2026 Symposium on Fundraising

Save the Date: 2026 Symposium: Major Gifts: Strategy, Confidence, and the Courage to Ask

June 11, 9.30 am – 3.30 pm

Ventura College (Thank you, Ventura College Foundation!)

4667 Telegraph Rd, Ventura, CA 93003

Register Now!

Major Gifts: Strategy, Confidence, and the Courage to Ask

Major gifts are the engine of transformational growth—and they require precision, preparation, and purposeful asks. This symposium focuses on strengthening major gift strategy, from identifying and qualifying prospects to crafting and delivering compelling solicitations. Participants will gain practical tools, experiences, and renewed confidence to ask boldly, close effectively, and elevate the financial future of their organizations. The symposium also includes a distinguished panel of local major donors to share their perspectives. 

Who Should Attend:

Fundraising professionals, senior nonprofit leadership, board members, volunteers, donors, consultants, and others interested in a career in the nonprofit sector are warmly welcome.

Meet our AFP Symposium Keynote Speaker: Mary Peterson | www.heyfundraiser.com 

About Speaker: Mary Petersen has spent over 25 years in the major gift trenches, helping nonprofits raise millions while teaching fundraisers how to find the words, the confidence, and the courage to ask. She is the founder of Hey Fundraiser, and the author of What to Say: 12 Scripts for Asking for a Major Gift. Mary’s work has guided organizations from hospitals to universities to community-based nonprofits, and she is known for her fresh, joyful approach to the most intimidating part of fundraising: the ask itself. She has trained and coached thousands of fundraisers across the country, equipping them to overcome fear, build authentic donor relationships, and close transformational gifts.

Keynote Session:

What to Say: Practical Words for Confident, Effective Gift Asks is an interactive experience designed to help fundraisers get past the fear that so often shows up around asking for gifts. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of being too direct. Fear of hearing an objection and not knowing what to say next. This session is all about replacing that anxiety with practical language, real practice, and greater confidence.

Afternoon Session

Small Table, Big Philanthropy

Big gifts come from small tables, real conversations, and genuine connection. In this hands-on session, author and major gift strategist Mary Petersen will walk you through her proven three-step system for launching or revitalizing a major gift program: The Dinner, The Match, and The Upgrade. You'll leave with a concrete 90-day action plan you can put into motion the Monday after the Symposium.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Design an intimate, mission-focused event
2. Identify the right host, the right guests, and the right conversation to inspire five- and six-figure gifts
3. Structure a match campaign that turns leadership gifts into a movement of new donors
4. Apply the 3-Year Rule to upgrade loyal donors to major gifts
5. Leave with a 90-day action plan

We know that "Planned Giving" can sound like a complicated web of tax codes and legal jargon. But at its heart, it’s simply about the story a donor wants to tell, and the impact of the legacy to be created. 

Join us for a warm, open conversation. No lectures.  No PowerPoints.  Real stories. We’re all here to learn from one another, so no question is too basic, and this is a zero-judgement zone.

The session is intended to be low pressure and high impact, with the opportunity to chat with those already in the field.  

Ilana Ormond Bio:

Ilana Ormond is the Senior Director of Planned Giving at UC Santa Barbara, where she has spent over a decade securing legacy commitments for her alma mater. She started her career at the American Film Institute and subsequently built the planned giving program for the Motion Picture & Television Fund Foundation. Over the next two decades, Ilana held senior gift planning roles at several major organizations in Los Angeles and spearheaded the Planned Giving Initiative at the Ventura County Community Foundation.

A former President of the Los Angeles Charitable Gift Planners and Chair of the Western Regional Planned Giving Conference, Ilana served as a guest lecturer for the USC/Hebrew Union College dual master’s program and as a faculty member for the Center for Nonprofit Leadership. She is currently one of ten national mentors for the National Association of Charitable Gift Planners.

In her community, Ilana serves as the co-President of the Friends of the Thousand Oaks Library and volunteers as an adoption counselor for the Ventura County Animal Services’ Bunny Brigade.

Shanna Taylor Bio:

Shanna Wasson Taylor  has served as the half-time Gift Planning Services Officer at United Way of Santa Barbara County for 10 years. Being semi-retired, and working part-time at United Way in the special niche area of planned giving offers Shanna excellent work-life balance, as well as satisfying and intellectually challenging work. Prior to United Way, Shanna spent 20 years as CEO for Make-A-Wish Tri-Counties, and 10 years in membership and program for the Girl Scouts on California's Central Coast and in San Diego.  She serves on the board of the San Buenaventura Conservancy for Preservation. Shanna enjoys backpacking, playing soccer and tennis, her book club, and her garden.

United Way Planned Giving website: https://unitedwaysbgift.org

Degrees

Shanna earned her bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola Marymount University and her master's degree in education, leadership & organizations from UCSB.