Executive Leadership Cohort

Monday, August 28 | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

The Executive Leadership Cohort (ELC) is intended for those individuals who are senior leaders in prospect development and who set new directions while motivating and inspiring their teams and colleagues. Specifically, ELC targets individuals who actively impart knowledge and externally advocate for the industry, have been working in the field for 10 years or more and have risen beyond just prospect development. 

This targeted group will meet during Prospect Development 2023, participating in a set of discussions that will focus on the issues that prospect development and philanthropy face today, as well as the challenges that leaders deal with in their organizations in addition to their own careers. The program will be highly interactive, providing attendees with content, networking and peer-to-peer learning that will enable them to better understand the value of leadership, and will include a set of open conversations facilitated by Apra members and career professionals. Discussions will be attendee-driven, framed within the context of strategic leadership and an understanding of the responsibilities of a leader.

Attendees of ELC will be invited to join the online community of past ELC participants to encourage year-round connections and conversation.

Topics may include:

• Moving from tactical management to strategic leadership
• Managing diverse staff and blended teams
• Addressing change and ambiguity within the organization
• Managing up — both within and outside development

The cohort will be capped at 50 participants to ensure substantive conversations and networking opportunities. Participation in this cohort is contingent on committee approval. The ELC selection committee uses the following criteria to determine applicant participation (not all criteria are required). Participants should:

• Have 10 years or more experience in development
• Have oversight of more than one of prospect development’s core domains: prospect research, prospect/relationship management, or data science
• Have oversight of an area beyond prospect development’s core domains, e.g., stewardship, communications, training, reporting, etc.
• Serve as the prospect development lead at their organization
• Manage staff within their organization

We encourage interested individuals to register for the ELC by June 30, 2023, as your responses will help the ELC committee develop content for this year’s cohort. If you are unable to register by June 30 or have additional concerns, please email speakers@aprahome.org. Those who have been accepted into the cohort will be notified on a rolling basis beginning in early June. ELC participants will incur additional registration cost.

The Executive Leadership Cohort has been shaped by Apra’s Education & Professional Development Committee, notably:

• Craig Leonard, Executive Director, Pipeline Development and Strategic Initiatives, University of Michigan
• Kelley Denby, Executive Director for Prospect Development, The University of Texas at Austin

Please contact speakers@aprahome.org with any questions.