March 30 Webinar

 Building Bridges: How Butler Used Gift Documentation
Tracking to Bring Teams Together

Presentation Slides

Webinar Recording

Additional Resources

• Project Management Site Template
• Save MS Forms Data to SharePoint
• Use Microsoft Forms

About the Webinar

Ever struggled to figure out how to connect with your colleagues, or felt like they don't fully understand the role that Donor Relations can play in the fundraising process? This session was meant for you! You'll gain tips on how to become your organization's best advocate for donor relations while becoming more fully integrated into your team. With everything from gift documentation, policy updates, impact reporting, to event planning and personal visits with donors, donor relations is more complex than many of our colleagues realize. Presenters will share their real-life experience in implementing a major change to the gift documentation process at Butler University, how they looked for opportunities to make enhancements, and ultimately brought their advancement division closer together. When the whole team is bought in, we all succeed!

Learning Objectives

1. Tips on integrating donor relations into every aspect of the fundraising process.

2. Building relationships with colleagues through cross-training and translating that knowledge into ways that donor relations can remove unnecessary barriers to fundraising success. Hold transparent conversations with colleagues about changes to policy and how it will impact the fundamental operations of your work and theirs. The more you can make the policies and procedures come to life by explaining them holistically through the lens of the donor experience, the more buy-in you will have.

3. Finding easy wins to demonstrate success to your broader advancement team. Showcase donor relations as a hub for innovation, engagement, and positivity. Any time you're new, it's critical to find your place within the organization. Look for solutions to common problems and find ways to alleviate them. By demonstrating that you hear their concerns and you are a willing partner in making the team better, you will naturally become more integrated with your colleagues!

About the Presenters

Emily Thornton, Director of Donor Relations and Stewardship, Butler University
	Emily is currently the Director of Donor Relations & Stewardship at Butler University. She previously worked as Director of Development at Indiana University during the $3.9B For All campaign and as Director of Advancement for the Tau Kappa Epsilon Educational Foundation.
Rosie Tarlton, Associate Director, Stewardship and Compliance, Butler University
	Rosie graduated in 2018 with her bachelor's in Philanthropic Studies and certificate in Nonprofit Management. As the Associate Director of Stewardship and Compliance, she has a wide range of duties from preparing gift documentation all the way to carrying a permanent stewardship portfolio of donors.

Thank You To Our 2023 Webinar Sponsor