Session Description: As global donor trends evolve, it has become clear that addressing the world’s most pressing challenges requires institutions to collaborate and form strategic partnerships. The days of giving solely to institutions are over; today’s approach focuses on giving through institutions and forming powerful alliances—locally, regionally, and globally. This session will explore how fundraising partnerships, through case studies from the University of Melbourne and its partners, can amplify impact. We will discuss the critical role of trust in these partnerships, key strategies to foster collaboration, and important considerations to take into account before joining forces with other organizations to jointly fundraise for large-scale initiatives.

Session Description: The University of Oklahoma Foundation is an independent charitable organisation facilitating and managing philanthropic gifts to support the University of Oklahoma. For the last two years, the Foundation sought to enhance its data sharing and integration capabilities to foster greater collaboration and efficiencies across its three campuses – Norman, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. Furthermore, the System-Wide Data Integration Project has increased security measures and expanded the data the Foundation receives from the University. Using a phased approach, the project addressed each campus’s needs and data sources, highlighting the complexity of the University’s decentralized structure. This session explores the Foundation’s positive evolution from lacking a formalised data strategy to now having a comprehensive initiative for institutionalising data management.

Session Description: In today’s institutions, alumni diasporas are increasingly common, with groups of alumni residing in different parts of the world, often forming alumni chapters and networks outside their alma mater’s home country. These diasporas present unique opportunities for institutions to expand their fundraising reach and strengthen alumni engagement. This session explores case studies from institutions which have successfully mobilized their global alumni networks to encourage financial giving. Through case studies and proven strategies, we will discuss the characteristics of alumni diasporas, key fundraising initiatives, and challenges such as geographic distance and cultural differences—along with innovative solutions to overcome them.

Session Description:Each time a transformational gift is announced by an institution, it is met with excitement and a sense of intrigue. What an incredible gift! I wonder how it all came together? As advancement professionals, we understand the far-ranging impacts large and transformational gifts can have in advancing the mission of our institutions, and in helping to shape society. They enable institutions to raise their horizons, to increase the margin of excellence across learning and teaching, research and community engagement. Transformational gifts are often complex to strategise around, facilitate and implement. This panel discussion will feature leaders from across the Asia-Pacific, who will collectively unpack key characteristics of transformational gifts, detailing recent examples, key insights, obstacles and learnings.

Session Description: Word of mouth is often seen as a spontaneous and organic phenomenon, but in reality, it can—and should—be a strategic tool for independent schools. In this session, we will challenge the traditional notion that word-of-mouth marketing is beyond our control, instead redefining it as an intentional approach that actively shapes positive narratives, leverages social networks, and implements targeted referral programs to amplify a school’s reputation and attract new families. Using real-world examples from NIST International School (Bangkok, Thailand) and Seoul Foreign School (South Korea), we will explore how schools can maximize authentic storytelling and structured community engagement to drive enrollment and retention. We will share strategies for normalizing and sustaining word-of-mouth initiatives, demonstrating how a well-designed approach can turn parent advocacy into one of the most powerful tools for school growth.

Session Description: Schools and universities in many global cities have long relied upon high-stakes fundraising events to generate much of their philanthropic giving. Yet global trends and economic headwinds have reduced the viability of high-stakes fundraising events that include live and silent auctions, making these events increasingly expensive to produce while generating less for mission-critical programs. Learn how HKIS reimagined its traditional gala into a new event without auctions, putting the emphasis on celebrating community and mission while exceeding financial goals.

Session Description: This presentation explores how the National University of Singapore (NUS) and its Hong Kong Alumni Network collaborate to engage alumni effectively. Hear how NUS Alumni Relations and its alumni leader in Hong Kong leverage diverse interests of alumni in the city, organise specific events, and align activities with university goals. Gain insights into fostering impactful partnerships that strengthen alumni connections and support institutional engagement across borders.

Is there any additional information you would like to share about the session, speakers or format? : Main presenter – Mr Jack Ren, Deputy Director, Global Engagement, Office of Alumni Relations, National University of Singapore (NUS) Co-presenter – Dr Johnny He, Chairperson, NUS Alumni Network Hong Kong

Learning Outcomes : Remember – importance of alumni engagement Understand – partnerships between universities and alumni networks Apply – activities tailored to alumni interests and local cultures Analyse – obstacles and challenges in overseas alumni engagement Evaluate – successful initiatives and measurable impact Create – strategies in alignment of alumni activities with university goals

What is the key takeaway from this session?: Attendees who attend will gain insights into: 1) Developing impactful partnerships, 2) Ideas for strengthening alumni connections, and 3) How effective partnerships can further institutional engagement across borders.

Session Description: In a short span of 14 years, Singapore's youngest medical school, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has been ranked as one the world's top 100 medical schools, growing in reputation as a bold and progressive institution that advances the practice and science of medicine for the good of humanity. Set up in 2010 as a joint medical school by NTU Singapore and Imperial College London, backed by Singapore's ministries of education and health, its primary clinical partner the National Healthcare Group, and a generous philanthropic gift of SGD150 million from Singapore's most prolific donor, the Lee Foundation, this young medical school was quick off the ground, adopting a greenfield approach for its MBBS programme by introducing innovative approaches to medical teaching. The School today attracts Singapore's brightest students, has seven cohorts of young doctors serving at the frontlines of Singapore's healthcare landscape, and is equipped with an ambitious research agenda. The year 2028 marks the completion of the collaboration between NTU and Imperial, and ahead of that, in 2024, the School has been rebranded. It is transiting into a solely-NTU medical school and its graduates from 2029 will graduate with an NTU-awarded MBBS degree. In preparation of that milestone, the School leadership and the LKCMedicine Communications team began a rebranding process that culminated in August 2024 with the unveiling of a refreshed identity that encapsulates a revised narrative, visual system and logo, at a grand event themed 'Homecoming to A New Chapter'. What have been the strategic and practical considerations in rewriting LKCMedicine's key narrative, and designing a new visual system to reflect its new identity? How were the major stakeholders involved and expectations of the parent universities NTU Singapore and Imperial managed? What were the factors for the successful rebranding?

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Learning Outcomes : - Expand participants' knowledge on challenges in rebranding educational institutions, particularly one that carries two or dual identities while in transit. - Guide participants to study stakeholder involvement and strategies for stakeholder engagement in institutional rebranding, particularly in rewriting the key narrative. - Deepen participants' understanding of both strategic and practical aspects of institutional rebranding. - Encourage participants to reflect on the impact of successful rebranding.

What is the key takeaway from this session?: Attendees will gain an understanding of the importance of values-driven messaging, stakeholder engagement and buy-in, and the impact of story-telling not just in words but also a compelling and comprehensive visual system. While a good brand strategy is important, it is only as good as the people who will embrace it. Our work underscores that successful branding goes beyond a strong vision or mission statement. People remain at the core of any brand positioning.

Session Description: Alumni engagement is crucial for institutional growth and community building. While traditionally led by institutions, student-led initiatives are becoming increasingly impactful. At Tembusu Residential College, students collaborate with faculty and staff to engage alumni through peer networks, mentoring programs and professional development events. This enhances student belonging, career development, and workplace skills while strengthening lifelong alumni connections. These approaches have increased alumni participation, demonstrating that students as partners drive long-term institutional and professional success.

Session Description: Dashboards are all the rage. No matter which CASE conference you attend, you're likely to see at least one presentation on developing a dashboard at an educational institution. Until recently, only large institutions and organizations had access to custom tools and platforms for advanced reporting and visualization of data. With the advent and proliferation of consumer-grade tools, building a dynamic dashboard for reporting giving outcomes is easier than ever. But it's not necessarily *easy*. HKIS launched its first dynamic dashboard for reporting Annual Giving participation to its community, and learned a lot along the way. Join this presentation to explore the important considerations before undertaking a dashboard project, and learn how HKIS built a dashboard that delighted its constituents--and resulted in an all-time high participation rate among its community of current parents.