Classic Direct Response

Nonprofits face a number of challenges in finding and targeting reliable sources of leads for donor acquisition.  Due to decreasing file sizes, lower retention rates on exchange files and the difficulty of finding prospects in commercial list sources, Boys Town decided to join several cooperative databases in an attempt to find new sources of prospects, improve acquisition results and reactivate lapsed donors by leveraging the transaction information within the coops and their respective modeling capabilities. In this session, Boys Town will share results and discuss how it utilized transactional data and modeling to improve results and gain insight from Wiland and Infogroup as to how other organizations are leveraging their cooperative databases. This session will provide ideas, best practices and results covering:

    • Advantages of Cooperative Databases
    • Reactivation of Lapsed Donors
    • Acquisition and Multi-buyers
    • Emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in modeling

Mike Vcelik
Senior Director, Development Boys Town
Rick Witt
Senior Vice President, Client Services Wiland
Keith Pietsch
Vice President, Analytics Infogroup
View Presentation
Looking Glass

WHAT HAPPENED IN DECEMBER 2018, AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

Track: Digital

Overall giving dropped -2.3 percent, and online giving dropped -4.4 percent. Theories have been discussed and debated among nonprofit marketers. Many included estimations of the economy, tax law changes, impacts caused by #GivingTuesday, or changes in the giving landscape.

While these could all have been influential factors, these theories are the result of marketers surveying marketers. RKD and research partner McQueen, Mackin & Associates co-commissioned a study to understand the perspective of donors.

The study digs deep on threads like:

  • Would donors self-report giving less in December 2018?
  • What drove a change in giving?
  • How are donors prioritizing the organizations they support?

This session will explore finding of the research project and highlight how nonprofits can prioritize connection, relevance and authenticity in marketing strategy to help solve for December woes.

Justin McCord
Vice President, Marketing RKD Group
Peter Kuntz
Associate Vice President, Annual Giving Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 1-2

IS YOUR PLANNED GIVING PIPELINE AIRTIGHT?

Track: Mid-Level Giving

For decades, planned gift marketing had been a challenge for most organizations because generating highly qualified leads was very expensive and time-consuming. Most strategies and tactics involved ineffective, inefficient ‘spray and pray’ methods that yielded poor returns on investment.  Learn how to leverage technology to generate the most highly qualified leads for planned gifts at the lowest cost.

Valerie Vierengel
Director, Donor Retention ASPCA
Jeff Giannotto
Solutionist MarketSmart
View Event Recap and Related Materials
Cloud Gate 3-4

IMPOSSIBLE GROWTH NUMBERS: TRANSFORMATIONAL PROGRAM CHANGES

Track: Transformational

We’ll look at real life examples of when organizations were faced with growth challenges and had to make transformational program shifts. This panel discussion includes four industry and nonprofit leaders who will answer questions that they’ve heard from their own Board and CEOs that required shifts within their programs, so you can prepare how you’d answer something similar when you want to make a transformational shift. Like the television game show “Around the Horn” this moderated discussion will award panelists with points for good arguments for or against various industry topics.

Daniel Karp
Senior Vice President, Integrated Direct Marketing Covenant House
Kim Perrow
Senior Director, Donor Engagement Heifer International
Kevin Moran
Co-Founder and Principal Integral
Chuck Pruitt
Co-Managing Director ABD Direct
Robert Connelly
Senior Director, Strategic Services Integral
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 5
11:30am
- 12:30pm
Breakouts II

Various Locations

WHO IS THAT “ANONYMOUS DONOR,” ANYWAY?

Track: Classic Direct Response

We’ve seen it hundreds of times: the unnamed donor, or donors, who “mysteriously” provide a gift that will “match” the gifts of your individual donors. But while this fundraising strategy can represent a much-needed boost for your fundraising program, if executed poorly, it can come across confusing, disingenuous, or even untrustworthy to your donor base. Learn how you can maximize your matching gift offer in a way that instills trust and excitement with your donors, from fundraising experts who have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in execution. Not sure how to even approach the idea of securing a matching gift? Learn how numerous nonprofits have secured LEGITIMATE matches in a way that flattered the donor and see real-life examples of how to convey the impact of the matching gift campaign after it has been executed.

Chelsea Leonard
Director, Development Marines Memorial Association and Foundation
Becca Melesky
Director, Account Services Nexus Direct
View Presentation
Looking Glass

SEND LESS, RAISE MORE: RETHINKING EMAIL SEGMENTATION

Track: Digital

A case study of a large nonprofit's woes about the "burn and churn" of sending too much email and the surprising gains of adapting a paradigm-shifting communication strategy. What happens when you move beyond traditional donor status segmentation and begin listening to donor behavior and matching cadence to engagement?

Kimberly Bersin
Director, Integrated Fundraising and Digital International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Will Smith
Director, Analytics International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Joe Stupica
Online Marketing Analyst International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 1-2

SHOW THEM THE WAY: HOW TO UPGRADE DONORS TO MID-LEVEL GIVING

Track: Mid-Level Giving

Your low-dollar donor pool is a great source from which to build your mid-level giving circles. But what are the best practices to welcoming, stewarding, and engaging your donors so that they upgrade their giving? In this session, hear from organizations that growing their mid-level programs year-over-year. They will share strategies you can deploy that will help you bring in the right kind of donors, how and when to ask them to increase their giving, and how to ensure they continue to give at higher levels.

Margot O’Leary (@AvalonFYI)
Vice President Avalon Consulting
Sarah Stallings
Senior Director of Annual Giving National Geographic Society
Laura Connors
Vice President of Membership National Parks Conservation Association
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 3-4

EVOLUTION VS. INNOVATION

Track: Transformational

This is an interactive session full of opportunity to reflect, discuss with your peers and plan for action. Our daily core activities continue to be an important cornerstone that drive significant funds. We are also hearing that consumer/donor behaviors are shifting and technology continues to change. What does it mean to evolve in this environment? Is this something that is worthy of your time, attention and action?

Adrian White Slagle
Director, New Business and Account Management One & All
Steve Froehlich
Deputy Chief Development Officer ALSAC/St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Kyla Shawyer
Chief Transformation Catalyst Moore DM Group – Advisor
View Event Recap
Cloud Gate 5
12:30pm
- 2:00pm
NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR AWARD LUNCHEON  

The Nonprofit Organization of the Year Award, presented annually at the Chicago Nonprofit Conference, recognizes outstanding accomplishments by a nonprofit organization using data-driven marketing to advance its mission. The recipient is determined based on the following criteria:

  • Sustained achievement in fundraising through data-driven marketing and consistently successful financial performance
  • Recognized leadership with a reputation for excellence within the nonprofit and data-driven marketing communities, as well as with the public at large
  • High ethical standards and compliance with generally accepted standards for management and public disclosure

Christy Radke
Vice President, Data Solutions Epsilon
Kevin Gaschler
ANA NF Advisory Council Chair
Jann Schultz
ANA NF Advisory Council Vice Chair
Tracey Burgoon
Director, Direct Marketing Disabled American Veterans
Grand Ballroom
2:00pm
- 3:00pm
Breakouts III

Various Locations

FACE-TO-FACE: WE’VE GOT THE WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE AND HOW. WE NEED WHY!

Track: Classic Direct Response

Three leading nonprofits with face-2-face programs of varying sizes (small, medium, and large) will discuss their face-2-face program. The organizations will start with “why” they initially engaged with the Face-2-Face channel, and then will engage in a moderated discussion on how that “why” has guided them from start to now in making strategic decisions and both short and long-term plans as they continue in the Face-2-Face space.

Megan Den Herder
Director, Direct Response National Audubon Society
Jill Miller
Associate Director, Sustainer Fundraising (Face-to-Face) The Nature Conservancy
Katie Valvo
Account Director Epsilon
Diane Clifford
Managing Director, Constituency Development Share Our Strength I No Kid Hungry
View Event Recap
Looking Glass

GREAT STORY. NOW WHAT? WHY IT PAYS TO BE ALL IN ON SOCIAL

Track: Digital

Social media is a powerful forum for connecting people to your cause. From generating awareness of your brand, to driving acquisition, activating supporters and generating donations, having a cohesive social media strategy is a quintessential step to fundraising and marketing success in the digital age. But today, having a “social media strategy” isn’t just one thing. It’s not “direct response OR organic”, and it’s not just having a donate button available on your Facebook page. A true social strategy sees the value of social media for every aspect of your nonprofit.

In this session, we’re talking about what it means to be “all in” on social, as it relates to your organic storytelling strategy, to your paid amplification, to making sure all the tools are there for your constituents to support, donate, share and engage meaningfully with you.

Katie Hood
Senior Strategist, Social Media and Content ForwardPMX
Jessie Earl
Senior Manager, Digital Advertising Best Friends Animal Society
Katy Jordan
Vice President, Integrated Media & Strategy ForwardPMX
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 1-2

MID-LEVEL GIVING BY THE NUMBERS

Track: Mid-Level Giving

Mid-level giving programs are growing across nonprofits of every size and sector. But do you know how yours stacks up? What measures are you using to track your success? Are you investing in the right resources? Using data from a variety of nonprofit sectors, we’ll uncover donor and revenue trends for this growing population of valuable contributors. We’ll also hear from industry leaders who are managing growing programs about their best practice recommendations and pitfalls to avoid.

Carol Rhine
Principal Fundraising Analyst Blackbaud
Haley Schulman
Director, Direct Marketing & Intermediate Gifts Alzheimer's Association
Mike Lair
Manager, Direct Response Programs Phoenix Children’s Hospital
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 3-4

TURNING THE SHIP: A PROGRAM STABILIZATION 'HOW TO' GUIDE

Track: Transformational

Donors down? Revenue soft? Retention struggling? You are not alone. Many organizations have struggled in recent years to navigate troubling fundraising waters. This informative session will provide attendees with a step by step 'how to' guide for program stabilization to reverse the course of downward trends. You will learn how to identify root causes of declining performance, create a thoughtful strategy to address the challenges identified and how to evaluate success toward stabilization goals.

Erica O'Brien
Managing Partner, Co-Owner MINDset direct
Tracey Burgoon
Director, Direct Marketing Disabled American Veterans
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 5
3:00pm
- 3:15pm
Networking Coffee Break

Grand Ballroom Foyer
3:15pm
- 4:15pm
Breakouts IV

Various Locations

A 97% OPEN RATE?! IT’S POSSIBLE...WITH TEXTING

Track: Classic Direct Response
 
Let’s get real a second: you gotta evolve the way you’re using the phone to reach your supporters and donors.

The way people use their phones to communicate is changing. But at its core, it still fosters a two way, personal conversation. And great news: your donors and supporters are already there. (Legit, 90% of Americans keep their phone within reach 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.) That means phone engagements reap big rewards for organizing, advocacy, and, yes, even fundraising.

It can be overwhelming to know where to start or how to grow. Our panel of experts are here to share case studies, offer tips, and share lessons learned. And, of course, there will be time for lively discussion and questions and answers.

See how many organizations have started to implement texting as an essential element of their fundraising.

Vicky Barrett-Putnam
Senior Director, Donor Development & Acquisition Strategies Sierra Club
Mark Mitchell
Associate Director, Monthly Giving Program Sierra Club
Chrissy Hyre
Vice President, Innovation and Client Services Fearless Strategies
Looking Glass

KEEPING YELLOWSTONE FOREVER: HOW TREND-SPOTTING SAVED EOY

Track: Digital

When Yellowstone Forever first built their audience in 2016, their donors were a core group of highly invested hand-raisers: park visitors and those deeply rooted in the mission of preserving the nation’s first national park. Needless to say, after over a year of acquiring new names to the list, the days of low-hanging fruit were over – and in early 2018, the team identified a need to rely closely on data, pivot its strategic approach, and ensure an increase in the total number of gifts could offset a lowered average gift amount, all ahead of the fast-approaching crucial moment of year-end.

In this session, the team at Anne Lewis Strategies and Yellowstone Forever will guide you through the innovations and digital experiences that helped bring Yellowstone to the backyards – and hearts – of their entire audience, securing a 50% increase year-over-year gifts, and a stronger end-of-year in 2018 than ever before.

Maureen McNally
Senior Vice President and Director, Accounts Anne Lewis Strategies
Katie Hegarty
Senior Content Strategist Anne Lewis Strategies
Megan Boyle
Vice President, Marketing and Communications Yellowstone Forever
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 1-2

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF HIGH-TOUCH, MID-LEVEL GIVING

Track: Mid-Level Giving

How Planned Parenthood increased revenue retention and ROI within its mid-level program using data analytics, segmentation, and strategic cultivation: Every program has donors that give below their potential. The challenge is how to effectively identify, target, retain and upgrade these donors. Blending the use of direct marketing and strategic stewardship and engagement strategies, Planned Parenthood is working to create a mid-level fundraising program that raises more money while enhancing the donor experience and increasing loyalty.

Sara Nakano
Senior Account Director O'Brien Garrett
Lori Hutson
Director, President's Circle Planned Parenthood Federation of America/Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Laura Lane
Associate Director, Marketing and Analytics, President's Circle Planned Parenthood Federation of America/Planned Parenthood Action Fund
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 3-4

BRAND PURPOSE - HOW CHARITIES WORK WITH BRANDS TO RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS

Track: Transformational

Across the generations, people give to charities in new ways and seek to purchase from reputable brands that partner with causes they believe in. As organizations and brands look to ensure they partner and engage properly, it is important to learn about such alliances and how they have even larger impact and raise awareness about your organization to raise more funds!

Starting a Movement

Attend to learn about what Nationwide Children’s Hospital has done to create a new national movement and cause platform, On Our Sleeves™. This platform was developed to transform mental health outcomes for children and young adults through: advocacy focused on ending stigmas and misconceptions around behavioral health, access to educational tools and resources, and funding and research to advance care. We will showcase highlights and results for the first year of the program and campaign launch, as well as demonstrate how the hospital successfully integrated two of their important strategic brand partners – Nationwide and Big Lots  into the campaign.

GroundTruth and No Kid Hungry

No child should go hungry in America. But 1 in 6 kids will face hunger this year. No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger through effective programs that provide kids with the food they need. This session will delve into how No Kid Hungry and location technology company GroundTruth came together to devise a pro-bono mobile strategy for the annual Dine for No Kid Hungry fundraiser, which unites the restaurant industry and its guests to raise funds to end childhood hunger. Together they raised awareness, drove action and generated donations by partnering with participating restaurants The Habit Burger Grill, Jack in the Box, On The Border, and QDOBA. The discussion will take attendees through the strategy and tactics that led to the campaign’s success and share key takeaways on the Quick Service Restaurant industry, brand partnerships and how nonprofits can leverage different types of technology to accelerate their efforts.

Senny Boone
SVP, Nonprofit Federation, Email Experience Council and Accountability ANA
Karri Schildmeyer (@kcschildmeyer)
Senior Director, Corporate Alliance Marketing Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Tiffanie Hiibner
Chief Client Officer The Shipyard Inc.
Susan Karlen
Senior Manager of Partnership Development Share Our Strength
Dan Silver (@danjsilver)
Vice President, Marketing GroundTruth
View Event Recap and Related Materials
Cloud Gate 5
4:30pm
- 5:30pm
Keynote Session

MEETING THE NEXT GENERATION WHERE THEY ARE

Research tells us that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are energized and focused on “doing good” in the world in unprecedented ways. They prefer to engage with brands that make social good an authentic part of their ethos and expect cause-driven organizations to engage with them on their terms. Rather than asking them to take a seat at their table we should be prepared to take a seat at theirs. In order for nonprofits to thrive — we need to meet gen Z and those that come after them, where they are. Key for success in cultivating the next generation of advocates, donors, volunteers and partners will be re-envisioning compelling opportunities for engagement to solve society’s problems.

In this session we explore how girls are setting the pace for some of the most important innovations at Girls Scouts of the USA that are unleashing the go-getters, innovators, risk-takers and leaders who will create a better future.

Lynn Godfrey
Chief Brand Marketing and Communications Officer Girl Scouts USA
View Video and Presentation
Grand Ballroom
5:30pm
- 6:30pm
Reception  

Because it’s not just what you know. It’s who you know. In addition to a strong education conference that provides the knowledge you need to advance you and your organization to the next step, this event is an opportunity to meet people who help you get there. Take advantage of the reception to expand your professional network by joining us for drinks and appetizers with prominent industry leaders and peers and continue your discussions started in the session rooms. What a great way to kick off your evening activities!

Explore
6:30pm Dinner On Own

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Wednesday, August 28, 2019
6:30am
- 7:30am
Chicago Morning Walk

Get swept away by the sites of the Windy City! Take in a breeze off the Lake, roar past the guardians of the Art Institute, stroll through the park you could spend a Millennium exploring, and lose yourself for a second in the Second City. This hour-long walk will give you the opportunity to take in some key downtown locales and landmarks while serving as an alternative for those who want to experience Chicago and get an early morning exercise in. Please note, the planned path is just under 3 miles – so dress comfortably and feel free to bring a water...or coffee!

7:00am
- 3:00pm
Registration Opens

Grand Ballroom Foyer
7:30am
- 8:30am
Breakfast

Grand Ballroom
8:30am
- 8:40am
Opening Remarks

8:40am
- 9:40am
Keynote Session

UNITED WAY 132 YEARS YOUNG...AND COUNTING

How do you take a 132-year-old brand and make it relevant to today’s (and tomorrow’s) citizen-philanthropists? During this session, United Way Worldwide Chief Marketing Office Lisa Bowman will take the audience through the organization’s three-year brand transformation journey. From rebuilding trust and increasing awareness of the brand, to galvanizing engagement of donors, advocates and volunteers, to asserting the relevance of the 132-year-old organization, Lisa has taken the brand on a journey. She will discuss the challenges that faced United Way Worldwide when she joined in 2015 and the strategy she executed to research, develop and execute a new face of the organization. The session will include data from United Way’s 2018 National Brand Tracker and Edelman’s 2019 Trust Barometer, outlining the results of the brand transformation and challenges faced by similar institutions.

Lisa Bowman (@LisaBowmanUWW)
Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer United Way Worldwide
View Video and Presentation
10:00am
- 11:00am
Breakouts V

Various Locations

IS 2019 TOO LATE TO START A DIRECT MAIL PROGRAM?

Track: Classic Direct Response

A lot of newer organizations have their start-up and roots primarily in the digital space.  Is there room for mail in their marketing program?  How can you best use the mail channel?  And what should be the decision points that define parameters around your direct mail program.

Teresa Weaver
Vice President, Client Strategies O'Brien Garrett
Matt Reese
National Digital Campaigns Director Everytown for Gun Safety
View Presentation
Looking Glass

GEN X- THE FORGOTTEN GENERATION

Track: Digital

Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. Trapped between baby boomers and millennials, gen Xers tend to be the forgotten middle child. However, in the next 30 years, we will experience the biggest transfer of wealth from one generation to another — estimates range between $30-48 Trillion dollars will be handed down to the generation that grew up on Sesame Street and saw the wall come down. Will you be ready? Don’t you forget about them.

Paige Kelbe
Account Director Epsilon
Steve Kehrli
Director PETA Foundation
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 1-2

LOCK IT DOWN! GET SUSTAINERS COMMITTED FOR THE LONG HAUL

Track: Monthly Giving

Sustainers are critical to revenue growth for your organization, so you need to be committed to keeping them engaged. See how two very different organizations in terms of sustainer program size and maturity approach acquisition and retention. Learn how you can employ these strategies today along with best practices around them for success. You will leave with a toolbox of techniques to implement, along with a plan to make the case for support internally and likely have some laughs along the way.

This session will make sure you are ready to get committed to your sustainers and ensure that you are ready to get them engaged to you for the long term!

Michelle Ehrhardt
Deputy Director, Membership ACLU
Jason Novelli
Manager, Donor Marketing Diabetes Canada
Amy Pawluk, CFRE
Executive Vice President, New Business Development Blakely
View Event Recap and Related Materials
Cloud Gate 3-4

MAXIMIZING SUPPORTER VALUE THROUGH ADVANCED ANALYTICS

Track: Program Analytics

Join Sierra Club and MarkeTeam to discover how Sierra Club utilizes data mining and long-term value (LTV) analyses to make strategic investment decisions that allow the organization to diversify its donor pool, grow its sustainer program, and better target its large activist file for conversion.  Applying advanced analytics pre and post testing allows Sierra Club to leverage the plethora of investment options at its disposal including Facebook Messenger, Peer-to-Peer, and various internet forums, not to mention the old standbys of email, direct mail and telemarketing.  Additionally, because of the many different options for supporters, Sierra Club must constantly monitor activity through these various channels.  Find out how this bastion of environmental justice establishes their framework for engaging with their growing database of supporters.

Drew Seman
Director of Product Management Cro Metrics
Andre Sternberg
Director, Digital Advertising and Audience Growth Sierra Club
Jeff Huberty
Executive Vice President MarkeTeam
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 5
11:00am
- 11:15am
Networking Coffee Break

Grand Ballroom Foyer
11:15am
- 12:15pm
Breakouts VI

Various Locations

TESTING FOR IMPACT

Track: Classic Direct Response

Tired of testing month after month with little to show for it? Looking to increase your bottom line impact and save costs? In this session, you’ll hear from organizations who are bucking the trend on testing by favoring smart testing over testing for testing’s sake. They test deliberately and for impact to move the dial, not just the needle. We’ll share testing results, how to ensure you are testing for statistical validity, and how to incorporate this kind of testing into your program.

Laura Connors
Vice President, Membership National Parks Conservation Association
TJ Hillinger
Vice President & Director of Analytical Services Avalon Consulting
Margot O'Leary (@AvalonFYI)
Vice President Avalon Consulting
View Presentation
Looking Glass

YOUR DIGITAL MEDIA BUDGET: BUILD IT AND GET IT APPROVED

Track: Digital

Learn from the digital experts about their process, strategies, attribution analysis and tactics used to develop and sell their digital media budgets to the keeper of the purse strings!  In addition, this session will present surprising findings from a national survey on Digital Media Spending in the nonprofit marketplace  or more specifically, the media spending across search, email, social, and display advertising. You’ll be able to benchmark how you compare!

Roger Hiyama
Senior Vice President, Client Services Wiland
Jessica Kirsche Morrow
Digital Marketing Manager The Nature Conservancy
Dan Williams
Director, Client Advancement Further
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 1-2

MAKING THE MOST OF THE BREAK-UP – HOW TO WIN BACK SUSTAINERS

Track: Monthly Giving

You’ve spent countless dollars and time acquiring new sustainers, but have you spent time digging into attrition and reviewing your efforts to win them back? We will look at examples of sustainer programs that have set-up warning mechanisms to get ahead of attrition and have processes in place to win them back.

Michelle Faber
Associate Director, Sponsorship Retention Marketing Save the Children
Kate Hollandsworth
Senior Director, Strategic Services Integral
Lindsay Pologe
Senior Account Manager Integral
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 3-4

SIMPLE ATTRIBUTION TECHNIQUES FOR A COMPLEX FUNDRAISING WORLD

Track: Program Analytics

If you are a smart fundraiser today, you are acquiring and cultivating new donors in a number of different ways.  The expansion of channels for donor acquisition, cultivation and retention has opened up exciting possibilities for nonprofit organizations to reach out to diverse communities for support and advocacy. But it has also created a new challenge — how can you measure the return on investment for any given channel when a donor may have had multiple touches before giving to your organization? In this session, we will provide you with simple tools you can use to evaluate the return on investment of your acquisition efforts in a complex, multichannel world. We will show you how you can measure the impact of each channel independently and in concert with your overall fundraising strategy — while avoiding complex and arbitrary attribution formulas. And, most importantly, we will discuss how you can use simple attribution techniques to break away from channel specific investment strategies — creating a donor-focused acquisition strategy for your organization that takes full advantage of the new opportunities in our current fundraising environment.

Peter Schoewe (@mwdagency)
Vice President and Director, Analytics Mal Warwick Donordigital
Wendy Marinaccio Husman (@wendymarinaccio)
Account Director Mal Warwick Donordigital
Jeff Zick (@vegjeff)
Associate Director, Direct Response Fundraising PETA Foundation
View Event Recap and Related Materials
Cloud Gate 5
12:15pm
- 1:30pm
LUNCHEON FIRESIDE CHAT - DATA PRIVACY CHALLENGES

Privacy legislation at the state and federal level threaten nonprofit organizations in new ways — from potentially limiting donor data sources to adding new compliance burdens for charities and organizations. Whether you are a company working for a charity, or an organization seeking new donors, you need to know the latest! Come to a “fireside chat” to learn the developments in data privacy challenges, ANA’s actions to develop sound privacy policy at the federal level and much more!

Senny Boone
SVP, Nonprofit Federation, Email Experience Council and Accountability ANA
Kevin Gaschler
Managing Director of Membership Programs Ducks Unlimited
Daniel Sepulveda
Vice President, Global Government Relations MediaMath
Jeff Buchan
Head of Global Industry Relations & Strategic Partnerships Google
View Video
Grand Ballroom
1:30pm
- 2:30pm
Breakouts VII

Various Locations

BREAK DOWN ORG SILOS, PRIORITIZE YOUR SUPPORTERS' EXPERIENCE

Track: Classic Direct Response

Good fundraising programs are the result of good organizations. And good organizations are supporter-centric, prioritize supporter engagement and are collaborative across teams, enabling them to deliver inspiring, integrated, and individualized content to their community.

In this session, we’ll use experiences from JDRF and other nonprofits to discuss how to break down the organization's walls that get in the way of creating the best possible experience for your supporters. 

We’ll draw from the experience of marketers trying to bring change to decades old nonprofits and working to collaborate with development, mission and IT teams in the process. This session will breakdown the five factors stopping organizations from achieving a digital breakthrough: investment, technology, governance, creative and delivery of service.

Stephen Muller (@bluestate)
Managing Director Blue State
Alisa C. Norris (@JDRF)
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer JDRF
View Event Recap and Related Materials
Looking Glass

ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR GOOGLE ANALYTICS?

Track: Digital

Google Analytics is a treasure trove of data for direct marketers, but are you using it? Does your org have it set up correctly?

In this session we will dive deeper into the data and measurement tools that Google has to offer that can help us understand attribution, paths to conversion and the how the behavior of your audience can inform channel and messaging choices. How can we ensure that our GA implementation is correct to track conversions, attribution, owned and earned strategies so that we can properly optimize against our objective of converting site traffic into donors?

Bigger picture, GA can be intimidating, so what are the key pieces a direct marketer data should you be monitoring and how to get at that data simply and efficiently?

Jeff Ostiguy (@thdinc)
Vice President, Marketing THD
Adam Faircloth
Senior Director, Digital Engagement and Growth USO
Michelle Hurtado
Global Head of Ad Grants Google
Emma Cohen
Head of Growth, Google Ad Grants Google
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 1-2

DIVERSIFY TO WIN: BALANCING ONE TIME & MONTHLY GIVING

Track: Monthly Giving

Balancing one time & monthly giving strategies can be challenging as it often requires vigilance in balancing immediate and future outcomes. However, committing to investments in both programs will ultimately have the greatest long term payoff for the organization. Attendees will benefit from examples showcasing how the case for investments, across a diverse channel mix, are made by organizations. In addition, attendees will see specific creative used, audience targeted and outcomes generated.

Letal Zidkony
Senior Vice President, Fundraising Strategies MINDset direct
Rachel Katzman (@TheFellowship)
Manager, DRTV and Telemarketing International Fellowship of Christians & Jews
Michal Heiplik
Executive Vice President CDP
Valerie Vierengel
Director, Donor Retention ASPCA
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 3-4

THIS IS HOW DIRECT MAIL & DIGITAL CAN REALLY PLAY TOGETHER!

Track: Program Analytics

It’s 2019. Are you still having the big, scary, philosophical debates about channel integration? If the answer is, “yes”, here’s some other questions for you. Did you ever stop to think about what makes these conversations so big and scary, and why? And are they resulting in any meaningful new plans, strategies, or results?

We have some advice: Stop thinking about channel integration and start thinking about the easy wins that can come from getting direct mail and digital working together. In this session, we’re going to be talking about the clear proof points your teams need to make investment changes, look at your file differently and get online and offline channels working together to achieve shared goals. (No complex integration lingo here!) Before you get to your next steps toward innovating your program, have these conversations about the bread and butter integration pieces you might be missing!

Mark McLean
Director, Direct Mail Client Services ForwardPMX
Bailey Bernius
Associate Director, Campaign Strategy ForwardPMX
Sara Daum
Manager, Team USA Fund Campaigns United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee
Beth Fitch
Mid-Level Giving & Donor Advancement Manager Mercy Corps
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 5
2:30pm
- 2:45pm
Networking Coffee Break

Grand Ballroom Foyer
2:45pm
- 3:45pm
Breakouts VIII

Various Locations

DOES YOUR DM NEED A STICK OF DYNAMITE OR A KICK IN THE ASK?

Track: Classic Direct Response

Join Sierra Club, Oblate Missions, and MarkeTeam to discover how these nonprofits approach testing and how they balance risk with the reward. Learn six key testing approaches that anyone can implement to balance risk/reward. These innovative lessons transformed the Sierra Club’s program, while the Oblate Missions have revolutionized their approach to stopping their donors from lapsing, reactivating lapsed donors, and acquiring more donors.

In this session, learn proven strategies that can make your direct mail program more effective by showing you how to approach testing by balancing risk and reward with analytics that can drive your fundraising program more efficiently.

Marisela Guillen
Acquisitions Campaigns Manager Oblate Missions
Andy Johnson
Vice President, Database and Analytic Services MarkeTeam
Barbara Johnson (@bajitaly)
Vice President, Client Services MarkeTeam
Vicky Barrett-Putnam
Senior Director, Donor Development and Acquisition Strategies Sierra Club
View Presentation
Looking Glass

PEER-TO-PEER FUNDRAISERS: HOW TO MAXIMIZE THAT FREE MONEY

Track: Digital

You might love this new crowdsourcing trend for the money it brings in without you lifting a finger. But you might also be wondering if you’re leaving money on the table by not proactively participating in the strategic process, especially with Facebook fundraisers. Or, you may not be sure you’re ready to dip your toe in this pool at all. Trust us: It’s worth the leap! In this session, you’ll learn from the experts at Anne Lewis Strategies and the USO about how some of the most successful nonprofits are leaning in and seizing this opportunity to maximize results – and how to bring skeptical teams from wary to wowed. 

Aaron Teskey
Vice President Anne Lewis Strategies
Maureen McNally
Senior Vice President and Director, Accounts Anne Lewis Strategies
Adam Faircloth
Senior Director, Digital Engagement and Growth USO
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 1-2

RETAINING YOUR SUSTAINING DONORS

Track: Monthly Giving

Retention is where the value of sustaining donors is made or lost.  Traditional variables like age of donor, acquisition channel, or your campaign copy won’t fix sustainer retention.  The most important variables are about quality: quality of the donor experience and quality of the donor herself.  Organizations will show you how they are collecting this data and using it to manage their fundraisers, change the donor experience, and get massive improvement in retention.

Kevin Schulman
Founder and Managing Partner DonorVoice
Jay Hollister
Director, National Donor Experience and Engagement Canadian Red Cross
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 3-4

BEYOND BUZZWORDS: HOW DATA SCIENCE CAN ATTRACT NEW AUDIENCES

Track: Program Analytics

Nonprofit organizations need to be engaging new supporters every day, including new audiences who traditionally haven’t been included — whether that’s young people, certain geographic regions, or people of color. A lot goes into engaging new audiences — including an organization-wide commitment, an authentic voice that resonates with these new groups, and relationships in the community. Data science can also be a powerful tool to help organizations engage new audiences. In this session, NRDC will share how the organization is leveraging analytics to develop a data-driven outreach and engagement strategy, including how NRDC has used:

  • Data to move beyond intuition to understand its existing supporter base and establish realistic growth goals
  • Predictive modeling to identify who to reach out to
  • Testing to understand which issues and messaging are most effective with which audiences
  • Cross-department analytics to align teams on organization-wide goals

Scarlett Swerdlow
Director, Applied Data Science Civis Analytics
Kate McKenney
Senior Director, Data and Digital Technology Natural Resources Defense Council
View Presentation
Cloud Gate 5
3:45pm Conference Adjourns

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Cancellation Policy and Notes

Individual conference registrations can be cancelled in writing only via email (registration@ana.net). Phone cancellations are not accepted.

• A full refund will be granted, if written request for cancellation is received by email 60 or more calendar days before the conference start date.
• A 50 percent refund will be granted if written request for cancellation is received by email between 59-45 calendar days before the conference start date.
• No refund will be granted if written request for cancellation is received by email 44 or less calendar days before the conference start date.
• No refund will be granted for "no shows."
• Corporate packages are not eligible for cancellation or refunds.
• Unused registrations/applications have no monetary value and cannot be credited to future years or events.
• ANA will not issue refunds or credits due to failure to redeem a discount promo code during the registration process.
• A $125 processing fee will be assessed to change the name on a registration.
• Hotel room cancellations and changes must be made directly with the hotel.

Miscellaneous:
1. The conference agenda is subject to change.
2. A portion of your guest room rate will be used to offset conference costs.
3. ANA accepts no responsibility for the loss of, or damage to, personal property.
4. Registrations received after two weeks prior to the conference may not be included in the attendee list.