Planned Giving Conference Season and the Power of In-Person Connection

“Communication is merely an exchange of information, but connection is an exchange of our humanity.”

Sean Stephenson

We’re right in the thick of it—planned giving conference season. And I can’t tell you how happy I am that we’ll be spending time together in person this year.

Who would have thought that long airport security lines, days packed with sessions, nights spent catching up on emails and, if you are a sponsor, standing in a 10 x 10 booth for eight hours a day would be preferable to the alternative—sitting in the comfort of your own office, attending sessions virtually and “manning” virtual exhibit booths?

Absolutely me.

I’m thankful that technology helped keep us connected over the past few years. But there’s no replacement for sharing a smile, hug or handshake with a colleague, sitting in a room with like-minded people exchanging ideas, and enjoying a meal with friends you’ve known for decades.

The benefits of human interaction and connection are absolutely beyond measure. As I talked about in last week’s blog, research has shown that feeling connected to others promotes positive mental health. And according to the Mayo Clinic, in-person socialization “…helps sharpen memory and cognitive skills, increases your sense of happiness and well-being, and may even help you live longer.” 

Sign me up!

Here’s our run-down of conferences you can catch us at (in-person) during the month of May. If you’d like to set up a time to talk to our Stelter representative at any of the conferences, reach out to us at stella@stelter.com.

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We hope to see some of you this month and throughout the rest of 2023. Safe travels!