Please join Apra-NY for our Fall 2026 Virtual Conference on October 28, 2026 from 10am to 4pm EDT!
Topics will include everything from Prospect Engagement, Research, Pipelines, and more.
Cost is $50 for members and $85 for non-members (which includes a one-year membership in Apra-NY).
Session Descriptions below!
Session 1 (10:00am-10:45am): Engaging The Next Generation Through Student Organizations
Presented by: Alan Ham, George Washington University
Session Description: This session will explore the approach of the Annual Giving team at George Washington University to overcome the challenge of engaging the next generation of donors--current students. Recognizing Gen Z's preference for digital-first, video-driven content and peer-to-peer authenticity, GW created the Student Organization Giving Challenge. The initiative leverages over 600 campus student organizations, incentivizing participation through matches and prizes while training students to produce authentic video content across three campaign phases: call to action, awareness, and stewardship. By building transparency and trust, the program increases donor counts and serves as an important first step in strengthening the long-term donor pipeline.
Session 2 (11:00am-11:45am): Operationalizing AI in Fundraising: A Data-Driven Donor Strategy in Action
Presented by: Emma Hinke, BWF Zuri and Mike Lair, Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation
Session Description: What does it actually take to embed AI and predictive analytics into everyday fundraising work? This case study explores how one healthcare organization is reimagining its approach to data and technology to better support frontline fundraisers. Learn how predictive models and enhanced data are being used to identify high-potential prospects, prioritize outreach, and inform engagement strategies across the donor journey. The session will highlight practical considerations, early outcomes, and lessons for teams at any stage of data maturity.
Session 3 (1:00pm-1:45pm): Healthy Pipelines, Healthy Results: A Metrics-Based Approach
Presented by: Dawn Cattoor, University of Calgary
Session Description: What does a truly healthy prospect pipeline look like—and how can you advise fundraisers to get there?
This session explores the characteristics of strong, successful prospect pipelines and the metrics that help us assess their health with clarity and purpose. Grounded in the philosophy that smaller, active pipelines perform better, we’ll reposition pipeline review as a supportive check-in, not a performance judgement.
Participants will walk through the Pipeline Health Check tool as developed and used by the University of Calgary’s PRPM team end to end—from generating the report and interpreting insights, to having meaningful conversations with the fundraiser to turn diagnosis into action.
We’ll unpack the core metrics that matter, show how they connect to real decision-making, and briefly go behind the scenes to explain how the report was created (report in Power BI, with data from the donor database BB-CRM, and the data warehouse).
Session 4 (2:00pm-2:45pm): Building a Sustainable Pipeline Management System for Campaign Growth
Presented by: Emily Maple and Grace De Jong, University of St, Thomas
Session Description: During a period of immense growth and opportunity at the University of St. Thomas, we were faced with the challenge of scaling our prospect management system to support a new cohort of gift officers during our campaign. Join us as we share how we used scoring, prioritization, and automation to create an efficient system for managing the prospect pipelines across colleges and units. We will share the basic concept of our new system, how it has worked in practice after more than a year since we started, what we have learned, and where we are going next.
Session 5 (3:00pm-3:45pm): A Celebration of Collaboration! How to Incorporate Fundraisers into Prospect Research and Management
Presented by: Jen Clifford, Harvard and Emily Donohue, University of Massachusetts Boston
Session Description: Overwhelmed by research requests – big and small? Feeling like you and your fundraisers are on two different wavelengths when it comes to prospect management? We are here to help! We will provide tips and resources that you can share with your fundraisers to do simple research on their own. We’ll also discuss how to best communicate what you can provide for fundraisers and what they can provide to improve your work. You will also come away with strategies on how to be each other’s perfect partners for portfolio optimization. Finally, we will go over artificial intelligence’s effect on the field.
