Spotlight on Best Practices in Advancement Services Featuring Jon Thorsen
Date: Thursday, January 14, 2010
Time: 8:30am – 12:00 noon
Location: University of St. Thomas campus, 3800 Montrose Boulevard
Jones Hall (building #14) (View Map)
Free Parking – Moran Center Garage (building #26)
Cost: Free for APRA-GH and APRA-SW members
$10 for non-members attending with an APRA-GH member
$15 non-members
$35 for APRA-GH membership (includes event attendance)
RSVP: Holly Harrison [contact info: 713-942-3453 or harrishr@stthom.edu]
8:00-8:30 Coffee
8:30-9:00 Welcome
9:00-10:30 Jon Thorsen – Best Practices in Advancement Services
10:30-11:00 Break
Jon will be available to visit and answer questions during the break
11:00-12:00 Case Study in Development Services – a panel from The Methodist Foundation
At Our Best –
Identifying & Applying Best Practices in Advancement Services
We all strive to do the best work, but how do we assess whether we're reaching that goal? What constitutes a "best practice" in a profession that continues to evolve, and that is carried out in different ways across the industry? In this session, we'll discuss ways to incorporate best practices in the Advancement Services operation by exploring ways to establish reasonable metrics that are consistent with the organizational mission and goals. We’ll address best practices as a means of establishing measures for – and adding visibility to – our work. We will also discuss broader efforts to define best practices in the Advancement Services profession, and how those efforts can be applied in both standard and customized ways.
Case Study in Development Services
This panel discussion will focus on team building between three areas in development services – Prospect Research, Information Management and Gift Processing. The team will highlight their experiences with:
- Going the extra mile in Gift Processing
- Strategic alliance between Prospect Research and Information Management
- Prospect Research at the heart of Advancement Services
- The never-ending journey of process improvement.
Featured Speakers:
Jon Thorsen is Director of Advancement Services at The Nature Conservancy. He joined the development profession in 1987 and has led research and advancement services operations for such organizations as Princeton University and the American Red Cross. Jon has given presentations on many facets of the development profession at conferences of ADRP, AFP, APRA, CASE and other organizations. He is a frequent contributor to industry journals and his column “Up to Speed” is published monthly at http://workingphilanthropy.com. He is a former president of APRA, and recipient of the association’s Distinguished Service Award.
The Methodist Foundation Panelists
- Angelica Garza
Member Price:
Non-Member Price: