The 2025 Everence® Development Conference is your chance to discover new ways to advance your mission-driven fundraising programs! Venture with us, Sept. 23-25, 2025, at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
We are thrilled to offer a stage to these expert fundraisers!
Jeff Gingerich, President, St. Bonaventure University
This discussion will explore the essential relationship between institutional mission and the financial resources needed to make meaningful change. Does money drive mission or does mission drive money? By aligning financial goals with a strong mission, we can inspire generosity, build long-term support and drive transformational change in our communities, churches and institutions.
Michelle Gollapolli, EVP and Chief Development Officer, Food for the Poor
Donor demographics are changing rapidly and the environment in which we raise funds is also ever evolving. Faith-based organizations are witnessing the shrinking of their donor databases, more so than others, as we strive to stay relevant in a dynamic and secular world. What are some of the key characteristics of this changing world that we need to be aware of? And, how can this help inform our fundraising strategies as we strike that delicate balance between advancing our missions through a faith-based lens and appealing to a growing secular demographic?
Panel moderated by Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, Managing Director for National Markets, Everence
Join us for a compelling discussion on how donors perceive the role of fundraisers in achieving their philanthropic goals. Gain insight into their most rewarding giving experiences—and their most challenging ones. Discover what they value in those seeking their support and what aspects of the process they find frustrating. By understanding their perspectives, you'll gain valuable insights to enhance your approach and strengthen donor relationships.
Entertainment: The musical you'll never forget (and never see again!)
“Barbra" is an improv team that improvises a never-before-seen and never-again-will-be-seen musical! We interview one lucky audience member and then build a musical around their lives. And yes, all the characters, songs and dances are made up on-the-spot!
Kevin King, Executive Director, Mennonite Disaster Service
From Exodus 14:10-16 – Moses gets to the river, the Egyptians are chasing them and the Israelites and Moses are in a tight spot. God commands Moses to stretch out his hand to part the waters. God might do mighty things, but He wants us to work with him.
1 - 6 p.m. Check-in and registration
1 - 2:15 p.m. Pre-conference workshop:
2:15 - 2:30 p.m. Break
2:30 - 3:45 p.m. Pre-conference Workshop
5:45 p.m. Opening Session Doors Open
6 - 8:30 p.m. Welcome Dinner and General Session I
8:30 - 10 p.m. Dessert reception and networking
6:30 - 8 a.m. Breakfast
8 - 9:30 a.m. General Session II:
9:30 - 10 a.m. Break
10 - 11:15 a.m. Workshop session A
11:15 am - 1 p.m. Lunch
1 - 2:30 p.m. General Session III
2:30 - 3 p.m. Break
3 - 4:15 p.m. Workshop session B
4:15 p.m. End of day two programming
6:30 - 8 a.m. Breakfast Buffet
8 - 9:15 a.m. Workshop session C
9:15 - 9:30 a.m. Break
9:30 - 10:45 a.m. Workshop session D
10:45 - 11 a.m. Break
11 - 12 p.m. General Session IV
12 - 1 p.m. Lunch
Molly Helmstetter, Director of Development, New Hope Ministries
New to the fundraising field? Could you benefit from some useful guidance, along with a boost of encouragement? Through a series of popular fundraising topics, you'll hear real-world advice, ask your burning questions, gain practical tips, learn about key tools and resources, and leave with actionable steps to kick-start or continue your professional fundraising journey.
Rev. Dr. David Boshart, PhD., President, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary
With an untested president, facing financial and enrollment challenges, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary embarked on a 3-year, $12 million integrated campaign. The focus of the campaign was to increase funding for global outreach and practical leadership programs to support current and future leaders for the church. The initial vision for this campaign was to increase the seminary’s endowment. After testing that model, feedback from the feasibility study with major donors indicated that a very different model would be needed for the campaign to succeed. In this session President David Boshart will share about AMBS’s successful campaign that not only reached the financial goal, but also resulted in increased enrollment, significant expansion of AMBS’s global engagement, and an increase in inter-organizational collaboration.
Leigh Ann Jacobson, Executive Director and Chief Development Officer at College of Lake County Foundation
Tailored for small development teams, this session will focus on practical, resource-efficient strategies to align your mission with donor passions to inspire major gift support, even with limited staff and budgets.
Dennis A LeFevre, CFP®, Financial Consultant, Everence
Stories can be powerful motivators to move donors to action. When used well, stories can plant seeds that germinate over time and eventually yield fruit. This seminar will highlight actual cases that have occurred and can be used to move your donors to action. Participants will be able to see how such stories can help donors see how they can help themselves and your organization move forward. Questions and discussion encouraged.
Moderator: Randy Nyce, Managing Director, Everence
Panel: Betty Handy, Friends of the Children and Dave Trout, Spruce Lake Retreat
Randy, Betty and Dave are esteemed alumni of The School of Hard Knocks. In this seminar, they will offer wisdom for newer fundraisers that they wish they would have had in the early years of their careers.
Through real-world lessons and practical strategies, you’ll gain valuable guidance on:
Join us for an honest, engaging conversation designed to help you avoid common pitfalls, work smarter, and build a strong foundation for long-term fundraising success.
Mitch Stutzman, Director of Development and Partner Engagement, Menno Media
Nonprofits with a small staff can find it hard to prioritize their energy around planned giving programs when annual operating dollars and capital projects are also a need. Join this session to discover how one organization started from scratch to build a successful planned giving and endowment program while completing their largest capital campaign. In this case study, follow the journey of building a strategy that led to taking in the largest gift they have ever received and inspiring a new vision for the future.
Ted K. Reese, Director of Development, Penn State College of Medicine and Zane Gizzi, Major Gifts Officer at Penn State College of Medicine
Do major gift conversations make you nervous? Don’t know how to start the conversation? Not sure how to move a stuck conversation forward? Two seasoned pros with LOTS of face-to-face experience with donors will help you and share their best practices for securing major gifts. At the end of this session, you will be able to navigate everything from the first conversation with your prospect to closing the gift. You’ll leave with real tools that you can use right away.
Zane Gizzi and Ted Reese are Major Gift Officers for the Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Health. Between them, they have decades of experience working with diverse organizations, from parochial schools to public broadcasting, arts and culture, higher education, and healthcare.
Leigh Ann Jacobson, Executive Director and Chief Development Officer at College of Lake County Foundation
Designed for mid-sized shops, this session will provide practical tools to identify, engage, and steward major donors, emphasizing the relationship-building aspects of fundraising as a form of ministry.
Jamie Detweiler, Financial Planner and Garett Heister, Manager of Charitable Services, Everence
Join Jamie and Garett for an insightful session on identifying and engaging donors for impactful charitable gifts of real estate. This presentation will equip fundraisers with strategies to recognize strong giving prospects within their donor base and beyond. Jamie and Garett will explore key indicators that signal a donor’s readiness for legacy and major gifts, offering practical approaches for identification. They will also walk through the next steps – how to initiate conversations, guide donors through the real estate gifting process, and steward these relationships effectively to maximize both donor satisfaction and mission impact.
Madalyn Metzger, Chief Marketing Officer, Everence
This workshop equips faith-based organizations with strategies for managing crises without compromising their values. Participants will learn how to craft transparent messaging, leverage digital platforms for crisis management, and develop a comprehensive plan that balances.
Amanda Hickle, Director of Advancement for Landis Communities, Melissa Kalicicki, Donor Engagement Coordinator for Landis Communities
In a world filled with distraction, how can we capture our donors’ attention, drawing them closer and joyfully connecting their passions with our mission? In this session, we’ll explore creative and impactful strategies for engaging donors in a way that holds their attention and deepens their emotional connection to your organization. Through storytelling, personalized outreach and authentic communication, we’ll learn how to move beyond one-time contributions and build long-lasting relationships that inspire continuous support. Join us for an interactive experience that will leave you with fresh ideas, tools, and strategies to bring donors into the fold – fostering a deeper sense of joy and purpose as they support your mission.
Shirley Showalter, President of Goshen College (1996-2004) and member of the Steering Committee for the Connected Cause Campaign 2025
When Shirley Showalter was president of Goshen College, fundraising was one of her greatest joys. She and her team of staff and volunteers averaged about $10 million a year from multiple sources.
During those years at the turn of the century, Showalter led one campaign ($24 million for the performing arts facility and its endowment), helped write multiple grants and continued to grow the annual fund. She also served on the Elkhart County Community Foundation and later the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community and other boards. She and her husband Stuart are currently participating in the Connected Cause Campaign at Goshen College.
This workshop will discuss:
Leigh Ann Jacobson, Executive Director and Chief Development Officer at College of Lake County Foundation
Fundraising isn’t just the job of development professionals—it’s a team effort that involves leadership, program staff, and board members. This session will demystify the fundraising process and explore how non-fundraisers can play a crucial role in bringing donors to the table. Learn how to collaborate with fundraisers, foster a culture of philanthropy and strengthen donor relationships through shared mission-driven engagement.
Chad Barger, Fundraising Strategist, Productive Fundraising
Join fundraising master trainer, Chad Barger, ACFRE, ACNP, for a workshop focused on proven ways to capture donor attention. We’ll look at the challenge of cutting through the noise in today’s daily communication onslaught and the importance of donor retention. Attendees will learn simple, actionable steps that they can take to boost donor engagement at their organization. Examples will be shared of creative ways that real life nonprofit organizations identified, cultivated, solicited and stewarded their donors – including some that had no budget for doing so.
Chandler Ingle, CFP®, CSRIC®, Financial Consultant, Everence
How do we help our donors truly make their wishes known? Many donors desire to leave a planned estate gift and name organizations in their estate documents, but they fail to realize that their account beneficiary designations supercede what is written in the estate documents. This can lead to serious misunderstandings of what is actually being left to their favorite charities. And, unfortunately, most financial and estate advisors do not take the time to explain this – or understand it themselves. This workshop recommends language to encourage donors to review their beneficiary designations and target certain assets to leave to their desired organizations.
Jennifer L. Groff, Vice President of Development, Penn Medicine LG Health and Danielle N. Sunday, Director of Fund Development, Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development
In nonprofits you are either in or planning for your next campaign. Campaigns are inevitable, so how can you position your organization for success? In this session, learn how to engage stakeholders effectively utilizing proven strategies and tools to plan, implement, and manage campaigns. This session will explore key components like developing and communicating a compelling narrative, focusing your time and resources on highest returns on investment (blended gifts!) and planning for sustainability post-campaign. We’ll also share ideas on how to keep you and your team emotionally nourished and energized during the rigor of campaigns.
Alyssa Vásquez-Colón, CEO / President, Organizational Culture Consultant Firm
In today’s shifting philanthropic landscape, faith-based and nonprofit organizations can no longer rely on traditional fundraising tactics alone. Donors don’t just give to causes – they give to organizations they trust. But how do you cultivate trust in a world where donor expectations are evolving?
This dynamic and interactive session will challenge you to rethink your approach to fundraising by aligning your internal culture with your external donor engagement. You’ll discover how fostering a culture of belonging, psychological safety and inclusive leadership can transform your donor relationships, boost retention and unlock new funding opportunities.
In this session, you will:
Dennis Lefevre, CFP®, Financial Consultant, Everence and Rachel Swartzendruber Miller, PhD, Managing Director for National Markets, Everence
What motivates donor decision making? Hear real stories of major gifts from an experienced fundraiser and a financial consultant with deep charitable experience
Jen McCoy, CFP®, Financial Consultant, Everence
Join us for an inside peek at how Everence financial planners help their clients build confidence and empower them to give more than they ever thought possible. Through three real client case studies, we’ll explore the best strategies for guiding clients in their charitable giving journey. As part of this lively session, you’ll collaborate in small groups to brainstorm actionable ideas for moving the needle on their charitable giving.
This real-world, practical approach will help you see how to apply these principles both as a fundraiser and in partnership with financial planners. Jen’s warm and engaging style will make this an interactive, hands-on learning experience you won't want to miss. We look forward to having you join us and expand your ability to inspire confidence in donors!
Susan Shultz Huxman, Former president of Conrad Grebel University College and Manny Nunez, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Villanova College
This is a hands-on workshop for nonprofit leaders ready to move beyond the annual fundraising target cycle and into true strategic partnership. Through interactive discussion, a real-world case study, and practical tools, participants will explore common pitfalls in board-CEO fundraising dynamics and learn how to engage their boards more meaningfully in strategy, risk management, and long-term visioning. Attendees will walk away with clear, actionable strategies to strengthen board-executive collaboration and build a more sustainable and effective fundraising approach.
Dave Warren, Vice-President Asset Management, Everence
It's time for us to have a crucial conversation about fundraisers and those who supervise them. Fundraising positions turnover way too frequently. The fundraisers that stay in these positions are often unhappy in their jobs. Supervisors are often unhappy about the performance of their fundraisers. And then fundraisers leave, and everyone loses. But no one seems to know what to do about it!
Please join Dave Warren in this important conversation as we seek to provide challenge, honesty, and encouragement, in the midst of this complicated and seemingly perpetual problem for so many of our nonprofit organizations.
Dave will name a couple of the elephants that he thinks are in the room, and how he thinks naming those elephants can help us to solve the problem of fundraiser burnout. Come get new ideas and new energy to break this stalemate. Our world has deep needs that must be addressed. We must solve this challenge. Join us and take a step in the right direction!
Greg Yoder, Director of Operations and Seth Crissman, Executive Director - The Soil and The Seed Project
The Soil and The Seed Project (TSATSP) is a crowd-funded ministry of the church committed to spiritual renewal for individuals, families, and communities. Seth Crissman and Greg Yoder will share their journey from simple beginnings with The Walking Roots Band to receiving a $1.2 million Lilly Endowment grant. Today TSATSP is an international and ecumenical ministry whose artistically beautiful music is about finding Jesus in the ordinary moments of life.
If you have questions, please contact Everence Conference Planner, Lisa Doutlick.
