Cohort 11 is in session!

Cohort 11 Schedule:

Friday, January 27, 2023     In-person session 
Friday, February 24, 2023  Virtual session
Friday, March 24, 2023       Virtual session 
Friday, April 21, 2023          Virtual session with Board participation
Friday, May 12, 2023           In-person session   

Interested in Cohort 12 (2024)?  Scroll down for details 

Leadership Gift School

Nonprofit CEOs and Development Directors are invited as a team. Five sessions, including two that include members of each nonprofit's board, plus one on one individualized orientation, offer a unique experience to build highly trained teams who can effectively advance the way fundraising is implemented. As a member of this peer learning community, you will discover what it takes to build and grow the most successful philanthropy program possible for your unique organization. Throughout the five sessions, you will hear from experts and donors, review the field research, read the professional literature, examine case-studies, and participate in class and out-of-class assignments to ensure the effective implementation of LGS principles.

Over the last ten years, 221 nonprofit leaders from 90 nonprofit organizations have graduated from this highly acclaimed program, evaluated by an independent UNCC study.

BEST PRACTICES: MOTIVATIONS, METHODS, METRICS

• Increase individual giving and reduce dependency on corporate support
• Design/implement leadership gift strategies unique to each organization
• Create funding opportunities that will attract major gifts: 10,000 to 1M range
• Improve understanding of donor psychology and philanthropic behavior
• Develop relationships with donors/grantors that result in long-term funding
• Increase board involvement in philanthropic advocacy & action
• Expand responsibility for ethical fundraising, beyond the development office
• Make major/leadership gift development a top priority of the organization

AUDIENCE
CEOs and Development Directors are both required to participate in all sessions.
Board members are invited to attend two half-day sessions.
Applications are required to ensure a diverse group of nonprofits that are prepared
to implement the established practices.
Please complete the following form if you are interested in attending future cohorts.

Leadership Gift School Graduates
Click here to view our graduates through 2022

APPLY HERE FOR COHORT 12

COST: $3500 FOR TEAM OF TWO, $500 FOR ADDITIONAL ATTENDEE


Patton McDowell will serve as lead faculty and facilitator for this cohort.

PATTON MCDOWELL EdD, MBA, CFRE
President, PMA Consulting LLC

Patton McDowell is the president of PMA Consulting, a firm he founded after a successful twenty-year career in the nonprofit sector. He is a frequently sought-after leadership coach and speaker on nonprofit issues of fundraising, strategic planning, organizational development and the executive skills critical to a leader's personal and professional success. Patton received a BA in Education from UNC Chapel Hill where he was a Morehead Scholar, an MBA from the McColl School of Business at Queens University of Charlotte, and a Doctorate in Education (Organizational Change and Leadership) from the University of Southern California. He is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a Master Trainer for AFP International, host of the weekly podcast Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership and author of the book by the same name.