Trend Talk | Donor Relations the Disney Way

Thursday, Oct 1
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Experience Level
Suitable for all levels

Shop Size
Suitable for any size shop

What if Walt Disney were the CEO of your nonprofit? How would it look? What would you do differently? How much more money would you raise? This session looks at the successes of Walt Disney and how we can apply his philosophy, his creativity and his approach to personal relations to our fundraising. While Walt can’t be our CEO, we can learn from him and build better donor relations, donor engagement and as a bonus: be happier fundraisers. We’ll also look at some contemporary examples of companies that are doing it “rightly,” and we’ll have some fun as we learn ways of being more like Walt.

Wayne Olson

Wayne is the Executive Director of Development for the Liberty Learning Foundation, based in Huntsville. In his role, he is responsible for all fundraising, volunteer coordination and outreach for the Foundation.

Wayne has worked with donors raising tens of millions of dollars for the University of the South, the University of Richmond and the American Cancer Society. A practicing trial lawyer, he has also worked in the for-profit world as Vice President for the Trust Company of Virginia.

He is the author of two books, Think Like a Donor and Big Gifts, Small Effort, and his third book, Donor Relations the Disney Way, will be out soon. He is also a frequent contributor to Planned Giving Today and his words appear in hundreds of charity websites.

In 2014 Fundraising Success Magazine named Wayne as “Most Inspiring Speaker.” He recently spoke to the International Association of Fundraising Professionals Conference in Baltimore and is a frequent speaker at regional and national events.

He earned his law degree from Stetson University and his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida.