Session Description: This session dives into how everyday stories form the basis of a communications and marketing strategy to shine the spotlight on the people who make up your school community and create connection and a sense of belonging for all. At UWCSEA, we’re fortunate to have two unique campuses, but we work intentionally to build a shared identity as one College. We’ve learned that great stories aren’t always obvious – they often come from places you least expect, like the Maths department or IT team. These stories take time. They require patience and an investment to grow, but when nurtured, they can reveal the heart of the people behind them and resonate deeply with the community. We’ll share how we’ve built a collaborative framework that encourages diverse voices – students, staff, and departments – to come forward, and how we ensure they feel valued as part of the school’s broader mission. By highlighting examples of how we’ve transformed everyday moments into meaningful narratives repurposed and shared across a range of different platforms to maximise exposure. We’ll showcase how storytelling can not only inform but also build trust, connection, and pride within a school community. This isn’t just about storytelling; it’s about making stakeholders feel special and seen whilst also ensuring their stories resonate with the audience to inspire and motivate action. Whether through print, multimedia, or social media, we’ll explore how we celebrate the unique identity of our campuses while also complementing each other and reinforcing the brand and Mission. This session is about celebrating the people who shape your school, telling their stories in many different ways, and inspiring action.

Session Description: Managing alumni engagement, development, and community outreach as a solo practitioner means balancing competing priorities—communications, design, social media, fundraising, and relationship-building—all while maximizing limited resources. This session will provide practical strategies to enhance efficiency, set priorities, and leverage technology to streamline daily operations. Attendees will learn how to optimize workflows, develop a framework for managing competing responsibilities, and set achievable goals that align with organizational priorities. Through interactive discussion, participants will exchange insights and strategies to ensure that even a one-person team can thrive and make a meaningful impact.

Session Description: Attracting new donors is always a challenge, and in the midst of a global cost-of-living crisis, it’s even harder. This session shares the strategies that the Annual Giving team at The Australian National University are using to drive donor acquisition with a shift to digital-first fundraising. Hear how messaging adaptation has helped engage first time givers despite economic challenges and we’ll share early results, lessons learned, and practical takeaways for institutions looking to boost donor acquisition in a financially challenging landscape. This session covers role of social media and email marketing, data and insight analysis, appeal strategy, and market readiness.

Format: Presentation with Q&A

Learning Outcomes : - Leverage the value of alumni insights alongside data to inform appeal fundraising goals. - Identify target audiences and understand your appeal market. - Learn how a small ask has a big impact when it comes to first-time giving. - Explore how digital-first strategies (social media, email, and interest-based fundraising) drive donor acquisition.

What is the key takeaway from this session?: Annual giving is where storytelling and marketing come together to deliver on alumni engagement and giving objectives including building the donor pipeline. In a challenging economic climate, lowering barriers to first-time giving and diversifying the donor pool through targeted acquisition appeals and an Always-On digital strategy can drive sustainable donor growth. By adapting messaging and leveraging digital channels, institutions can engage new donors despite financial uncertainty.

Join us as we celebrate the outstanding achievements of this year's award winners. Please be seated in the Grand Ballroom by 1:00 PM to ensure the smooth start of the event. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis, except for the top 3 reserved tables. We look forward to sharing this special moment with you!

Session Description: This session explores how professionals in advancement can proactively guide their career development and workplace evaluation practices using the CASE Competencies for Advancement framework. Through a real-world case study from a PreK–12 international school and a hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to assess their current strengths, identify areas for growth, and advocate for professional evaluation systems that support long-term success. Attendees will walk away with a personalized roadmap and practical tools for aligning their development goals with institutional strategy and CASE’s global standards.

Session Description: Each SMU Alumni Homecoming has uniquely engaged alumni through evolving formats. 2022 fostered community spirit with a vibrant carnival on the campus green, featuring reunions, workshops, and performances. 2023 strategically aligned with Eluminix’s ticketed shows, offering a curated cultural experience. 2024 integrated Homecoming into the highly anticipated SMU Arts Festival, seamlessly blending nostalgia with artistic celebration. These diverse approaches strengthen alumni connections, creating meaningful and memorable experiences across the years.

Session Description: Effective international student recruitment requires more than just traditional marketing—it demands authentic, localised engagement. This conference talk will present a case study of a student-led brand campaign at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), an international university in Suzhou, China. The campaign earned a CASE Circle of Excellence award in 2023 and has empowered Indonesian students to shape outreach efforts in their home country.

Session Description: Society commonly holds the belief that medical education and the science of medicine is exclusive to the elite echelon and is not accessible to the majority. Through its signature event Art and Science of Medicine Festival (ASMF), the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) of Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) sets out to disprove this myth and seeks to bring awareness to how the arts and humanities are tied to the field of medicine. It also aims to educate the public on the connection between medicine, health and quality of life in an accessible manner. To achieve these core objectives, once a year, the School brings more than 100 of its clinicians, researchers, staff, alumni and students to the heartlands of Singapore to let the general public experience medical education and medical research through a variety of hands-on activities, games, dialogues and demonstrations. At the 2024 ASMF attended by more than 4,000 members of the public, some 18 booths were showcased, alongside a health screening corner, as well as an art exhibition, “The HeART of Medicine”, that presented LKCMedicine’s students’ artworks that told stories of hope, sacrifice, compassion and gratitude in their journey to be good doctors. The Festival also offered workshops and dialogues by medical experts to share facts about chronic diseases and tips on staying healthy. The event ended on a mass zumba workout to remind everyone on the need to keep fit. How was the Art and Science of Medicine Festival conceptualised, and what is the strategy adopted to galvanise the whole School to team up? What were the challenges to ensure clear roles and timelines for everyone? What communications and marketing efforts were utilised to invite wide audience attendance and participation?

:

Learning Outcomes : - Expand participants' knowledge on challenges in putting up a large-scale science and education festival for the public - Guide participants to study stakeholder involvement and strategies for stakeholder engagement - Deepen participants' understanding of both strategic and practical aspects of building up teamwork among disparate groups, for the single purpose of advancing the institution's mission - Encourage participants to reflect on the impact of successful branding.

What is the key takeaway from this session?: Attendees will gain an understanding of the importance of values-driven messaging for an event, stakeholder engagement and buy-in, and the impact of story-telling not just in words but also a compelling and comprehensive immersive programme for audience participation.