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With competition for philanthropic dollars increasing each year, growing donor fatigue, millennial influence changing the very nature of philanthropy and the rise of an unprecedented digital marketplace for attention, there has never been a more critical moment for nonprofit leaders and fundraising professionals to understand how to inspire loyalty and affiliation among their constituents.

To help attendees to capitalize on this opportunity for donor engagement, James Kopp, Senior Managing Director at Changing Our World, will join philanthropic leaders from throughout the nation at the St. Louis Planned Giving Council’s Annual Conference, Wednesday, May 23 at Maryville University in St. Louis, to deliver his keynote address, “Overcoming Donor Objection Through Creative Case Development.” We are in a new era of philanthropic affiliation and the focus of the traditional case for support must shift away from the needs of an organization to the philanthropic priorities of potential donors. Kopp will explore how cases for support can anticipate and articulate these priorities and how this approach is critical for campaign success.

Kopp will also draw on three decades’ experience leading profoundly successful capital campaigns to host a break-out session titled, “Beyond Bricks & Mortar: Raising Funds for Abstract Causes,” through which he will discuss changing philanthropic perspectives; donor expectations and competition within the context of capital campaigns; impact investment; and, ultimately, how organizations can raise more money to do more good for more people.

About Jim

In Kopp’s position at Changing Our World, he has provided strategic counsel in the development and implementation of development audits, enhanced annual and major giving and capital campaigns for such organizations as the Sesame Workshop, the United Nations Foundation, World Animal Protection, the Roman Catholic Foundation of Eastern Missouri and the United States World War One Centennial Commission.

Prior to joining Changing Our World, Kopp served as Dean and Vice President of several state and private colleges in both the Midwest and New England and, most recently, served as director of institutional advancement and president of the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. He is a frequent speaker at national conferences and has served as a senior grant reviewer for the United States Department of Education. Kopp holds a M.A. from the University of Maine and a B.A. from Cathedral College.