APRA CAROLINAS 2023 FALL CONFERENCE

Please join us for our first in-person conference since the pandemic at Novant Health in Charlotte, NC on October 5th and 6th, 2023! We'll begin with a happy hour and welcome reception at The People's Market from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on Thursday, Oct. 5th, then return refreshed for a great day of content on Friday, Oct. 6th.

The conference sessions will all take place in the Novant Health Heart & Vascular and Cancer Institute, 3rd Floor, Conference Rooms B & C. Parking is free in the deck adjacent to the building. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Attendees will be offered a complimentary headshot during the conference if they would like one.

Early Bird Registration - until 9/20:

Members are $60, non-members are $75

Regular Registration - until 10/6:

Members are $70, non-members are $85

(Psst - one of the perks of attending as a non-member is that you will receive a complimentary Apra Carolinas membership for the remainder of 2023 which means you'll have access to all of our member resources and discounted or free webinar registrations!)

Join us and your Carolinas colleagues to learn about due diligence research and processes, professional development coaching, networking activities, vendor sessions - and more!

A hotel room block has been reserved for those traveling into Charlotte to attend. Please visit this link to reserve your room at the discounted rate: Hotel Reservations Link

Fairfield Inn & Suites Charlotte Uptown
201 South McDowell Street
Charlotte, NC 28204

This reservation link is open until 9/22 - if you need to reserve after this date, please reach out to Apra Carolinas Education Chair, Emily Glesias, and she'll connect you with the hotel to secure the discounted rate.


Speakers & Sessions:

Overdue for Due Diligence?

Is your organization concerned about reputational or legal risk in engaging or accepting gifts from potential donors? Is your organization looking to establish philanthropic due diligence processes and procedures? This session will discuss the fundamentals of philanthropic due diligence, outline industry best practices, and highlight available resources for prospect development professionals.

Gareth Griffin is the Assistant Vice President of Business Intelligence & Decision Support at Duke University where he leads the teams in charge of advancement data and analysis, including Prospect Development, Advancement Analytics & Analysis, BI Systems & Projects, and Alumni & Development Systems. Before joining Duke, he was the Senior Director of Prospect Development at MIT, Senior Director of Prospect Management & Analytics at Santa Clara University, and Assistant Director of Prospect Management at UC Berkeley. Before heading west to California, Gareth started his career in fundraising as a Prospect Research Analyst at Clemson University. He is very active within the prospect development community. He previously served as Chair of Apra’s Ethics & Compliance Committee, was on the faculty for Apra Fundamentals: Prospect Research, and faculty for the CASE Researcher’s Conference.

Everyday Influencer

In a position where seeing the finish line is nearly impossible, remembering the power of the influence you have is important.  Come be refreshed as we give voice to the realities of your influence, designate helpful parameters to succeeding within it and confidently offer solutions for how to catalyze action and lift spirits in both your professional and personal realm. 

Cindy Beeman has always had a passion for helping people. Today, as the Executive Director for Susquehanna County Interfaith, she specializes in connecting our community with the mission for providing help and hope to all. During past years as we all faced the obstacles created by the pandemic, Cindy showed her optimism, vision and proven ability to revitalize organizations, by moving her non-profit literally into their own building, and working tirelessly raising more revenue to continue to meet the growing needs of the community. Along with her board and dynamic team she has opened two more locations and quadrupled revenue and donations to make sure everyone in the county had access to services. It is with that sense of adventure that Cindy continues to create an effective and enjoyable culture of success, and capture untapped opportunities for growth. In the past Cindy has been honored as one of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s top 25 Women in Business, her agency has been a finalist in Social Solutions Impact Awards and a winner of the Gold Standard award. Cindy holds a master’s degree in Executive Leadership from Liberty University.

Turn Your Data Into Dollars: Identify Major Gift Prospects with Speed & Accuracy using AI & the Key Markers of Philanthropy

Did you know that studies have found, on average, over 88% of all funds come from only 12% of donors?

A strategic major giving program is one of the most effective ways to advance your mission. That's why we're diving into the key elements and data indicators that are sure to grow your major gift portfolio.

Join DonorSearch as we dive into best practices to expand your major giving program to the other 88% of your donor database and beyond.

In this session, we will be discussing:

1. The 6 data markers of philanthropy
2. How to identify current donors that should be a major gift prospect
3. How to find new donors that would be a perfect fit to add to your major gift portfolio
4. Creating personal, major gift experiences for all donors to grow giving
5. How to use AI for Major Gift identification

Cathy Allwine is a Senior Onboarding Specialist with DonorSearch.

Chris Copsey is the UNC Health Foundation’s Grateful Patient Data Analyst. Since 2019, Chris has provided the Grateful Patient Program with data and analytical support, mainly supporting grateful patient identification, cultivation, and solicitation activities. He assists with the strategic coordination of critical data and information sharing between the donor and alumni database, EPIC, and other resources as necessary, and serves as a liaison between the Health Foundation and University of North Carolina Development office as it relates to data management and information sharing. He is also very active in APRA, serving on their Data Science Subcommittee, and helps to organize their one-day conference for philanthropic data professionals called Data Science Now.

Chris graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, in 2008 with a dual degree in Political Science and History. He enjoys reading books on American History, playing golf (poorly), and plotting out the best ways to grow vegetables in his yard- a work in progress! Chris lives in Snow Camp, North Carolina, with his wife Trinh, and son, Theodore.

Lakshmi Gopakumar is the Development Data Analyst at the UNC Health Foundation. She is part of the Annual Giving Team, and participates in the strategic planning, coordination and support of the grateful patient program and all annual fund solicitation activities and stewardship efforts. Before joining the Foundation, Lakshmi was with the University Development Office where she was an analyst in the Pipeline Development team. Her academic background is in Economics and Analytics.