Apra Greater Houston Annual Conference
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
United Way of Houston Community Resource Center
50 Waugh Dr., Houston, TX 77007
Featuring speakers specializing in cryptocurrency, nonprofit career development, database conversions and project management and other topics.
Thank you to our sponsor
Conference Agenda
8:30 – 9:00: Registration, Light Breakfast, and Networking
9:00 – 9:15: Welcome Remarks
9:15 – 10:00: Cryptocurrency 101 - Elisa Shoenberger, Aspire Research Group
Everyone seems to have an opinion on cryptocurrency, good or bad. But what exactly is cryptocurrency and why does it matter for us in the philanthropic sector? And what about NFTS?
This session will give attendees a basic understanding of cryptocurrencies and NFTs and help explore how these new giving vehicles impact our work and the world of philanthropy.
10:00 – 10:15: Break
10:15 – 11:00: Cultivating Your Own Prospects: Building A Fulfilling Career Within Philanthropy - Kristen Schlatre, Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rice University
A recent Harvard Business Review article analyzing the impetus for “The Great Resignation” noted that “the many deaths and instances of serious illness brought about by the pandemic [may] have caused people to reconsider the role of work in their lives.”* The pandemic also highlighted additional employment opportunities afforded by remote work environments. This has led to increased demand for work environments that are both professionally and personally fulfilling. What does this look like for you and how do you know when you have found it? In this session, we will explore a variety of career pathways available to data professionals in philanthropy: the environments in which these opportunities occur, the professional interactions they involve and the professional development they require. Attendees will leave with a framework they can use to help determine their current and future career moves and resources for how to explore these various options beyond the session.
11:00 – 11:15: Break
11:15 – 12:00: Managing Projects: A Fundamental Skills Review - Allison Fippinger Hamilton, Hamilton Consulting
Join Allison Fippinger Hamilton for a review of project management fundamentals. Walk through the project lifecycle, learn key actions and exercises that can help in each project phase, and collect handy tips to keep your project moving. Recommendations and exercises are applicable across both large-scale and smaller projects.
12:00 – 1:15: Lunch (included with registration)
1:15 – 2:00: How to engage millennial donors and secure major gifts - Jonas Chin, Freewill
A presentation about the rise of Millennial donors in planned and major giving and strategies for securing impactful gifts from this group.
2:15 – 2:30: Closing Remarks
Speaker Biographies:
Jonas Chin
Jonas is currently a Partnerships Lead for FreeWill, a social-good startup that builds charitable giving platforms which make it easier for supporters to give to causes they love and simpler for nonprofits to receive. Previously, he served in development roles at Rice University and the University of Houston.
Chin is passionate about advocating for civic engagement, education, and the arts. He has served as the scholarship committee chairman for the Chinese Professional Club of Houston former board member of Project Row Houses and OCA-Greater Houston. Chin is a member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo School Art Committee and Smithsonian Institute Houston Regional Council member.
He holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Houston and a master's degree in public policy and administration from Northwestern University.
Allison Fippinger Hamilton
Kristen Schlatre, CFRE
Kristen Schlatre, CFRE serves as director of the Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership at Rice University. In this capacity she is responsible for implementing the strategic direction of the Center through ensuring the continued quality and growth of professional development opportunities for professionals, volunteers and board members serving mission-based organizations. She holds a MPA in Nonprofit Management and MA in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University through the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy respectively. Her previous professional roles have included board development, talent management and implementing strategy for program and revenue growth. She was a member of Leadership Houston’s Class XXIX and has served as a board member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Houston Chapter, the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance Leadership Circle at the University of Houston and the local advisory board of Delta Zeta Sorority.
Elisa Shoenberger
Elisa Shoenberger is a researcher and writer in Chicago. She is a Research Consultant at Aspire Research Group since 2018. She has over eight years of experience in the fundraising sector working as a prospect researcher at Loyola University Chicago and benchmarking analyst at Grenzebach Glier and Associates.
Elisa earned her MBA in marketing and operations management from Loyola, a MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and a BA in history from the University of Chicago.
She has written about philanthropy for Inside Philanthropy, Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Daily Dot, Brainfacts.org and others. She has written about cryptocurrency for Daily Dot and the Forward and has presented for several chapters of APRA as well as APRA International. She has published articles with Slate, Boston Globe, Huffington Post, Business Insider, and many others.
