Sponsored by Keys Marketing Group

 

Socratic Fundraising: Using Questions to Advance the Donor’s Journey

LIMITED TO 40 PARTICIPANTS. DON’T MISS OUT.

Workshop Leader: Russell James, J.D., Ph.D., CFP®, Professor of Charitable Financial Planning at Texas Tech University. Author, speaker, insights guru.

“It’s very important not to know all the answers. Often we don’t know, and if we did it would be no good, for it is of greater value to the patient when he discovers the answers himself.” -Carl S. Jung

Socratic Wealth Conversations: How to Inspire Transformational Gifts of Assets. Fundraising success comes from asking the right questions, especially when guiding donors to consider major gifts from their wealth rather than cash alone. Professor James presents the science and real-world application of using appreciative inquiry and asset-focused conversations to lead donors to their own reasons for transformational generosity. Attendees will learn specific, stress-free questions to use throughout the donor relationship to unlock significant gifts of assets such as stocks, real estate, and RRSPs. You’ll get a deeper understanding of major gift decision processes and plenty of real-world “magic” questions to try out right away.

Wealth is not held in cash; it’s held in other assets like stocks, bonds, real estate, and RSPs. Research shows that shifting donors to giving from their wealth (assets), rather than just from their cash (disposable income) can lead to transformational donations. But how can we actually make this happen? Talking about someone else’s wealth can be scary! In this presentation, Professor James walks through the step-by-step process that makes these  conversations simple, easy, and stress free. You don’t need to be a gift planning expert to inspire major gifts of assets. You just need to attend this workshop!

You’ll also learn: How examples can motivate generosity. Using social norms can be powerful in fundraising, but there are many ways to do it wrong. What is the best example gift? Example gift size? Example donor? What phrasing works best? How does this all this change for estate and planned gifts fundraising? This workshop shares real-world answers and practical strategies from academic research, statistics, and experiments. Come and learn what works for people like you.

Just $325.00 p.p.  and includes Prof. Russell’s closing plenary keynote talk. (Workshop limited to 40 participants.)

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WANT TO READ MORE ON THIS TOPIC BY RUSSELL JAMES? SEE HIS ARTICLES BELOW.

SOCRATIC FUNDRAISING: INSIDER’S VIEW

By Russell James, PhD

We start with theory. This isn’t just a penalty for reading something written by a professor. In the end, it’s quite practical. Yes, we’ll get to lists of tips and tricks. We’ll look at magic phrases and powerful questions. But first, it helps to know what we’re doing. It helps to know who we’re being. Once we get that, everything else fits. It fits the story. It fits the model. It fits the theory.

Delivering value
What does a charity offer that the donor wants? A charity can provide value to many people in many ways. But fundraising provides value to the donor in just one way – by delivering an enhanced identity. (read the full article).

Finally, the Story Behind Dr. Russell James’ Research on Fundraising Stories

By Russell James, PhD

My career has always focused on charitable giving. This was true in my practice experience, my research, and my teaching.

But I’ll admit it. I never planned to study story.

I was always more of a “numbers guy.” My law practice focused on tax calculations in estate and gift planning. My fundraising career started in complex planned gifts. When my career shifted to academic research, I focused on quantitative data analysis. My teaching focused on technical aspects in gift planning.

My work was always about philanthropy. But it was more about data than story. It was not about the “soft” side of philanthropy.

Plot twist
And then, something happened. I was in the middle of my decades-long quest to understand philanthropy. (Specifically, I focus on how to encourage generosity.) As usual, I was applying technical, quantitative research methods. And then, quite unexpectedly, I was attacked. I was attacked by story.

Background
What led to this attack? Let me share a little background. Years ago, a local foundation made a gift.[1] They purchased a $3 million fMRI machine for our university.[2] We were about to have cutting-edge brain-imaging research capabilities. I was excited! This hard science technology would be a perfect way to learn more about charitable decisions. (read the full article)