Look Who's Talking at Engage!

I may be biased — just a little (*cough* completely *cough*) — but I really believe there is so much to love about the Engage conference. Not the least among the reasons is our lineup of speakers. Not only do they preside over our in-depth cases studies and delve deep into attendees' concerns and questions, but they're available all day long to chat and further explore whatever it is the audience is looking to explore.

Let's take a moment and see who'll be talking when Engage happens in Philadelphia next Thursday. (On Monday, we'll talk a little about our lineup of roundtable moderators.)

Keynote
In our opening session, Kivi Leroux Miller, one of fundraising's most highly regarded authors and consultants, will break down what it takes to tell the story of your mission — the backbone of your fundraising — in ways that engage donors to increase both the breadth and depth of their commitment to your cause.

Kivi is president of NonprofitMarketingGuide.com and the author of "Content Marketing for Nonprofits: A Communications Map for Engaging Your Community, Becoming a Favorite Cause, and Raising More Money" and "The Nonprofit Marketing Guide: High-Impact, Low-Cost Ways to Build Support for Your Good Cause." She's a big name that helps smaller nonprofits and even communications departments of one make a big impression with savvy marketing and communications. She also teaches a weekly webinar series and writes a leading blog on nonprofit communications at NonprofitMarketingGuide.com.

Kivi's breezy style is comfortable but professional, authoritative but accessible — and always infectious. We're so looking forward to hearing from her.

Case Study 1: The Coast Guard Foundation
The Coast Guard Foundation managed its program internally prior to partnering with LW Robbins (now RobbinsKersten Direct) in 2009. Since then, the organization has become a study in creative partnership and achieved significant growth in revenue, net revenue and donors over the past four years.

Our first case study will help you understand the testing methodology that has resulted in breakthroughs throughout the program and offer an examination of two highly successful campaigns, where you'll learn how new acquisition and gift ask strategies, and additional investment, have had a dramatic impact on response levels and donor growth; how creative and timely approaches have boosted both the acquisition and renewal programs; and how analytics drives program strategy and long-term success.

The Coast Guard Foundation's Brad Sisley and RobbinsKersten Direct's Andrew Laudano will lead the discussion.

Sisley joined the Coast Guard Foundation in 2008. As COO, he develops the overall strategic and operational direction for the development and communications programs. During his tenure at the Coast Guard Foundation, he has increased revenue in the annual fund by 185 percent.

Laudano has more than 25 years of fundraising experience working for both agencies and nonprofit organizations. As vice president of fundraising at RobbinsKersten, he manages integrated, multichannel direct-response fundraising programs for both national and regional organizations. Organizations with which he's worked over the years include Special Olympics, PETA, the Coast Guard Foundation, Sierra Club, and the International Rescue Committee, among others.

Case Study 2: City Harvest
Out second case study will examine how New York's City Harvest took the small, local direct-mail program that its board wanted to suspend in 2004 and turned it into a midsized, robust, integrated fundraising and communication program that grew by 350 percent.

Heather Wallace Reynolds, vice president of marketing at City Harvest, and Ellen Cobb Church, principal and CEO of Craver, Mathews, Smith & Co., will discuss the challenges, strategies, pitfalls and highlights of the past 10 years and how a strong brand, shared vision, "smart" program and engaged board equals fundraising success. The speakers will explore how to evolve your program work and messaging without leaving donors behind; how being local is to your advantage — how to make it work; how to engage your board and reap the benefits; why strategy is everything; and why continuity, a shared vision, trusted partners, taking chances and having fun are the foundations that make it all work.

Heather provides leadership to the marketing, communications, special events and direct-mail divisions at City Harvest, where she oversees and develops strategies to increase brand awareness. She joined City Harvest in 2002 as manager of direct mail and has more than doubled the program's revenue to more than $5 million during her tenure.

Ellen joined CMS as an account executive in 1997, was appointed president and CEO in 2006, and was delighted when Roger Craver sold the agency to her and Jenn Mercer in 2008. Throughout her career, Ellen has dedicated herself to advancing the movements that drive social change. She has crafted strategic fundraising programs from the ground-up for organizations of every size, spanning the political, advocacy, environmental, humanitarian and charitable fields.

Case Study 3: Food For The Poor
Food For The Poor was once a small charity with a big dream — to help lift the desperate poor out of poverty. The organization has grown its brand over the last 32 years to a $1 billion-a-year charity fighting extreme poverty in 17 countries.

How did it do it? This ambitious, life-saving mission was carried out by creating fundraising strategies that focused on the interests and aspirations of its donors, inspiring them through words and images to do more. In this session, you'll see how Food For The Poor has leveraged innovative analytics and experiential creative by using an integrated, multichannel approach to create one unified message across many channels. You'll walk away with an understanding of how knowing your donor will help inspire higher levels of giving; how to optimize your donor's engagement experience across fundraising department channels; why brand integrity and a unified vision is key to fundraising and the growth of your organization; how precision analytics drive fundraising strategies and long-term success; how your own unique storytelling creates brand awareness and sets you apart from other organizations; and how an omnichannel approach and the use of institutional knowledge produces cost savings.

Angel Aloma, executive director of Food For The Poor, is one of the most passionate speakers on the conference circuit. I've seen him bring an audience to tears while speaking about postal rates. At FFTP, he oversees all fundraising and communication initiatives, while encouraging innovation and cultivating relationships with donors at the highest levels.

Mary Carroll is an award-winning creative director with 20+ years of experience in marketing, design and communications. Prior to joining Food For The Poor, Mary worked in the hospitality industry creating successful, turnkey marketing programs for clients such as Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and countless other high-end resorts and country clubs, both nationally and internationally.

Tom Gaffny, principal of Tom Gaffny Consulting, is the winner of 23 ECHO awards for creative excellence from the International Direct Marketing Association and more than 200 Creative Awards from the New England Direct Marketing Association. If you've ever been to any of Tom's conference sessions, you'll remember him as a savvy, often cheeky presenter with immense insight.

Won't you join in Philadelphia on April 10 (register here) and give yourself an opportunity to meet with these amazing speakers? And give us a chance to meet you!

All the best,
Margaret