Minneapolis, MN | July 23–24, 2025
The Art and Science of Donor Development is a transformative workshop that empowers fundraising professionals to lead meaningful donor conversations and inspire passion-driven philanthropy. This experience provides proven, practical tools and frameworks to enhance donor engagement, strategic focus, and sustainable impact for institutions.
At this workshop, you’ll discover how to lead conversations that forge authentic connections. Grounded in decades of research and real-world application, this experience empowers you to identify and align donor passions with your institution’s mission. You’ll gain practical frameworks like the Donor Commitment Continuum and Priority Grid—easy-to-use tools designed to enhance your strategic focus and engagement.
This is more than just a learning experience—it’s a transformational opportunity. Walk away equipped to confidently engage donors, overcome challenges, and create trust-based relationships that drive sustainable impact for your institution.
What You Will Learn
-
Adapt Conversations to Different Donor Personalities
Discover practical techniques to tailor your approach based on donor profiles, ensuring each interaction feels personal and effective. -
Turn Questions Into Fundraising Opportunities
Develop skills to handle objections and inquiries with confidence, transforming them into meaningful donor engagement moments. -
Craft Value-Driven Institutional Updates
Master the art of delivering concise, compelling updates that naturally lead to philanthropic conversations. -
Measure and Communicate the Return on Philanthropic Investment
Gain insights into evaluating the impact of donor gifts and communicating their value to encourage continued support. -
Leverage Referrals to Secure High-Impact Meetings
Unlock the potential of strategically using introductions and referrals to access key donors and deepen relationships.
What You Will Get
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
What Our Attendees Say
Thousands of development professionals have been through The Art and Science of Donor Development over the last three decades. Our attendees’ comments reveal these as the top 5 takeaways:
Personal Growth and Application
Participants appreciated the practical relevance of the content to their roles, helping them grow personally and professionally. They found the strategies easy to apply to their day-to-day work.
Donor Engagement Strategies
Attendees valued learning specific techniques to build and enhance donor relationships, making their fundraising efforts more impactful.
Peer Learning and Collaboration
Many participants highlighted the importance of interacting with colleagues and engaging in collaborative discussions, which enriched their experience and learning.
Understanding Donor Motivation
The workshop’s focus on uncovering donors’ passions and motivations was praised as essential for securing meaningful contributions.
Practical Tools and Concepts
Tools such as the Donor Commitment Continuum and Priority Grid were frequently mentioned as invaluable takeaways, offering structure and clarity to donor development efforts.
‘There was a lot to learn, so much to take away and try and apply in my daily job…I plan to spend some time drawing up a grid and analysing all my donors. Thank you so much for a great training programme!’
‘Really enjoyed the role-play, found the practical tools really helpful. Liked the focus on university fundraising as this does have nuances that differ to charity. Thank you!’
‘I found almost all aspects of this workshop valuable to my work, I’m not sure I can choose a most valuable part!’
‘My two days were with peers at other institutions, which engendered a really productive and enjoyable learning experience. Incorporating as diverse a training audience as this will only benefit those taking the training!’
‘I am so grateful for this workshop as it helps push me further to where I want to go as a development professional. I want to be a gift officer, and I also can know how I can better support my team.’
‘All the built-in resources are a perfect takeaway. I also appreciated how interactive it was and is the first two-day training where I never felt fatigued.’
‘As a non-fundraiser, I got a lot of value from this training, especially the first day. I’d recommend encouraging the entire advancement team attend so everyone can be on the same page and understand how we’re working towards the same goals.’
‘This workshop really demystified the fundraising process for me. I feel like I have a better understanding of fundraising as a whole and a renewed excitement for the work.’
‘I loved the Donor Commitment Continuum—it thoroughly allows fundraisers to evaluate where our donors are in preparing them for meaningful solicitations.’
Choose Your Experience
🎟️ Workshop Only: $2,350
- Full access to the 2-day live, in-person interactive workshop
- Practical tools, frameworks, and networking opportunities
🎯 Workshop + Coaching Package: $3,250
- Everything included in the workshop PLUS
- 3 private coaching sessions with an experienced fundraising professional
Early Bird Workshop + Coaching: $2,950 (available through June 11, 2025)
Go Further with One-on-One Coaching
For those who want personalized guidance, our individual coaching sessions provide expert support to help you put workshop insights into action.
✔ Development Professionals – Strengthen donor conversations, refine fundraising skills, and build confidence in gift discussions.
✔ Mid-Level & Team Leaders – Learn to set clear direction, navigate difficult conversations, and manage high-performing teams.
✔ Executive Leaders – Enhance executive presence, lead strategic fundraising initiatives, and foster a culture of philanthropy.
📩 Coaching sessions are 55 minutes via video, led by certified fundraising experts with 15+ years of experience.
Plan
Prepare for your workshop experience.
The in-person, two-day workshop will be held from 9:00am to 4:00pm CT on Wednesday, July 23 and Thursday, July 24, 2025
Syllabus
Download the Syllabus here.
Are you ready to enhance your skills and accelerate your impact?
We also run workshops internally at larger institutions that can benefit from their entire advancement team gaining shared language and approach to donor-centric fundraising. This also has the benefit of customization as our instructional design team can reflect your institution’s preferred terms and select the most relevant video examples and anecdotes to share.
Fill out the form below to talk to a training advisor to find out more!
Contact Us!