First Campaign.
Full Confidence.
The Azure Summit for Heads of School
July 19–21, 2026
San Francisco, California
Go From “How Will We Raise This?” to “Here’s How We’ll Do It.”
The two-day intensive experience that transforms Heads of School undergoing their first campaign into confident fundraisers. Designed specifically for Heads of School and their Chief Advancement Officers.
Consider this: Your board wants an ambitious campaign. Your trustees expect you to lead donor conversations. Your advancement officer needs you as a confident partner. But you’ve never done this before.
That’s exactly why The Azure Summit exists.
After eight Summits with 150+ schools, we’ve seen that when Heads develop fundraising fluency and confidence, advancement programs accelerate. When they don’t, even the strongest teams can struggle.
Over two days, you will gain the specific skills and strategies that make campaigns succeed. You’ll learn how to have compelling donor conversations, make major gift asks with confidence, and strengthen your partnership so you’re working as one team. You’ll leave with your campaign plan in hand and the clarity to execute it. This isn’t generic leadership development, it’s the real-world playbook that’s guided 150+ schools and their heads to campaign success.
An overview of this year’s Summit schedule (all times are PT):
- The 2026 Summit will begin on Sunday, July 19 at 5:30 p.m. with registration and a cocktail reception and dinner followed by opening remarks at 7:00 p.m.
- Monday’s program will begin at 8:00 a.m. and will conclude at 5:00 p.m. followed by a reception. Dinner on your own!
- Tuesday’s program will begin at 8:00 a.m., concluding at 12:45 p.m.
- Thirty-minute complimentary consultants are available from 1:00-2:00 p.m. on Tuesday for Azure Summit attendees who would like to reserve a spot with one of our faculty.
Highlights from The 2025 Azure Summit
Hear what Heads of Schools had to say about The 2025 Azure Summit
About our Leadership Initiative
Campaigns succeed when the Head and Chief Advancement Officer operate as true partners. Yet for many Heads preparing for their first campaign, stepping into donor leadership can feel like learning a new language.
The Azure Summit closes that gap.
Built for Heads entering their first campaign and the CAOs who rely on them, this experience turns uncertainty into shared momentum. No theory—just practical, proven guidance that lets leadership teams proceed with confidence, coordination, and a unified voice to donors and trustees.
Grounded in more than a century of collective campaign expertise, our talented Summit faculty equip Heads with the clarity and tools to champion major philanthropy and gives CAOs the strategic partner they need to realize your campaign’s full potential.
Two days. One shared playbook. The beginning of what’s possible.
The Azure Summit Curriculum
01
Preparing for a Personalized Learning Experience
01
Preparing for a Personalized Learning Experience
The schools represented by Summit attendees with be in various stages of campaign readiness and will each have distinct areas of focus necessary to move forward. We will begin the Summit with a discussion on the characteristics that signal both challenges to and opportunities for preparing for a campaign, allowing you to approach the curriculum with a more acute understanding of how to adapt your learning to the particular needs of your school.
02
Planning a Campaign
02
Planning a Campaign
Before hitting the go button, ensure that your School is ready to take on the rigors of a campaign. This session will take you through an assessment to determine the readiness state of your school.
03
Case for Support
03
Case for Support
We will focus on best practices in case development, reviewing the many paths to a case. There is no one way to get there, but there are core fundamentals to consider. This session will be infused with examples of strong cases and will provide you with worksheets to guide your thinking about building the case.
04
Executing a Campaign
04
Executing a Campaign
Few campaigns follow a linear path. This session will provide an overview of what to expect in each phase and examples of course corrections when necessary. Most importantly, this will give you a clear sense of the roles you, your Board and your advancement team should play.
05
Navigating Relationships with High-Capacity Families
05
Navigating Relationships with High-Capacity Families
Learn strategic approaches to communicating, engaging, stewarding, and recognizing these donors in ways that resonate with their philanthropic goals.
06
The Role of the Board in a Campaign
06
The Role of the Board in a Campaign
Boards are central figures in campaign success. In this session, we’ll explore the role of the board as a whole and the expectations for individual board members, ensuring all understand that philanthropy is a primary responsibility.
07
Mastering the Art & Science of Fundraising
07
Mastering the Art & Science of Fundraising
Understanding what motivates donors to invest deeply in your School is critical to achieving new heights in your fundraising program. We will position you to develop effective strategies for engaging your constituents in a meaningful and ultimately productive way.
08
Creating Your Action Plan
08
Creating Your Action Plan
We will close out the Summit with a session in which you will create a plan for implementing the knowledge and insights you’ve gained once you return to your school.
Pricing
Current Clients
$2,610 Registration
Non-Clients
$2,900 Registration
Register Today
To register, please complete the form below. Your chief advancement officer, if attending, can be registered now or at a later date.
Lodging
Exclusive Azure Summit rates at the Fairmont San Francisco are available July 18-21 to allow for early arrival and an extra night’s stay. To receive the Azure Summit 2026 rate, please reserve your room by June 18, 2026.
Click here to book.
About the Hotel
Fairmont San Francisco, an iconic Beaux Arts landmark, has been a beacon of style for over a century. With its grandeur, it captures the hearts of San Francisco residents and visitors alike. Renowned for offering the best panoramic views in the city, our luxury hotel is celebrated for its impeccable service, transforming moments into cherished memories.
Faculty
Marts&Lundy Faculty
About Jim Zimmerman
Jim has spent three decades leading advancement programs at Middlesex School, Cate School, The Lawrenceville School, Francis Parker School, and The Branson School. He served as a trustee of his alma mater, Bucknell University. He is a Senior Consultant and Principal at Marts&Lundy and the Leader of the Schools Practice.
View Full BioJim Zimmerman
About Jeffrey D. Berndt
Jeff has deep experience in donor strategy, as well as planning for and conducting several of the most successful independent school campaigns, and is currently Director of Institutional Advancement at The Thacher School. He also served as managing director of New Profit—a leading venture-philanthropy firm—where he raised a $130+ million fund which was re-granted to organizations such as Year Up, KIPP, and Teach for America to help them scale their programs across the country.
Jeffrey D. Berndt
About Ki Perry
Ki (pronounced “key”) is an accomplished advancement strategist with more than two decades of experience leading high-performing development programs in independent schools. She recently led Tampa Preparatory School’s first-ever comprehensive fundraising campaign to a successful close.
View Full BioKi Perry
About Nancy Kehoe
Nancy serves as the Director of Advancement at Mount Tamalpais School, is the current chair of the Association of Bay Area Development Officers, and is the founding Board President of AeXIS, Advancement Exchange for Independent Schools.
View Full BioNancy Kehoe
About Martha Voegeli
Martha has worked in advancement for over 30 years, serving a variety of educational institutions. Her consulting experience includes strategic counsel to more than 20 independent schools.
View Full BioMartha Voegeli
About Doug Diefenbach
A key leader within Foster Avenue (Marts&Lundy’s philanthropic communications partner agency), Doug has spent nearly 40 years helping a wide range of American nonprofit institutions articulate and exceed their goals for strategic alignment, brand visibility, constituent engagement, and philanthropic revenue. He brings a deep specialization in philanthropic communications, earned as a consultant and foundation staff member serving higher education, healthcare and human services institutions. Doug joined Foster Avenue after running his own philanthropic communications consultancy for six years; before that he served as vice president of campaign strategy and communications for Advocate Aurora Health, one of the nation’s top 20 integrated health systems. He now serves as Foster Avenue’s chief message strategist, overseeing all editorial services and designing and delivering most of the firm’s campaign fluency training sessions for client staff and volunteers.
Doug Diefenbach
Contact Us
If you’d like more information on our curriculum and presenters, please contact Jim Zimmerman at zimmerman@martsandlundy.com or by phone, 201-460-1660 x174.
For questions or assistance with your registration or lodging, please contact Lila Tyler at tyler@martsandlundy.com or by phone, 201-340-0568.