At Personify, we’ve been attending NAYDO for the last several years and are pleased to be sponsoring the opening reception. If you’re attending NAYDO, please stop by and visit with the Personify team at booth #43-44.

Looking at the conference agenda, there are many different opportunities to gain knowledge and best practices. Here are some of the sessions that I’m most looking forward to attending:

Building a Culture of Philanthropy

Thursday, 2:45-5:45 PM

A culture of philanthropy is essential in any organization to effectively raise funds but what does that mean and how do you intentionally create such a culture? Mary Kaufman-Cranney, CFRE from The Alford Group/YMCA Alumni will share her journey in taking an organization through a process to create a common language and implement a curriculum to create a measurable difference.

She will engage participants in exercises and collaborative work to discuss key components of a culture of philanthropy and the ideas to make them real so that everyone in your Y appreciates donors as partners who share its goals and participate in achieving them.

Hack the Mind: Using Psychology to Boost Fundraising

Friday, 8:45-10:00 AM

In this session, Andrew Buck from Mighty Citizen will share how the mind is a trickster. It leads us wherever it pleases—while we remain mostly unaware of its true motivations. But thanks to advances in psychology, fundraisers can more effectively make the brain’s habits work for them.

In this interactive workshop, Andrew will explore our minds’ most surprising tendencies, biases and shortcuts. He will do a deep dive into how to employ the brain’s habits to grow

an organization’s donor base and fundraising. Participants will leave with a new understanding of the subtle, predictable, and (often) irrational ways donors think. And they will have concrete ways to apply these great “brain hacks” to their organization.

How to Recruit, Retain & Inspire the Next Generation of Board Members- Building the Pipeline of Board Leaders

Friday, 10:15-11:30 AM

Young board members have energy and networks the Y is not tapping into currently and often the Y may miss an opportunity to fully engage the young generation on its boards. This workshop will explore what the board experience is like for those who are under 40 years of age.

Participants will learn how to do stellar onboarding for new young board members and rock their first-year board experience. Hear about tools and resources for recruiting and retaining young board members from three NAYDO Young VIPs.

 Strategic Excitement Fundraising Plan: 2019

Friday, 3:30-4:45 PM

In a comprehensive expansion of the 2018 NAYDO workshop of the same name, participants will be led through the exciting process of actually planning a five-year fundraising plan for a hypothetical Y. The plan will include annual, capital and endowment components.

Using electronic voting transponders, attendees will participate in developing a five-year fundraising plan for a typical YMCA by voting on goals, priorities and strategic direction. This session is a great way to learn more about what the Y’s plans are and how we can help get to know them better.

The post What We’re Looking Forward to at NAYDO appeared first on Personify.

PersoniFest is no different. Whether it is your first or your 20^th PersoniFest, I have put a list of tips to help make this a magical experience and maximize your time at the conference:

1. Set Goals

With 50+ breakout sessions, plus general sessions, networking events and more, one can easily feel overwhelmed. Set a few goals for yourself around sessions you’d like to attend, people you’d like to meet or new functionalities you’d like to learn about.

2. Plan Your Agenda

Whether using the mobile app or the agenda at-a-glance, plan out all networking and content sessions you’d like to attend. It will make to conference easier to digest and allows you to know which sessions are most important to you.

If you’re planning to earn CAE, CPE or CEM credits, take a look at the agenda at-a-glance to see which sessions will help you earn credits. We’ll also have worksheets available at the registration desk to help you track your credits throughout the conference.

3. Network like a Boss

Networking and social events can be overwhelming, especially if you’re attending on your own. Networking helps foster collaboration and it can help you make friends.

One of my favorite tips for attending a conference is to never sit with the same group twice. Take the opportunity to meet new people and grow your network. You never know who will help spark inspiration or develop new ideas over lunch or during happy hour.

4. Speak to the Speakers

Speakers are some of the best reasons to attend a conference. And, they are the best way to get connected. Take a moment to visit with the speakers after the sessions. They know the products and the people you should meet to learn more. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself and find out more about their background and expertise.

5. Dress for Success

We’ve received a few questions about recommended attire for the conference. We recommend business attire for the event, but you may want to bring some casual options for evening events. Also, comfy shoes are a must. You’re going to be walking a decent amount each day at the conference, and Savannah is a beautiful city to explore.

Finally, we encourage all attendees to break out their best 90s attire for the Conference Party on Tuesday night. Given that we’re celebrating 20 years of PersoniFest, we’re going to party like it’s 1999—the year that our first conference began.

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