Apra-IL upcoming events

Apra-IL Webinar: Lessons Learned, Mistakes Overturned - Insights from the 'People in Fundraising' Podcast, Volunteer Pathways, and Dreaming It Up Again (Thu, November 05, 2026)

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Apra-IL Webinar:

Lessons Learned, Mistakes Overturned -

Insights from the 'People in Fundraising' Podcast, Volunteer Pathways, and Dreaming It Up Again

In this webinar, Tim will share key and consistent take-aways from among the 200+ nonprofit leaders who have been guests on his podcast since 2022. He will also briefly share his volunteer leadership pathway at the Apra chapter level, leading to him now serving on the Apra International Board. This segment will focus on common themes such as imposter syndrome, burnout, and balancing those sentiments with a growing desire to give back to our Apra community - all with a goal of helping to demystify what volunteer leadership paths can look like. People with a love of music may notice that Tim's presentation title draws from an Alicia Keys song and a U2 quote at a pivotal time in their band's history, and Tim will explain how those musical influences shape his career outlook."

Speaker Bio:

Tim Wilson leverages his 25 years of prospect development experience as the inaugural prospect management & research manager at Weber State University. He also taps into his broad network as the host of the weekly podcast "People in Fundraising." Tim has worked in large shops (Harvard Business School), mid-sized (Utah-based Intermountain Health Foundation), and tiny shops (team-of-1 and now a team of 1.5 at Weber State.) A longtime volunteer with NEDRA and Apra Utah, he currently serves on the Apra International board, and has presented to many Apra chapters as well at CASE Utah and the 2024 CASE District VII and District VIII Conference. Tim loves connecting with our awesome Apra community at the chapter level!

Apra-IL Webinar: There and Back Again - From Reactive Requests to Strategic Referrals (Thu, December 10, 2026)

Thu, 10 Dec 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Apra-IL Webinar:

There and Back Again -

From Reactive Requests to Strategic Referrals

What happens when you ask fundraisers what they "really" want in a prospect and then build a system around it? In this session, participants will learn how the University of Denver's Prospect Development Team, in close partnership with Business Intelligence, shifted from reactive requests to a proactive prospect referral system powered by its CRM. Attendees will learn how DU's prospect development team collaborated with fundraisers to define meaningful prospect criteria, created accountability for both Fundraisers and PD through a CRM-integrated referral system, and developed reporting solutions enabling teams to measure outcomes and demonstrate the impact of referrals on fundraising success.

Speaker Bio:

Pete Kotowski is the Director of Prospect Development at the University of Denver, where he has worked remotely from the Chicago suburbs since February 2023. Prior to this, Pete spent over five years on the Prospect Management & Research team at Loyola University Chicago, most recently serving as Associate Director of Prospect Management & Research. He remains a part-time faculty member in Loyola’s Department of History, where he teaches core courses in American History and Western Civilizations. Pete began his career in prospect development at Loyola Academy.

Pete is a member of the Apra International Board of Directors and previously spent eight years as a member of the Apra-IL board. He graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a PhD in Early American History and earned a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh. In his free time, you can find him reading everything from J.R.R. Tolkien to Colson Whitehead, training his English Springer Spaniel, Bertie, or participating in his son’s latest hijinks.

Apra-IL: Tour of Southern Illinois University Tedrick Welcome Center (Fri, June 11, 2027)

Fri, 11 Jun 2027 18:00:00 GMT

Apra-Illinois Tour of

Southern Illinois University Tedrick Welcome Center

Join us for our 2027 regional meet up!

On Friday, June 11, 2027, from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m., Apra-IL invites you for a tour of the new Southern Illinois University Tedrick Welcome Center at 1264 Lincoln Drive Carbondale, IL 62901.

Our itinerary includes a tour of the new building at 1 p.m.. followed by a coffee meet-and-greet with staff and peers from the Southern Illinois University Foundation, Apra-IL, and other visiting guests.

Please RSVP before the end of day Friday, June 4, 2027 to help us reserve enough space and coffee.

We hope to see you there!

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