1:00 – 3:00 PM ET
Pre-Con workshops will be recorded.

Introduction to Advancement Analytics Using R

Advancement is more reliant on data-driven decision making than ever before, and our need for understanding the data we collect is only increasing. However, our ideas and needs often move faster than our resources. In this hands-on workshop, we will explore how to leverage R, an open-source technology that can provide flexible analysis and accelerate how we understand our constituents. Through this session and its toolkit, you will learn: Introduction to R and RStudio

• Importing data from excel spreadsheets and SQL databases
• Descriptive and inferential analysis for advancement
• Incorporating machine learning techniques
• Communicating your findings through visualization

This workshop is ideal for anyone interested in enhancing their analytic and visualization skills. By the end of the session, you will be equipped to uncover insights from your own data, benchmark progress against other institutions’ data, and transform data into actionable insights. 

Register now

Already registered? Join the session or add it to your calendar here.

Is That Legal? Navigating Program Compliance for Student and Alumni Communities

Join us for an insightful workshop designed to help advancement leaders navigate the complexities of program compliance and risk management for student and alumni communities. With the increasing focus on creating inclusive and engaging programming, it’s essential to ensure that your initiatives align with legal and institutional guidelines.

In this session, a seasoned legal professional will share practical strategies to identify and mitigate potential risks associated with program development and execution. You’ll gain valuable insights into how to evaluate the compliance of your initiatives and make informed decisions about which programs are safe to pursue.

As part of the webinar, participants will engage in an interactive activity using a customizable audit template. This tool will help you assess whether a program poses potential risks or is a strong fit for your community. Whether you’re planning events, partnerships, or ongoing initiatives, this webinar will equip you with the knowledge and resources to confidently move forward.

Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your understanding of program compliance and ensure your community’s activities are both impactful and legally sound.

Register now

Already registered? Join the session or add it to your calendar here.

11:00 AM – Noon ET 

Opening Plenary

Join Sue Cunningham, CASE President and CEO, for a conversation with an institutional leader about the role advancement plays in their leadership and their reflections on how institutions can engage alumni and communities in support of the powerful role education plays to transform lives and society. Learn more about the challenges and joys in leading complex institutions. 
Noon – 12:45 PM ET

Elective Sessions 

• Leveraging External Partnerships to Accept Gifts of Complex Assets
  Speaker(s): Jon Kraus, Executive Director, Gift Planning, University of Denver
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking, Industry or Sector Expertise
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4
  TAGs: Advancement Services, Fundraising

  Many organizations are hesitant to accept more complex gifts like real estate, cryptocurrency, charitable gift annuities, or various other gifts of assets that seem to be outside of their grasp. There are many valid reasons for this. The organization may not want to take on the risk of accepting a highly complex gift. Their gift acceptance policies may not even allow them to accept complex assets. Or they may simply not know whom to turn to for help. This session will explore the ways in which even fundraising shops of all sizes can accept large, complex gifts that have the power to transform their organization.

• Ballin’ on a Budget: Creative Low-cost Strategies for Elevating Donor and Alumni Engagement
  Speaker(s): Hillary Cocke, Director of Alumni Engagement, Washington and Lee University, Jen Oliver, Senior Director of Engagement, University of Virginia, Darden School of Business
  Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise, Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 2, Level 3
  TAGs: Fundraising, Alumni Relations

  In today's competitive landscape, engaging donors and alumni effectively is crucial, even when resources are limited. Big budgets do not always equal big impact! In this session, seasoned engagement professionals from Washington and Lee University and UVA's Darden School of Business will unveil their most impactful donor touches and event enhancements that cost nothing and will share lessons learned. This session will highlight ways to leverage existing resources and partnerships and will showcase practical, cost-effective ideas that add value and authenticity to your events. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to elevate their engagement and stewardship programs. The session will be interactive, featuring case studies, practical examples, and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and discussion. Come prepared with your best event extras to share with the group!

• Empowering Faculty and Department Heads: Amplified Philanthropic Results through a Liaison Model
  Speaker(s): Anna Stenport, Dean, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia, Meredith Metcalf, Sr Director of Development and Alumni Relations, University of Georgia
  Competencies: Relationship Building Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 2, Level 3
  TAGs: Fundraising, Alumni Relations

  Collaboration, facilitated by cross-institutional strategic alignment of objectives and credit- and information sharing, is a guiding principle in contemporary university fundraising. But HOW does that work get effectively and holistically done in large, decentralized, and dispersed universities with many competing priorities? This presentation identifies a series of concrete strategies, building on examples from a large College of Arts and Sciences at a public R1 flagship characterized by a high level of strategic alignment between the Dean's Office, front-line fundraisers, and alumni relations. We examine the visioning process we undertook to identify the opportunity for transformational change and then move into the tactics: principles and practices of stakeholder engagement in the Dean's office and among faculty, department heads, and program leaders; design and implementation of a gift officer liaison model; strategic engagement of the Advisory Board; and mobilizing positive accountability and dynamic metrics staff and faculty roles. We draw conclusions about what works from the transformational results we have seen over a nearly two-year period. We also address how to overcome organizational resistance, enhance collaborative culture, and storytelling around the endeavor.

• 21 Scalable Strategies for Aligned and Collaborative Communications and Marketing on Your Campus
  Speaker(s): Jesse Tuel, Senior Director for units, Virginia Tech, Zeke Barlow, Senior director for colleges, Virginia Tech
  Competencies: Relationship Building,  Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 2
  TAGs: Communications and Marketing

  In today's dynamic higher education landscape, coordinated communications and marketing efforts are more critical than ever. Aligning communications and marketing professionals across campus, from the colleges and units to the central teams, can significantly uplift university priorities and advance the overall institution. Drawing from their work to establish a council of 21 communications leaders from the colleges and units at Virginia Tech, Zeke Barlow and Jesse Tuel will share a series of practical strategies, ranging from easy (hosting meetings for all communicators) to difficult (changing the university organizational chart), that can be applied in any institutional setting. Participants will leave the presentation with a toolbox of tactics to customize and deploy at their own institutions.

• The Hiring Highway: Clearing the Congestion for Smooth Talent Flow
  Speaker(s): Amanda Moore, Talent Acquisition Specialist, University of Washington, Denise Lin, Senior Recruiter, University of Washington
  Competencies: Industry/Sector Expertise, Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4
  TAGs: Talent Management

  As the search for top candidates in advancement and higher education becomes more competitive, it is essential for people and culture teams to regularly assess their recruitment and employee engagement processes and tools. This practice helps identify opportunities to enhance recruitment agility and facilitate a faster, more efficient flow of talent into the organization. This session will focus on the importance of developing proactive methods of finding the right talent, investing in modern recruitment technologies and systems, and utilizing metrics and data to measure and improve hiring metrics. By focusing on these key areas, this session will showcase how organizations can clear the "congestion" in their hiring processes, thereby accelerating the flow of talent while ensuring a better experience for recruiters, hiring teams, and candidates alike.

1:00 – 1:45 PM ET

Elective Sessions 

• Collaboration at the Data Layer: How a Holistic Data Strategy Drives Advancement
  Speaker(s): Robyn Doughty, Senior Director, Data and Business Solutions, UC Berkeley 
  Competencies:  Industry or Sector Expertise
  Experience Level: Level 5 
  TAGs: Advancement Services

  As demands for data increase exponentially, it’s more important than ever to develop and implement a cohesive data management strategy. While the data team may hold the center, an effective strategy involves all stakeholders, from inception to implementation.  In this session, we’ll dive into the structural, cultural, and tactical components to form an organizational strategy owned by everyone (not just the data team!).

• A Strategic Plan for Engaging Families
  Speaker(s): Susan Leithauser, Director Family Philanthropy, Denison University, Julie Tucker, Director of Family Engagement & Denison Professional Network, Denison University
  Competencies: Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 1, Level 2
  TAGs: Alumni Relations, Fundraising

  Parents are one of the hottest markets for philanthropy and fundraising; but in order to solicit them, we must first engage them, and meaningfully. This session will discuss the ways one institution built a family engagement strategy--through its onboarding of first-year families, in-person and virtual programming, and strategic and aligned communications, all sequenced to reinforce one another.
  
  Because parent programming on college campuses can be scattered and disjointed, we developed a strategic plan for family engagement to provide coherence, direction, and vision. This session will provide an overview of how we not only built that plan but quickly implemented that plan and how collaboration across the institution has allowed us to meaningfully engage families and contribute to our fundraising and philanthropy goals.

• Developing a Practical Road Map to Becoming a Multi-Million Dollar Fundraiser
  Speaker(s): George Cotton, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
  Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise, Relationship Building
  Experience Level: All Levels
  TAGs: Fundraising

  In the fast-paced world of professional fundraising, the pressure to secure larger and larger gifts is intense....unfortunately, I have bad news...the pressure won't let up! This session unveils nontraditional strategies that moved fundraising at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff from annual yields of $2M to a record breaking year of more than $12million; we're convinced that we can help you move the needle as well. This inspiring and strategy-filled seminar introduces participants to techniques in expanding corporate giving, alumni outreach, and processes in building a non-affiliated donor pipeline. At the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, we grew foundation and corporate giving by more than 200%, expanded alumni giving by 50%, and even increased faculty-staff giving by more than 40%. This hands on learning session is filled with practical tips that will show you how you can create a Personal Fundraising Plan (PFP), grow your non-affiliated donor pipeline, and attract those high capacity donors that always seem to get away. Designed as a best-practice session for new Development Officers, or even the veteran advancement leader looking to reinvigorate their fundraising strategies, this insightful session just might be your secret sauce for success!

• Size Does Matter - What's Right for Your Audience?
  Speaker(s): Danielle Hladky, Director of Communications and Marketing, Calvert Hall College High School
  Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise, Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 2, Level 3
  TAGs: Marketing and Communications

  Have you ever received a snail mail, two-sided, front and back, end-of-year appeal from your alma mater? Most likely it is written by a student receiving financial aid demonstrating the impact of how your gift makes a difference. The tone of the ask, coupled with the feel-good nature of the holiday season, is a win-win. Or is it? Explore how your team can model Calvert Hall's A/B testing model to find the perfect sized email appeal campaign to convert more gifts every fiscal/calendar year end.

• Cultivating a Thriving Culture Through Strategic Professional Development
  Speaker(s): Anna Velleggia, Associate Director of Talent Management and Professional Development, NC State University, Karley Eldridge, Director of Advancement Careers, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  Competencies: Integrity and Professionalism, Leadership
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4
  TAGs: Talent Management

  Cultivate a thriving culture of excellence through thoughtful professional development, learn how we have prioritized retaining and growing top talent through staff engagement, trust, feedback, and programming. By focusing on these areas, you can cultivate a culture of excellence where professional development is not just a process but a strategic initiative that drives organizational success and employee satisfaction. 

2:00 – 2:45 PM ET

Elective Sessions

• Revolutionizing Stewardship: Enhancing Donor Experience with AI
  Speaker(s): Heather Kopec, Executive Director, Annual Giving, Rice University, Nhung Tran, Director of Stewardship and Donor Experience, Rice University
  Competencies: Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 3,  Level 4
  TAGs: Advancement Services

  Join us for an engaging and interactive session where we dive into the latest trends in stewardship and donor experience strategies for higher education advancement. Discover how modern approaches and cutting-edge AI technologies can transform your donor relations, making them more personalized, efficient, and impactful. Through a mix of real-world examples and hands-on activities you’ll learn how to modernize donor experiences that exceeds expectations. Whether you’re a seasoned advancement professional or new to the field, this session will provide you with practical ideas, tips from AI, and innovative ideas to take your stewardship practices to the next level.

• Navigating the Managerial Odyssey: Insights from New, Middle, and Senior Leaders
  Speaker(s): Adam Compton, Executive Director, Annual Giving, NC State University, Reshunda Mahone, Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, NC State University, Josh Privette, Director of Leadership Giving, NC State University
  Competencies: Integrity and Professionalism, Leadership
  Experience Level: Level 2, Level 3
  TAGs: Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, Fundraising, Marketing and Communications, Talent Mangement

  Join us for 'Navigating the Managerial Odyssey,' where we explore the evolving challenges and triumphs of managing at every career stage. From guiding early career professionals to navigating complex managerial landscapes and influencing strategic decisions as senior leaders, this session offers practical insights and strategies for success. Whether you're a new manager, a seasoned middle manager, or a senior executive, discover actionable advice and leadership wisdom that transcends hierarchical boundaries. Don’t miss this engaging discussion designed to elevate your managerial prowess and inspire effective leadership!

• Building a Principal Gift Program from Scratch
  Speaker(s): Jill Anderson, Vice President Development & Alumni Engagement, Moravian University, Jessica Weaver, Principal Gift Officer, Director of Family Philanthropy, Moravian University
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4
  TAGs: Fundraising

  Do you have an institution almost 300 years old but lacking a formal principal gifts program? Have you relied on your major gift donors' support to continue fueling your pipeline and perhaps even be the cornerstones of a campaign? Do you have a committed, albeit philanthropically hesitant Board of Trustees willing to dig their feet in and raise the bar for your institution? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this session is for you!
  
  Join us as we discuss the state of giving at Moravian University and how one particular donor served as the catalyst for our Principal Gift Program. We will also discuss how our newly formed Principal Gift Program has allowed us to surpass our campaign goal of $75M two years early.

• Enhancing Your Annual Giving Strategy Through Social Media
  Speaker(s): Anna Davis, Assistant Director of Annual Giving & Digital Strategy, Grand Valley State University
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking, Industry or Sector Expertise
  Experience Level: All Levels
  TAGs: Fundraising, Marketing and Communications

  Discover how to amplify your annual giving efforts through the power of social media. Anna Davis, Assistant Director of Annual Giving & Digital Strategy at Grand Valley State University, will share proven strategies to engage donors, boost visibility, and drive donations using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Learn practical tips for creating compelling content, leveraging paid digital campaigns, and measuring success effectively. Whether you're new to social media fundraising or looking to refine your approach, this session equips you with actionable insights to enhance your organization's outreach and impact.

• Welcome Aboard! Now What? Onboarding New Fundraisers to Set Them Up for Success
  Speaker(s): Theresa Law, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Indiana Institute of Technology
  Competencies: Leadership, Industry or Sector Expertise
  Experience Level: Level 3, All Levels
  TAGs: Talent Management, Fundraising

  New fundraisers, whether new to the profession entirely, new to your organization, or new to a discipline or role, can feel like they don't receive enough guidance, direction, and onboarding from their supervisors, mentors, and peers. This session provides practical, clearly defined suggestions for setting up your new fundraisers for success from Day 1! Learn the most important elements of onboarding a new staff member to ensure that they understand your organization and their role.

3:00 – 3:45 ET

Plenary

Decoding the Current Educational Landscape 

The education sector is facing unprecedented and rapidly developing changes across the globe. Join a round table conversation about how the latest developments are impacting educational institutions in the U.S. and Canada, and how institutions are advocating for themselves and their communities.

11:00 AM – Noon ET 

Plenary

Courageous Conversations: Leading with Clarity, Compassion, and Conviction in Advancement 

In an era marked by rapid change and heightened scrutiny, advancement leaders are increasingly called to navigate complex, and often emotionally charged, conversations with staff, alumni, and donors. This high-level panel brings together senior advancement professionals to explore how to lead with clarity, compassion, and conviction in the face of ideological divisions, evolving institutional values, and stakeholder expectations. Join us for a candid discussion on fostering psychological safety, sustaining engagement across differences, and modeling courageous leadership in today’s advancement landscape. 

Noon – 12:45 PM ET

Elective Sessions

• Connecting Dots by Collecting Dots: Engagement Data Challenges and Solutions
  Speaker(s):  Samantha Frost, Assistant Vice President, Constituent Experiences, The Ohio State University, Molly Feasel, Advancement Events Manager, The Ohio State University, Angie Theaker, Director, Strategic Project Management, The Ohio State University
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building
  Experience Level: All Levels
  TAGs: Advancement Services

  As the national trend of declining donor counts continues, many institutions are ramping up engagement and acquisition efforts to attract new prospective donors. But increased data collection like this can often lead to differing schools of thought between the engagement professionals who seek to grow the donor pipeline and IT/data partners who aim to protect data integrity. What are the right pieces of data to collect? How can data quality be protected? At what point does data collection hinder a positive customer experience? Is there such a thing as too much data? This session will show how Ohio State Advancement has taken a collaborative approach to working through these questions and more by bringing the two business areas together to develop solutions.
  
  Key topics will include:
  • How to align teams, practices, and goals.
  • How to determine the right data points to ensure quality data while collecting engagement data to build and strengthen the fundraising pipeline.
  • How to select the right data collection tools for varying types of engagement opportunities.
  • How to tell the story of how engagement and acquisition data impacts the long-term health of an organization.

• Gold Star for Recent Grads: Engaging Your Youngest Volunteers
  Speaker(s): Leah Wittenberg, Associate Director, Volunteer Management, Tufts University, Hannah Clifford, Assistant Director, Student & Young Alumni Engagement, Tufts University
  Competencies: Relationship Building
  Experience Level: Level 1, Level 2
  TAGs: Alumni Relations, Fundraisin

  We’re all familiar with the donor cycle, but what about the volunteer cycle? Learn how to successfully recruit, onboard, activate, and steward your young alumni volunteers. This session is applicable to all volunteers, whether they focus on fundraising, engagement, or both. Maybe you have a longstanding GOLD committee, or you are just trying to build up your young alumni network; either way, you’ll leave this session with actionable ideas to not only cultivate your most recent grads, but to build the pipeline for a lifelong relationship with your institution. 

• From Phonathon to Digital Engagement: A Reimagined Approach to Annual Giving
  Speaker(s): Michelle Aquino, Director of Annual Giving & Digital Engagement, Georgia College & State University, B. Seth Walker, Vice President, University Advancement and Executive Director, GCSU Foundation, Georgia College & State University
  Competencies: Relationship Building, Industry or Sector Expertise
  Experience Level: Level 2, Level 3
  TAGs: Fundraising, Marketing and Communications

  Explore the evolution of annual giving strategies from traditional methods such as phonathon and mailers, to creative communications and digital engagement in this insightful session. Discover how innovative approaches in online giving, digital communications, social media integration, and texting have transformed the landscape of annual fundraising. Gain a deeper understanding of how these advancements have revitalized and reengaged alumni and donors, paving the way for a more inclusive, effective, dynamic and modern annual giving model.

• News Break: Is Your School Ready to Respond When Global Events Disrupt Your Campus?
  Speaker(s): Tracy Sweet, Chief Communications Officer, Phillips Academy, Andover, T.J. Winick, Principal, Essex Strategies
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking, Leadership
  Experience Level: All Levels
  Tags: Marketing and Communications

  Student protests, political demonstrations, institutional statements, and more statements. When societal issues or global events disrupt campus life, how do you respond? Is your crisis communication plan built to support your community in these volatile times? In this interactive discussion, we will cover: core elements of crisis communications, policies for navigating official statements, internal communications protocols, promoting dialogue and safely allowing for free expression, legal and ethical considerations, case studies.

• Creating a Team Culture that Feeds Your Strategy
  Speaker(s): Brandi Rideout, Senior Director of Alumni Relations, MSU Denver, Jamie Hurst, AVP, Strategic Engagement, Metropolitan State University of Denver
  Competencies: Emotional Intelligence, Leadership
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4
  Tags: Talent Management

  We all know that culture can eat strategy for lunch, but how do you turn a feeding frenzy into feeding to fuel? Leaders of MSU Denver’s Advancement division undertook a multi-year initiative based on Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead curriculum to transform their staff culture that was challenged by lack of accountability, staff turnover, and underperforming productivity. Starting with an assessment of staff and organizational culture they went through a yearlong program followed by self-developed practices that have transformed their organizational culture and become a model for the rest of the university. These changes have resulted in a quadrupling of fundraising outcomes, staff feedback that they have grown professionally and personally, career advancement for many, and the attraction of top talent. This session will share their process and provide insights on fostering a healthy staff culture that will feed your strategy not serve it for lunch.

   

1:00 – 1:45 PM ET

Elective Sessions

• Navigating Transformation in Advancement Services
  Speaker(s): Shomari White, Chief Operating Officer, Development and Alumni Relations, George Washington University
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking, Leadership
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4
  Tags: Advancement Services

  In today’s dynamic service-oriented environments, navigating change effectively is crucial for advancing organizational goals and maintaining competitiveness. This session explores key strategies essential for leadership in guiding advancement services through transformation. We will share our preferred principles of leading change, overcoming resistance, and strategies for success in building great teams and elevating culture. With considerable depth and breadth of experiences at small and large institutions, our lessons learned, and real-world examples provide practical insights for effective leadership in advancement services through a proactive approach to change management and fostering a culture of innovation and resilience.

• Creating Impactful Career Programs for Alumni - No Matter the Size or Budget
  Speaker(s): Gloria Ko, Senior Director, Alumni Career Engagement, University of California, Los Angeles, Lily Rosenberg, Assistant Director, University of California, Los Angeles
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking, Industry or Sector Expertise
  Experience Level: Level 1, Level 2
  Tags: Alumni Relations

  Career programs and initiatives are expected from an alumni association. Not only are you asked to serve students with alumni volunteers, but you are asked to create meaningful opportunities for alumni and their career development processes. In this session we will explore the three C's framework to guide your team to develop a strategic and impactful suite of programs. Content, Connections, and Commendations are the three C's that any team can frame their programming strategy on any budget or staff size. This session will explore the three areas and share some realistic examples that participants can think about implementing on their campuses. The presenters will share sample programs and resources to help your team implement initiatives that will work for your school. Whether you are just getting started or you have a robust alumni career team, this program will give you sample events and programs that can meet your alumni's needs.

• An Experiment in Prospecting: How to Increase the Response Rate of Your Outreach
  Speaker(s): Victor Senn, Major Gift Officer, University of Michigan Ross School of Business
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking, Relationship Building
  Experience Level: Level 2, Level 3
  TAGs: Fundraising, Advancement Services

  Prospecting often marks the beginning of each relationship we hope to form with a donor. Despite this, fundraisers tend to focus their energy learning more about gift closure conversations than how to reach their donors in the first place. Through the lessons learned during an experiment in prospecting you will learn how you can connect to your intended donor base with ease!
  
  In this session you will gain insights from a study conducted using real prospects. We will talk about how to approach prospecting, what you might expect your results to be and what actually happened in the study. As well as how all of this can inform your work in the future. Additionally, the session will be full of opportunities for you to ask questions and share your experiences in prospecting.
  
  At the end of this session you will be able to identify your target audience, create an outreach plan to increase the responses you receive from your audience and utilize these prospecting tools as an asset that aids the work you do with donors throughout the rest of the gift cycle. Let us help you make the most of the time you spend prospecting so that you can get back to closing more gifts!

• What Do You Care About? Using Donor Interests to Drive Content Strategy
  Speaker(s): Susan Berhow, Associate Vice President of Strategic Communications, Kansas State University Foundation, Shane Shanks, Senior Creative Director, Kansas State University
  Competencies: Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4,
  TAGs: Communications and Marketing

  In an era where donor count is trending down and questions about the value of higher education are trending up, how can communications and marketing professionals keep audiences engaged and ready to give? With the help of some killer sticker incentives and a little ingenuity, Kansas State University Foundation is daring to ask donors what they care about and then creating personalized content strategies that hit the engagement mark.

• Reframing Talent Management in Advancement: A Human-Centered Approach
  Speaker(s): Lauren Villanueva, Ed.D., Vice President, Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, Syracuse University, Christina Smith, Ed.D., Director of Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University
  Competencies: Leadership, Emotional Intelligence
  Experience Level:  Level 5
  TAGs: Talent Management

  As the identities and lived experiences of higher education advancement professionals become more diverse, it is imperative that leaders and managers adopt a personalized and collaborative approach to talent management that promotes engagement, joy, and flourishing. Drs. Smith and Villanueva will discuss their research on turnover and retention in higher education advancement and the factors that influence employees' decisions to remain in—or depart from—their roles, and their co-created human-centered talent management framework designed to promote compassion, inclusivity, and flexibility in the institutional advancement workplace. Participants will discuss actionable strategies to create positive organizational cultures, reduce burnout, and retain top talent through innovative approaches to leadership, communication, and employee engagement and will leave inspired to foster positive organizational cultures where individuals feel valued, empowered, and committed to long-term success.

2:00 – 2:45 PM ET

Elective Sessions

• Build a Scalable Qualification Strategy to Super Boost Your ROE/ROI
  Speaker(s): Amber Arthur, Manager, Leadership Giving, University of Victoria, Cheryl Webb, Leadership Giving Officer, University of Victoria
  Competencies: Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: Level 2, Level 3
  Tags: Advancement Services, Fundraising

  Come join UVic’s Leadership Giving Team to learn how, with minimal resources and a team of three, they secured a 50% response rate to their invitation to meet, and over 20% positive responses, including major gifts and new student awards.

  With a comprehensive campaign on the horizon, all hands are on deck to help identify new prospects to support UVic’s ambitious goals. Through a multi-channel, personalized qualification strategy, the newly established Leadership Giving team (raising gifts in the 1k-25k/year range) launched a personalized invitation to meet -- and in the process, developed a scalable qualification model on a shoestring budget.
  Learn about their DIY approach and leave with ideas, and a solid plan to uncover prospects in your own database.

• The Great Wealth Transfer: Strategic Adaptations for Alumni Associations
  Speaker(s): Lindsay Seminara, Associate Manager, Adv. Events and Operations, The Ohio State University Alumni Association
  Competencies: Strategic Thinking, Industry or Sector Expertise
  Experience Level: All Levels
  Tags: Alumni Relations, Fundraising

  The “great wealth transfer” is a monumental phenomenon that is already underway and will continue to impact our work. Over the next two decades, Boomers are expected to transfer approximately $68 trillion in assets to younger generations. This transfer presents a unique opportunity for transformative philanthropy and strategic adaptation within alumni associations. This session will share actionable insights on how alumni associations can leverage this as an opportunity to forge stronger connections with aging constituents while maximizing philanthropic impact.

• Unleashing the Power of Planned Giving for Fundraising Success
  Speaker(s): Claire Grezemkovsky, Major Gift Officer, Brown University, Carl Wayne, Executive Director Gift Planning, University of California Berkeley
  Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise, Strategic Thinking
  Experience Level: All Levels
  Tags: Fundraising

  Engaging donors around planned giving opportunities is a powerful fundraising approach. As Professor Russell James, expert in Planned Giving strategies, puts it: cash is not king. Gift officers are often aware of planned giving vehicles but are challenged to find organic ways to guide donors to understand these opportunities. Planned giving vehicles can also seem technical and intimidating to many development officers. Planned giving training often focuses on the mechanisms themselves, which can generate curiosity but leave unanswered questions about how to turn theoretical knowledge into gift closures. This session follows a different approach. Through storytelling and case studies, this session builds from the relationships and conversations development officers have with their donors to show the path forward to planned giving strategies and partnership approaches that close gifts.

• Lessons in Leadership: 15 Tips to Help the New and Aspiring Leaders
  Speaker(s): Carrie Phillips. Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, University of Arkansas at Little Rock
  Competencies: Leadership, Relationship Building, Integrity and Professionalism
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4
  Tags: Communications and Marketing, Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, Fundraising, Talent Management

  Stepping into leadership can be both exciting and overwhelming. Whether you're newly in a leadership role or preparing for the next step in your career, this session offers practical, real-world guidance to help you lead with confidence. We'll cover 15 actionable tips that every new and aspiring leader should know—ranging from navigating tough conversations and building trust to leading through uncertainty and developing your personal leadership style. Walk away with insights you can implement immediately, plus a few stories, laughs, and leadership lessons you won’t forget.

• Building Inclusive Cultures that Promote Retention
  Speaker(s): Peter Hayashida, Chair of the Board of Directors, Senior Consultant & Principal, Marts&Lundy, Mark Delos Reyes Davis, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement, University of California, Santa Cruz,  Karla Zarate-Ramirez, Vice President for Development, University of Hawai'i Foundation
  Competencies: Global and Cultural Competence, Leadership
  Experience Level: Level 3, Level 4
  Tags: Talent Management

  Advancement’s revolving door of talent can be disruptive, both to internal and external stakeholders. Demand outstrips supply of talented practitioners, and polling firm Gallup reports that 42% of employee turnover is preventable but often ignored. Even as our colleges, universities and schools are evolving demographically, 85% of fundraisers self-identified as white in 2022, according to U.S. Census estimates. How do we transform our organizations into workplaces of choice, where a full range of talented professionals can contribute, achieve, and grow, without having to move every year or two? No one has completely resolved these challenges, but there are bright, thoughtful, committed innovators focused on continuous improvement. Attend this interactive discussion among forward-thinking leaders building organizations that are high-performing, welcoming, inclusive, and collaborative.

3 – 3:45 PM ET 

Closing Plenary

Navigating Global Changes: Insights and Strategies for Philanthropy & Engagement 

Speaker(s): Cara Giacomini, Vice President, Data, Research, and Technology, CASE, Fleming Puckett, Principal Research Faculty, CASE  

Join us for a deep dive into CASE Insights regional and global data on philanthropy and engagement to understand evolving trends in donor behavior, alumni affinity, and advancement resources. Then zoom out to place these trends within a larger context, looking at a variety of data, research, and institutional examples to understand the forces shaping the future of educational institutions and advancement practices—highlight changing perceptions of education, demographic shifts, and generational changes in philanthropy. This session will highlight how to move beyond key metrics to build a data-informed strategy for tracking and responding to regional and global trends. 

• Leveraging External Partnerships to Accept Gifts of Complex Assets
• Collaboration at the Data Layer: How a Holistic Data Strategy Drives Advancement
• Revolutionizing Stewardship: Enhancing Donor Experience with AI
• Navigating the Managerial Odyssey: Insights from New, Middle, and Senior Leaders
• Connecting Dots by Collecting Dots: Engagement Data Challenges and Solutions
• An Experiment in Prospecting: How to Increase the Response Rate of Your Outreach
• Navigating Transformation in Advancement Services
• Lessons in Leadership: 15 Tips to Help the New and Aspiring Leaders
• Build a Scalable Qualification Strategy to Super Boost Your ROE/ROI
• Lessons in Leadership: 15 Tips to Help the New and Aspiring Leaders

• Balling on a Budget: Creative Low-Cost Strategies for Elevating Donor and Alumni Engagement
• Empowering Faculty and Department Heads: Amplified Philanthropic Results through a Liaison Model
• Alumni Relations, Fundraising
• A Strategic Plan for Engaging Families
• Navigating the Managerial Odyssey: Insights from New, Middle, and Senior Leaders
• Gold Star for Recent Grads: Engaging Your Youngest Volunteers
• Creating Impactful Career Programs for Alumni - No Matter the Size or Budget
• The Great Wealth Transfer: Strategic Adaptations for Alumni Associations
• Lessons in Leadership: 15 Tips to Help the New and Aspiring Leaders

• Balling on a Budget: Creative Low-Cost Strategies for Elevating Donor and Alumni Engagement
• Empowering Faculty and Department Heads: Amplified Philanthropic Results through a Liaison Model
• Developing a Practical Road Map to Becoming a Multi-Million Dollar Fundraiser
• Building a Principal Gift Program From Scratch
• Navigating the Managerial Odyssey: Insights from New, Middle, and Senior Leaders
• Enhancing Your Annual Giving Strategy Through Social Media
• Welcome Aboard! Now What? Onboarding New Fundraisers to Set Them Up for Success
• From Phonathon to Digital Engagement: A Reimagined Approach to Annual Giving
• Gold Star for Recent Grads: Engaging Your Youngest Volunteers
• An Experiment in Prospecting: How to Increase the Response Rate of Your Outreach
• Unleashing the Power of Planned Giving for Fundraising Success
• Lessons in Leadership: 15 Tips to Help the New and Aspiring Leaders
• The Great Wealth Transfer: Strategic Adaptations for Alumni Associations
• Build a Scalable Qualification Strategy to Super Boost Your ROE/ROI

• 21 Scalable Strategies for Aligned and Collaborative Communications and Marketing on Your Campus
• Size Does Matter - What's Right for Your Audience?
• Enhancing Your Annual Giving Strategy Through Social Media
• Navigating the Managerial Odyssey: Insights from New, Middle, and Senior Leaders
• News Break: Is Your School Ready to Respond When Global Events Disrupt Your Campus?
• From Phonathon to Digital Engagement: A Reimagined Approach to Annual Giving
• What Do You Care About? Using Donor Interests to Drive Content Strategy
• Lessons in Leadership: 15 Tips to Help the New and Aspiring Leaders

• The Hiring Highway: Clearing the Congestion for Smooth Talent Flow
• Cultivating a Thriving Culture Through Strategic Professional Development
• Welcome Aboard! Now What? Onboarding New Fundraisers to Set Them Up for Success
• Navigating the Managerial Odyssey: Insights from New, Middle, and Senior Leaders
• Creating a Team Culture that Feeds Your Strategy
• Reframing Talent Management in Advancement: A Human-Centered Approach
• Building Inclusive Cultures that Promote Retention
• Lessons in Leadership: 15 Tips to Help the New and Aspiring Leaders