Petrus Leadership Conference Concludes
Over 80 people representing in excess of 50 Catholic organizations from throughout the US gathered in Orlando, FL for the 5th annual Petrus Leadership Conference to learn, network and enhance their knowledge of effective fund development practices.
Effectively integrating major gifts into an organization’s development plan was a common theme of presentations throughout the conference. Audrey Kintzie, ACFRE and Vice President/Chief Development Officer at the Courage Center in Minneapolis, MN, challenged conference-goers to rethink their perception of development from “asking for money and the obligatory annual request for support” to “an invitation extended to someone that asks them to become part of the work for your organization and is based on on-going sustained relationships between the donor and an organization.” Throughout her presentation titled Major Gifts: Cornerstone of Your Development Program, she illustrated the steps, components, context and blessings that a major gift program can have on an organization.
Some of the other 24 presentations included Asking for and Closing Major Gifts, Making the Ask: Role Play to Success, Donor Motivations for Planned Giving, Ethical Considerations for Fundraising, Are You Really Ready for a Capital Campaign? And PLC-to-Go: Great Ideas, Best Practices, and Resources for the Road among others.
The Conference concluded with “Where Do You Go From Here,” a presentation by Monsignor Vince Krische which offered inspiration, insight and direction for implementing the lessons learned throughout the conference. Inviting participants to implement many of the lessons and insights gained at the conference, Krische challenged participants to embrace the work of development so that the impact of our Catholic faith can continue for generations to come.