CLIENTS
Purdue University
Service Provided: Master Program for Academic Advancement
When Covid-19 began to limit travel in March 2020, Purdue selected nearly 40 of their major gift officers to complete AAP’s four-course Master Program for Academic Advancement. The group was divided into three cohorts and each attended Zoom seminars over four consecutive weeks in April. The program was delivered by Dr. Aaron Conley and qualified for 12 points toward CFRE initial certification or recertification.
Each three-hour session included pre-assigned readings, group discussion, and small team projects utilizing Zoom’s breakout room tool. Participants were also provided the opportunity for voluntary one-hour individual coaching sessions with the program instructor throughout the four-week period.
Select comments from program participants:
“I took away something new from each session. Very helpful course.”
“I appreciated the data to support beliefs. I also appreciated the support for empathy. We often lose sight of connecting the donor’s gifts to the impact in our students’ lives.”
“[The instructor] did a great job of explaining the information in a way that could be applied immediately and in a practical way. We were able to discuss actual donors that we were working with and have input from both [the instructor] and other participants which I found useful.”
“I enjoyed the discussion on contact reports providing a narrative of a donor’s time with the organization. I think it will be very helpful for all my coworkers to hear that. Contact reports are a lost art in fundraising and are very important.”
“I learned a great deal more about philanthropic stewardship in this class than in any other development training class that had been previously offered to me.”
“As a CDO, it was great to revisit some of the fundamentals that sometimes get overlooked as we get more experienced. I also really found the material helpful when working with academics to better understand our relationship to serve our donors and friends.”
These comments were provided through the confidential evaluation conducted at the conclusion of every AAP teaching and coaching program. Completed evaluations are provided back to the client to help evaluate program effectiveness and other opportunities for fundraising improvement.