Development Bootcamp

Monday, February 5, 2024 - Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Hosted at JUF Chicago (30 S. Wells Street, Chicago, Illinois 60606)

This in-person intensive gathering will provide a hands-on approach to explore new ways to generate revenue, engage volunteers and streamline development processes. Walk away with tangible and applicable strategies as well as a strong network of Jewish day school and yeshiva colleagues from across North America to continue to support you well after the bootcamp is over.

This gathering will be especially meaningful for a team from your school to attend together (development professionals, heads of school, development chairs or other lay leaders) to explore the roles we all play in fundraising for our schools and strengthening overall advancement efforts.

We strongly encourage you to attend with other members from your school team. This team driven approach will allow participants to blend high-quality professional development training and opportunities for hands-on collaboration to workshop and plan new ideas and strategies to bring back to your schools. See below for team registration discounts.

The gathering is focused around three core content areas: Endowment Development, Lay/Professional Partnership, and Fundraising Fundamentals. The sessions are programmed so participants can choose to take a deep dive into one content area for the duration of the training or jump from area to area and explore all three tracks. Select sessions will qualify for CFRE continuing education credits.

Endowment Development

Whether your school is looking to add endowment building to its fundraising program for the first time or ready to take your work to the next level, this track will address the how, when, and why legacy. Endowment fundraising are critical components of your strategic development program. Session facilitators will help integrate endowment planning into existing fundraising efforts, explore legacy and endowment messaging, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship, and provide the concrete tools and resources necessary for reaching your long term sustainability goals.

Lay/Professional Partnership

If recruiting and engaging volunteers who embrace fundraising seems like mission impossible, join these open and honest conversations about the roles volunteers play in capacity building. From the board’s role in fundraising, to development committee forms and functions, to navigating the head of school/board relationship, to the volunteer’s role in managing relationships with donors, we’ll address the challenges and opportunities available via this unique partnership and ensure you have the tools necessary to recruit, train, engage, and retain committed volunteers.

Fundraising Fundamentals

Research tells us that schools with a documented fundraising strategy raise more money than those that don’t... so what does it take to develop a roadmap for success? This track addresses core fundamentals with sessions that include annual campaign planning and budgeting, committee development, campaign infrastructure, prospect identification, donor cultivation, solicitation, stewardship, case for support messaging, and major gift development. Learn to evaluate current tactics and make strategic changes to increase revenue and improve operations.

Program Outline

A full program schedule will be available soon.

To make the most out of this experience, please plan on participating in-person for the entire gathering.

Our program will begin at 9:00 AM CT on Monday, February 5, 2024 and end at 3:30 PM CT on Tuesday, February 6, 2024.

Meals and Snacks

Your registration fee includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on Monday and breakfast and lunch on Tuesday. Snacks and beverages will be provided throughout the gathering. Meals and snacks will be catered by the Lillian and Larry Goodman Conference Center and are strictly kosher under the supervision of the CRC. All meat will be glatt. Cholov Yisroel and Pas Yisroel (dairy and bread with additional supervision) products will be available upon request.

We make every effort to meet your dietary needs. All meals will include vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free choices. Prizmah cannot guarantee the absence of gluten or allergens from any food; however, we are happy to connect you to our catering staff on-site who will be glad to help you find nourishing choices.

Hotel and Travel Information

You are responsible for your own transportation to/from the Development Bootcamp as well as overnight lodging. Our program is hosted at JUF Chicago (30 S. Wells Street). If you are flying into Chicago, you can fly into either O’hare International Airport (ORD) and Midway International Airport (MDW). JUF Chicago is easily accessible from both airports via Uber, Lyft, cabs or Chicago public transportation.

For your convenience, Prizmah has negotiated a special rate of $129 per night, plus tax, for Bootcamp participants at the Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/Loop located three blocks from the program venue at 11 South LaSalle Street, Chicago. There are a limited number of rooms available at this rate, and they are available on a first come, first served basis until January 14, 2024. Reserve your room.

Presenters

The bootcamp will be facilitated by day school experts from Prizmah and Evolve Giving Group.

Additional presenters will be announced soon.