7D | They Call Me Mister Benchmark

Thursday, Oct 1
2:40 - 3:40 PM

Experience Level
Midlevel (2-5 years) Experienced (5+ years)

Shop Size
Suitable for any size shop

Benchmarking programs aid in assessing effectiveness of development operations, provide insight as to what peers are doing, and help distinguish between common, best and leading practices.  Learn why an ongoing investment in benchmarking projects is important for donor relations professionals who seek to continually improve business practices at their institutions. Attendees will be presented with a toolkit that addresses the following: how to determine which peer institutions to benchmark against; how to lead a benchmarking project in-house; how to engage with an external vendor to run a benchmarking project; and how to conduct a successful benchmarking visit to a peer institution.

Mark Longo

Mark Longo, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the California Institute of Technology, collaborates with development stakeholders to plan, facilitate, and accomplish strategically identified, cross-functional projects and process improvements designed to enhance individual, team, and organizational performance. Mark works across the organization to solve systemic problems, create large-scale efficiencies and put in place new or improved practices identified as "best in class" in the advancement profession. Areas of focus include benchmarking, change management, strategic projects, annual work planning, and accountability reporting.

Previously, Mark was the Deputy Director of Strategic Development Services at Georgetown University and led the development operations teams at the National Geographic Society and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Mark is a frequent presenter at CASE, AASP, ADRP, Academic Impressions and other industry conferences. For more information, please visit www.misterbenchmark.com.