Next Gen Annual Giving Series

BWF Digital and {{firstname}} are partnering to co-present a series of webinars in late 2021 through 2022 (and potentially beyond).

The focus of this “Next Gen Annual Giving” webinar series will be placed on modernizing annual giving to reverse the trend in donor decline many nonprofits have faced over the past decade. The webinar series will initially have a heavy emphasis on higher education fundraising, but should be pivoted to be more inclusive of other nonprofit verticals as we transition to 2022.

The Next Gen Annual Giving webinar series will consist of at least five separate webinar sessions into 2022. Outlined below are the current sessions.

Next Gen Annual Giving Part 1: What’s Changing in Annual Giving?
Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Thank you to our panelists for joining us for the first part of this series. We wanted to feature four of the most innovative leaders in annual giving, and I think each of them made it clear why they were on our list.

There were far too many highlights to capture them all, so we strongly recommend you watch the video below to hear the full discussion. But a few things to watch out for…

1. Intentional Innovation – this won’t happen by accident. Oregon State has a “Digital Advocacy Council” and Pitt has declared this a “Year of Testing.” If you want to innovate, you have to make a plan for it.
2. Pipeline development is increasingly an important objective of annual giving programs. This looks different for everyone. At Miami, Heather’s team have a goal of 1000 leads generated this year. At Oregon, they’re more focused on a moves management strategy that incorporates annual giving. There are many ways for annual giving to feed your pipeline, but starting with defining your objectives and metrics is a good place to start.
3. People give to people. We’re seeing a revolution in personalization – the scaling of the 1:1 donor experience. {{FirstName}} was the pioneer in Student Engagement Teams that pair people with technology to create a meaningful experience. Each one of our panelists is perusing personalized experiences, at scale, in slightly different ways. Chances are, a one size fits all approach won’t work, and you need to build a program that works for you.

Thank you again for joining us. If you’re looking to up the ante on your annual giving and digital fundraising efforts, let’s chat. From creating systematized lead generation, scoring, and qualification models, to re-imaging your phone program, the opportunities are endless. BWF can help create customized solutions that meet your unique needs, aligning to your organizational goals. Let’s connect on LinkedIn!

Next Gen Annual Giving Part 2: What Will Replace Phonathon?
Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Your donors are using their (mobile) phones more than ever, yet they’re not answering your calls. While we all know that phone programs aren’t quite what they used to be, we’re still determining what will legitimately replace call centers to provide the dollars and donor numbers we seek. In the second part of the “Next Gen Annual Giving” series, four panelists will share their ideas about what comes next for phone outreach. We’ll talk student ambassadors, video, text messaging, and emerging strategies that are not just matching, but significantly out-performing traditional phone calling programs.