12:00 PMBuses depart hotel for Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
12:45 PM – 2:00 PMExplore Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (guided tours/ lunch on your own)
2:00 PM – 3:00 PMKeynote
Current Trends in Fundraising
Bill Stanczykiewicz, The Fund Raising School, IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Fundraisers bring a wealth of expertise and experience to their work, but many rarely have time to explore what new developments in fundraising mean for their organization. Receive updates on the latest information and research about charitable giving, including data on donor advised funds, planned giving, digital fundraising, and crowdfunding. Learn practical ways to incorporate this new knowledge into your own fundraising strategies.
3:15 PM – 4:15 PMBuilding a Major Giving Pipeline from Your Membership
Bill Stanczykiewicz, The Fund Raising School, IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Digital Pathways to Loyalty: Enhancing Membership Retention in Public Gardens
Dan Sullivan, Cuseum, Lori Bockstanz, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Amanda Sanders, Filoli House and Gardens, & Caitlin Hill, Tucson Botanical Garden
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM

The Power of Corporate Partnerships
Rachel Lerner Rosenberg, Chicago Botanic Garden & Melissa Schaap, Denver Botanic Gardens

Moving Visitors to Members and Members to Donors
Courtney Stanford & Dana Terrazas, Desert Botanical Garden
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Evening Program at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Master the Art of Master Planning
Debbie Colodner, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Desert Museum is in the midst of master planning. We’ve all been through this process, and ASDM has done it numerous times before, but this time we’ve taken a unique approach to creating a dynamic program. We struggled to find just one company that fit our needs, so we took matters into our own hands and tailored this process to our specific wants and needs, resulting in the most advanced, creative process we’ve ever experienced. We’re working with an array of companies and looking at things from every single angle – staff, volunteers, docents, guests, haters and people who have never heard of us before.

Food and an evening of fun and entertainment will be had by all!

8:00 AMLite Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM – 10:00 AMWelcome and Opening Presentation
Data Trends: Giving USA 2023 and the Pulse of Membership for Botanical Gardens
Ethan Cox, Tohono Chul
Richard Tollefson & Cheryl House, The Phoenix Philanthropy Group
Dana Hines, Membership Consultants
10:15 AM – 11:15 AMLeveraging a Milestone Anniversary for Philanthropic Growth
Natalie Knight & Jessica Anderson, The Morton Arboretum
Membership Price Change – Planning, Aligning, and Implementing
Brian Russo, Naples Botanical Garden & Melissa Dietrich, Longwood Gardens
11:30 AM – 12:30 PMCampaign Readiness
Paul Johnson, Creative Fundraising Advisors
Moving Beyond Spreadsheets: How to Rally Your Whole Team Around a Big Tech Change
Courtney Stanford, Desert Botanical Garden & Michelle Paul, BackOffice Thinking
12:45 PM -2:00 PMFull Symposium Lunch sponsored by Creative Fundraising Advisors 
Understanding the Donor Perspective
Michelle Conklin, Executive Director of Tucson Botanical Gardens, and a panel of Tucson’s top donors will share what motivates their giving to the organization. Learn about how the donor views our work and how you can build lasting and mutually fulfilling relationships with your donors.
2:15 PM -3:15 PMRelationships in Bloom:  Growing a Development Department in Challenging Times
Deborah Miller & Samantha Lengel, Holden Forest & Gardens
Membership Planning: Charting a Path to a Sustainable Future
Mira Zergani, Morris Arboretum & Gardens
Rosie Siemer, FIVESEED
3:30 PM- 4:15 PMRoundtable Discussions 
4:30 PMLoad buses to travel to Tucson Botanical Garden
5:00 PM -7:30 PM

LightsUp! at the Tucson Botanical GardensWe’re keeping the lights up just for you! Experience the Tucson Botanical Gardens’ LightsUp! A Festival of Illumination– a new, blockbuster event with loving homages to TBG’s 30-year history of luminaria nights. Then, enjoy live music and dinner in the historic Porter family Reception Garden.

8:00 AMBuses depart hotel to Tohono Chul
8:15 AM – 9:15 AMTohono Chul Breakfast and Tours
9:30 AM – 10:30 AMMajor Gifts
Anne Kohn, GG+A
Understanding and Adapting to Member Motivations
Lynn Swain, Cornell Botanic Gardens & Rosie Siemer, FIVESEED
10:45 AM – 11:45 AMStories from the Front Lines of Planned Giving
Audra Platz, South Coast Botanical Gardens, Ethan Cox, Tohono Chul, Sally Stanton, New England Botanic Garden & Katherine Trumble, San Antonio Botanical Gardens
Comprehensive Inclusion in an Exclusive Space: A Garden for All
Brian Russo, Naples Botanical Garden & Shannon Abitbol, JCA
11:45 AM -12:45 PMMore than Child’s Play: A unique Approach to Introducing Young People to Nature
Jamie Maslyn Larson, Tohono Chul & Hilary Van Alsburg, Children’s Museum Tucson
1:00 PMBuses depart Tohono Chul to airport
Return to the main page