Stronger Donor Pipelines for a Less Predictable Financial Future

As rising costs and limits on tuition growth put pressure on independent schools, advancement offers an important path to building future financial capacity. But increased fundraising potential does not guarantee stronger results. Schools need clarity about which activities build meaningful donor relationships and which consume time and resources without advancing the pipeline.

This virtual roundtable will help heads of school and advancement teams consider how to focus development efforts for both near-term impact and long-term sustainability. Drawing on examples from higher education, we’ll explore ways to reassess familiar practices, such as alumni and donor events, broad solicitation campaigns, and prospect qualification. We’ll also examine opportunities to strengthen relationships with alumni and other non-parent donors, use trusted connections to open doors, and apply AI to routine research and communications tasks.

Key takeaways:

• Evaluate whether events and broad solicitation efforts are producing the engagement and fundraising results your school needs.
• Focus prospecting and outreach on relationships with stronger potential for sustained or major giving.
• Explore ways to engage alumni and other non-parent donors through trusted connections and community relationships.
• Consider how AI can support prospect research, communications, and other routine advancement work.
• Identify opportunities to build future capacity through planned giving and clearer donor guidance.

Attendees will learn how to prioritize prospects with greater engagement and giving potential, identify work that may be ready to scale back, and invest in approaches that can move promising relationships forward. The discussion will also touch on planned giving and ways to make “lifetime giving” opportunities clear to donors.

Session

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Attendance is best suited for heads of school, directors of advancement, board members, and other school leaders.

• Thursday, January 21, 2027 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time