Session Descriptions

• W5: Who, What, When, Where, and Why of Monthly Giving

  We’ve all heard the buzzword: retention. It’s a KPI that each charity tracks (or should); yet, retention rates for new one-time donors are below 30% and around 45% existing one-time donors. What can a charity do to improve these percentages?
  
  Well, having a well-defined donor journey for each of your donors is key, along with a new donor onboarding process that, from the start, shows your donors why their decision to support your cause was a good one. And that’s where monthly giving comes in. Retention rates for monthly donors average well above 80% (and as high as 90+% for some charities).
  
  Using tried-and-tested examples from a multi-million dollar monthly giving program, this session will teach participants what they can do to start or improve their monthly giving program to improve retention rates and gain legacy prospects.

   

  Presenters:

  Jas Jhooty, BA, MA
  Fundraising Consultant
  
  Melissa Ren, BA, DPSPOR, CLA
  Direct Response Marketing Specialist
  BC Children's Hospital Foundation
  

• Celebrating and Embedding Cultural Diversity

  Celebrating cultural diversity in every aspect of your organization can change the way your team thinks and works to create meaningful philanthropy for donors and communities. From recruiting talented team members and embedding a culture of open-mindedness to growing new philanthropic participation, cultural diversity translates into impact where it matters most. This true-life case presentation will provide insight and examples of how a tiny multicultural team grew the ideal of diversity into being at the core of how they successfully share and embrace differences to create a highly engaged organization and donor community.
  
  

  Presenters:

  Natalie Meixner, ICD.D
  President & CEO
  Richmond Hospital Foundation
  
  Endora Fan
  Senior Manager, Legacy Giving
  Richmond Hospital Foundation
  
  Spencer Gall
  Senior Manager, Philanthropy
  Richmond Hospital Foundation
  

• Sweat the Small Stuff! Building Authentic Donor Relationships and Revenue

  A case study of how Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, a mid-size organization of 10 employees, more than doubled its revenue through implementing simple, inexpensive, yet effective strategies focused on nurturing relationships with annual donors who became major, transformational, and legacy donors.
  
  Attendees will leave this session with specific, easy-to-implement examples of who to cultivate and steward for major and legacy gifts and how to deepen relationships and forge stronger ties between donors and their organizations beyond phone calls and thank-you letters.
  
  

  Presenter:

  Judy Savage, CFRE
  President & CEO
  Lions Gate Hospital Foundation

• Journey Mapping Your Way to a More Donor-Centric Grateful Patient Program

  Learn how CX (customer experience) journey mapping and design thinking can improve your grateful patient and family fundraising. This hands-on session is a primer on how forward-thinking healthcare philanthropy organizations are using journey mapping to create a more seamless, cross-functional, technology-driven, omni-channel, and improved donor journey.
  
  "Journey" has become the buzzword du jour, but what does it really mean? Haven’t we always tried to put donors at the centre of our healthcare fundraising, engagements, and communications? The concept of the customer journey is to help your organization to communicate with a pool of donors using as close to an individual approach as resources allow.
  
  In this one-hour workshop session, we will work in teams, use Post-it notes and walls to learn how to help your healthcare organization master this key customer experience (CX) approach from the commercial world.
  
  We will map donors (and family members) who are Gen Y, Gen X, Boomers, and Matures. Our work will be deeply informed by healthcare fundraising case studies that show how organizations have benefitted from this powerful technique.
  
  Journey mapping doesn’t just have a profound impact on your healthcare fundraising efforts through structured empathy and improved engagement, but the process itself brings disparate teams more closely together to build a cross-functional, donor-centric experience.

   

  Presenters:

  Michael Johnston
  Founder and CEO
  hjc
  
  Ron Hogue
  Director of Development
  Victoria General Hospital Foundation
  
  Lindsay Peddle
  Director of Communications
  Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation
  

• Maximize Your Results: Changing How We Work with Agencies and Vendors

  You get what you put into working with agencies and vendors. This session will explore how the RFP process, collaborative planning and transparency, and relationships are the keys to seeing results from your agency partners and the programs you manage. Sean Capri from the University Hospital Foundation will provide real-world examples and lessons that have led him to transform fundraising programs, increase donor counts, and enhance ROI. This session is for specialists, managers, and directors who are looking to improve their working relationships with current vendors and agencies or find a new vendor and hit the ground running.
  
  

  Presenter:

  Sean Capri
  Director, Annual Giving
  University Hospital Foundation
  

• Creative Approaches to Alternative Revenue Generation

  Join a panel discussion where three leaders share their unique approaches to generating revenue and driving impact in the community while advancing the mission of their foundations. Presenters will engage in a lively discussion with a moderator and attendees and will bring examples of their work and explore sector trends.
  
  

  Panelists:

  Heather Scott, MPE, CFRE
  Executive Director
  Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation
  
  Stephanie Beck
  Executive Director
  Peace Arch Hospital & Community Health Foundation
  
  Allison Ramchuk, MA, CFRE
  Chief Executive Officer
  KGH Foundation
  
  

  Moderator:

  Peter Fassbender
  Board Member
  Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation
  

• Take Your Nonprofit Events Program to New Heights Through Peer-to-Peer Fundraising

  Nonprofit leaders everywhere are taking advantage of this new way to raise funds for their missions. Having led a team to new heights through peer-to-peer event fundraising campaigns during the pandemic, QEII Foundation and BMO Ride for Cancer's event director, Dianna MacDonald, will do a deep dive into the hot new campaign strategy that is sweeping the nonprofit sector.
  
  In this session, you will learn the success formula behind Atlantic Canada’s fastest-growing P2P fundraising event, BMO Ride for Cancer, including:

  • How to recruit and mobilize a volunteer cabinet of corporate and community leaders and shape a strategic participant and donor engagement plan
  • The magic behind mid-level and major gift integration to leverage matching gifts with a one-day fundraising blitz, and
  • The importance of implementing a fundraising milestone incentive program that will help event participants reach and exceed their individual fundraising goals.

  Presenter:

  Dianna MacDonald
  Event Director, BMO Ride for Cancer
  QEII Foundation

• Building Your Annual Giving Program and Donor Communications

  Are you stuck in a rut sending the same communications year after year? Are you looking for a way to build your donor pool and increase giving? Are you wanting to move away from event-driven fundraising but don’t know where to start? Building a strategic annual calendar of donor communications can be a great tool to solve a multitude of fundraising challenges.
  
  Join me and let’s explore best practices in annual giving. You will walk away with a few easy-to-execute ideas and tools to level up systemized donor communications and make stronger connections with your supporters.
  
  We will cover how to take stock of your current annual program, opportunities for improvement and growth, and how to take time to prioritize and plan for success.
  
  

  Presenter:

  Chandel Schmidt, CFRE
  Senior Director, Philanthropic Programs
  Kelowna General Hospital Foundation
  

• CAGP Gift Planning Fundamentals Workshop (extra fee applies)

  AHP is partnering with the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP) to bring you this pre-conference workshop all about planned gifts. Whether you are new to gift planning or in need of a solid refresher, the CAGP Foundation's Gift Planning Fundamentals is a one-day introductory course that will give you the boost you need to thrive in your career. 

  Topics include:

  • Current philanthropic trends and tax issues
  • Some common types of planned gifts in Canada
  • How to introduce and discuss planned gifts with your donors ... and more

  Presenter:

  Paul Nazareth, MFA-P
  Vice President, Education and Development
  Canadian Association of Gift Planners
  
  Paul Nazareth has worked in Canada’s philanthropic sector for over 20 years. Currently, vice president, education and development at the Canadian Association of Gift Planners (CAGP), and was previously vice president at the charity CanadaHelps, where he worked with healthcare charities across Canada. Paul has been a philanthropic advisor with a national wealth management firm working with donor-advised funds and private foundations. He also spent over a decade working with charities large and small. Paul is on the board of several charities including the Circle on Indigenous Philanthropy and the Advisory Council of Carleton University’s Masters in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership program, and he serves as faculty for the Master Financial Advisor in Philanthropy (MFA-P) designation in Canada, co-created by the Knowledge Bureau, CAGP, and Spire Philanthropy teaching advisors how to support philanthropic clients. Paul is the co-host of “The Intersection Podcast”, writes on philanthropy for a variety of publications, and regularly appears on national radio and television to speak about generosity in Canada.  

• Donations of Tomorrow: Cryptocurrency Philanthropy & Canadian Healthcare (Express Talk)

  In the spring of 2020, the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation set out on a journey to figure out what cryptocurrency was, and how they could put it to work for their healthcare facilities. In this session, former LRHF CEO Malcolm Radke shares learnings from that experience. 
  
  This session will also review best-practice cases from across the country and the world, and go over the policies and steps needed for Canadian healthcare foundations to start receiving donations of cryptocurrency right away.  
  
  This presentation will cover:
  - Overview of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology)
  - Logistics of accepting a cryptocurrency donation
  - Sample policies for board approval
  - Other tips and tricks 
  
  This session will also give a brief overview of the history of cryptocurrency, its uses, and the future of crypto philanthropy in Canada.

  Presenter:

  Malcolm Radke, CFRE, B.Comm
  Former CEO
  Lloydminster Region Health Foundation
  

• Building a Culture of Giving with a Hospital Family Campaign

  This session explores the case study of St. Paul’s Foundation’s It’s Happening Campaign, an internal campaign designed for St. Paul’s staff, with an original goal to raise $3 million to $5 million, which was later revised to $7 million, from physicians and hospital staff. SPF captured this amazing opportunity to support both It’s Happening and St. Paul’s remarkable Lights of Hope Campaign that has raised more than $47 million in funds to meet the greatest needs of patients and residents at Providence Health Care.

  You'll learn how to:

  • Improve your family giving program by applying a consistent strategy using blended and multi-year gifts and recognition at varying levels.
  • Maintain strong relationships and fundraising connections with hospital ambassadors actively participating in the delivery of the foundation’s mission of raising funds and awareness for the hospital.
  • View fundraising as a core shared responsibility for fund development among employees, constituents, board, and volunteers.
  • Integrate into the work of the hospital through marketing and communication functions and connect through multiple channels.
    
    

  Presenters:

  Teija Beck
  Director, Major Gifts
  St. Paul's Foundation
  
  Sarah Burgess
  Marketing and Communications Director
  St. Paul's Foundation
  
  Shellina Lakhdhir, CFRE
  Director, Major Gifts, Transformation
  St. Paul's Foundation

• Transform Your Organization's Impact Through Analytics and Business Intelligence

  The software backbone of most of our organizations is Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge and related products. These are valuable tools for collecting and tracking data, but most of us in our industry still struggle with the basics. NXT is progress, but users need better tools in their technology toolbox. An analytics and business Intelligence platform can begin to make sense of the chaos and give us information in ways that our brains can consume for actionable insights. A critical enabler is connecting the data between our systems and building comprehensive processes. In a context of real pressure to raise funds, the current approach can create communication challenges between the fundraisers and the finance team. We need to develop a common language so we can capture opportunity, improve accuracy, be more efficient, reduce the stress, and foster a strong team. This is a foundational component of realizing the mission of your organization.
  
  In this session, discover the power of connecting systems and data in new ways to dramatically enhance understanding and actionable insights.
  
  

  Presenters:

  Greg King, MBA, CPA, CMA, B.Comm
  President and CEO
  Friends of the Moncton Hospital Foundation
  
  Denis Lomakin
  Senior Business Intelligence Analyst and Reports Developer
  Sinai Health Foundation

• Philanthropy Champions: Transforming Gratitude Into Giving (Express Talk)

  In early 2020, the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation in White Rock, BC, sought to develop a more robust, systematic and sustainable program to encourage gifts of gratitude from patients and families. They partnered with Marts&Lundy Canada to create a “Philanthropy Champions” approach, one that would train a core group of physician leaders and build a system of strong partnership with the Foundation’s fundraising professionals.
  
  The original model for the Philanthropy Champions Program came out of the American healthcare system. While the organization and financing of health care are dramatically different in the two countries, the human motivations behind philanthropy are the same. It is from this common ground that we built a culturally sensitive approach to grateful patient and family fundraising at Peace Arch Hospital. Critical elements included: visible and sustained support from medical and administrative leadership, multipart and tailored training, and a system of consistent follow-up and communication.

  Presenters:

  Amy O'Leary
  Associate Director, Philanthropy
  Peace Arch Hospital Foundation
  
  Frank Interlichia
  Senior Consultant & Principal, Health Sciences Practice
  Marts&Lundy
  

• Lessons from a Former Marketer

  Donor-centricity is a lot like customer-centricity, and customer-centricity is an art and science practiced by many of the world’s biggest and best brands.  What can we learn from them, and how can we apply the fundamentals of marketing to elevate our ability to meaningfully connect with our donors?  Join AHP president and CEO Alice Ayres, a former BTC and BTB marketer, for an interactive workshop designed to help you think differently about your donors.

  Presenter:

  Alice Ayres, MBA
  President & CEO
  Association for Healthcare Philanthropy
  

• Developing a Brand Campaign for Fundraising

  With over a year and a half of planning, SHN Foundation launched the Love, Scarborough campaign in January 2022. The goal of the campaign is to raise significant awareness for SHN and the fundraising case for support.
  
  In this session, you will learn the strategy behind Love, Scarborough, to achieve broad based awareness, engage audiences through storytelling and motivate people to act by signing up or donating. You will hear about the key messages of the campaign, and the multi-channel communications approach. You will also gain a window into the challenges behind-the-scenes to develop such a bold campaign, and the internal and external support needed to bring it to fruition.
  
  The session will include early learnings and measurement of the campaign’s performance so far, as well as preliminary planning for phase two.

  Presenter:

  Alicia Vandermeer
  President & CEO
  Scarborough Health Network Foundation

• The Key "Must-Know" Trends for Post-Pandemic Fundraising

  In this dynamic session, see the research, insights, and trends that are driving real growth for healthcare as we move through 2022 and beyond. What we once thought was going to be a brief period of time has turned into an era of incredible change and challenge. Our hospitals and healthcare organizations have also seen big influxes of new donors and community support during the pandemic, so the key question is: how do we transition into the post-pandemic era and grow connection and revenue?
  
  Through research, analytics, and insights we have uncovered 11 key trends that all healthcare organizations need to be incorporating into their strategies for growth now. We have undertaken multiple donor research studies and 25 surveys along with aggregated performance metrics from multiple healthcare organizations to identify the most important and surprising areas of focus for growth. This session will help organizations prioritize their strategies and identify areas they may not have looked at that are potential opportunities to increase connections and raise more money moving forward.

  Presenters:

  Kimberley Blease
  EVP, Strategic Solutions and Consultancy
  Blakely Inc.
   
  Rachel Hunnybun
  Director, Strategic Solutions
  Blakely Inc.
  
  Loretta Lawrence
  Director, Annual Giving & Corporate Partnerships
  St. Paul's Foundation

• How the Pandemic Influenced Our Successful Rebrand (Express Talk)

  When the pandemic hit, Surrey Hospitals Foundation was in the middle of a major rebrand. As health care workers were rightfully elevated to hero status (a status we in health care always knew to be true), Surrey Hospitals Foundation used this rebrand as an opportunity to highlight their work and build engagement with the community.

  In this session, you'll learn how to:

  • Engage hospital staff in your brand
  • Highlight the heroes behind your brand
  • Find opportunity during challenging times
    
    

  Presenter:

  Kristi Ferguson
  Director, Marketing & Communications
  Surrey Hospitals Foundation