Session Description: What does it really take to secure a transformational gift? For decades, university advancement has been seen as the gold standard of fundraising sophistication. But some of the most ambitious, innovative, and successful fundraising campaigns are happening beyond the sector - across local Australian and global for-purpose organisations tackling urgent, complex challenges at scale. While many advancement programs are built around systems and pipelines, the country's most significant gifts are rarely the result of process alone. They are shaped by bold leadership, precise timing, and a deep understanding of donor motivation. In this session, DGB Global shares insights and stories from campaigns across several sectors - revealing what sits behind some of the most impressive philanthropic commitments. From early identification through to stewardship, we will explore the patterns, decisions, and leadership moments that define successful major gift strategy that can be applied by you at your institution. Key take aways: • The critical factors that underpin 7–8 figure gifts globally • A redefined moves management model looking through an “allocationS" lens (enlisting the support of the right people to land the largest gifts possible) • A clearer understanding of what actually moves donors at scale • Lessons from Australian and global for-purpose organisations that can be directly and immediately applied to advancement

Session Description:In 2025, during Murdoch University's 50th anniversary year, a landmark gift of $100m was signed to redevelop the School of Veterinary Medicine - Western Australian's only veterinary medicine school. What makes this story unique isn’t just about the size of the gift—it’s the journey and the evolution of Murdoch University (a non-Go8) and the Advancement function in securing the mega gift. Murdoch University faced some hurdles over the years, leaving alumni engagement and philanthropic strategies underdeveloped. This presentation isn’t about a magic formula or a radical new approach; it’s about reaffirming what we all know: the importance of creativity and intentional stewardship for deeper engagement. Discover how Murdoch purposefully engaged the donor, along with his circle of influence to shape conversations which strategically aligned with institutional priorities to secure a historic philanthropic gift to transform veterinary medicine. As Murdoch University is a non-Go8 which secured a mega gift (the largest within a Western Australian university and one of the largest in Australia) there has been vast interest which are typically only seen in Go8 universities which also led to extensive media interest both domestically and globally. For many years, MU faced reputational challenges and operated with minimal investment in Advancement, resulting in limited alumni engagement and underdeveloped philanthropic strategies. This example demonstrates the power of a bespoke, well-executed stewardship strategy which led to conversations as to "what MU would do with $100 million". Equally important is the partnership between the Advancement leader and the Vice Chancellor, and the deliberate engagement of key influencers—such as other directors and friends connected to the donor’s PAF. A powerful reminder about the importance of stewardship!

Session Description: In a rapidly expanding education landscape with digital-first learner competencies and expectations, rebranding your institution is essential, but alienating alumni could derail success. Drawing on real-world cases, this session will unveil a proven blueprint: anchoring change in heritage, co-creating with alumni and deploying transparent campaigns which boost engagement. Uncover actionable strategies to turn alumni into evolution champions, ensuring your rebrand amplifies shared pride rather than diluting or erasing it. Ideal for leaders navigating transformational organisational change and looking for inspiration to collaborate and engage cross-functionally across any educational institution.

Session Description: When the cost-of-living crisis hit, advancement leaders faced a stark reality: giving patterns were shifting, mass-market giving had declined since early 2022 - with donors citing affordability concerns - and traditional strategies were under pressure. However, High-net-worth giving and structured approaches — such as trusts and foundations — remain strong, while environmental and health causes are increasing gaining traction. For Deakin University’s this was a call to act. Instead of retreating, we reimagined our approach, launching an integrated Trust and Foundations model, with the Team transitioning to a service model in support of the frontline fundraiser. This has helped break down silos and created efficiency and economies of scale, ensuring success with domestic and international funders. Concurrently, we mapped faculty research strengths and capabilities and matched them with national and international Trust and Foundations investment priorities. By strategically allocating prospects, and put every frontline fundraiser to work on opportunities in collaboration with the Trusts and Foundations Team, we dramatically increased the number of applications submitted and strengthened our focus within the institution. This approach also brought to a rethinking of our interaction with Faculties, Academics and Researchers, that has evolved into Advancement playing a strategic role to support Faculties in reimagining their structure and combining Centres and Institutes to respond to emerging funding opportunities (e.g. climate and health). As a further step, Advancement worked with Faculties to identify mission-oriented initiatives, with cross-faculties collaboration, that can attract large investment both in Australia and internationally, with a mix of institutional, commercial and philanthropic funding. This session shares the leadership decisions, organisational redesign, creative thinking and practical tools that turned constraints into catalysts for growth — and offers a roadmap for others navigating similar challenges.

Session Description:Venture philanthropy is reshaping the future of giving — but most institutions are unprepared for what it demands. Drawing on a first-of-its-kind Australian white paper, 30+ national and international interviews, and real institutional case studies, this session demystifies venture philanthropy and gives advancement professionals a practical roadmap for navigating this emerging, high-growth funding model. Participants will explore the six-domain Institutional Readiness Framework, learn how to work across internal silos, and understand the tensions between philanthropic capital, commercial logic, and institutional risk appetite. The session also examines the evolving expectations of family offices, tech founders, and PAFs — and why these funders now expect partnership, pace, transparency, and co-design. This is not a theoretical session. It is a strategic, practical, and provocative conversation about the future of philanthropy in Australia — and the new capabilities advancement teams will need to stay relevant.

Session Description: The landscape for public fundraising in China is rich with opportunity but requires careful navigation. This session serves as an essential guide for advancement professionals looking to build or expand a sustainable public fundraising programme. We will demystify the regulatory environment, outline effective stakeholder mapping for diverse funding sources, and share proven tips for donor engagement in the Chinese context. From managing designated funds to working with social foundations, join us to gain the practical knowledge and confidence to chart a successful course in one of the world's most dynamic philanthropic markets.

Is there any additional information you would like to share about the session, speakers or format? : Final speaker will be confirmed out of the listed staff members due to staff personal circumstances and visas

Learning Outcomes : Interpret the key regulations and common models (including social foundations) governing public fundraising in China. Create a stakeholder map to identify and prioritise potential public fundraising sources in the Chinese context. Apply culturally nuanced strategies for donor engagement, stewardship, and fund management to build sustainable public giving programmes.

What is the key takeaway from this session?: An actionable, one-page "map" outlining critical pathways to public fundraising in China—understanding regulatory boundaries, mapping stakeholder networks, and building trust-based relationships—to confidently enter or expand in this market.

Session Description: When your advancement operation achieves 12:1 ROI with $0.04 cost per dollar raised, the institutional response is often celebration. But what if exceptional efficiency metrics are actually warning signs of dangerous under-investment? In Q1 2023, I assumed leadership of UniSC Advancement following sudden Director departure. I inherited metrics that looked impressive but revealed critical under-resourcing and lack of a future-focused strategy; basically, lean teams stretched beyond capacity, inadequate stewardship infrastructure, single points of failure, and burnout risks. High ROI wasn't excellence; it was evidence of operating in perpetual crisis mode. This session shares the strategic journey from crisis-mode efficiency to evidence-based sustainable capacity. In the last three years, we achieved sustainable revenue floor growth from $3M to $4M+ (33%), managed $13M+ total philanthropic income, built professional infrastructure (CRM uplift, invested in data analytics, systems, and offshore foundations, integrated team structure), and created our first-ever institutional advancement strategy endorsed by Executive. The critical insight: Using CASE Insights and industry benchmarking, we're strategically advocating to move from $0.04 CPDR toward sector-standard $0.20. This was not because we're failing, but because responsible advancement requires adequate resources for donor-centred excellence, staff sustainability, and institutional resilience. You'll receive advocacy tools for evidence-based investment and strategies for moving beyond crisis mode to sustainable operations. Because doing more with less isn't virtuous, it's unsustainable.

Session Description: Overview Volunteerism is shifting rapidly across regions as alumni and donors seek opportunities that are more flexible, skills-driven and impact-oriented. This panel brings together experts from Asia-Pacific and North America to explore how institutions are evolving volunteer programs for the modern era, including the rise of digital micro-volunteering, mentorship platforms, governance diversification and philanthropy-linked service roles. Attendees will gain a cross-continental view of what’s driving engagement growth worldwide, and how culture and institutional maturity influence program design, staffing and metrics.

Session Description:Can small advancement teams really secure transformational gifts? This session demonstrates that they can—and that many of the most significant opportunities are often already sitting quietly in an organisations database. Over the past four and a half years, a five-person university advancement team at the University of Notre Dame Australia secured more than $30 million in philanthropic support, including a single transformational gift of $15 million, a $ 5 million gift and multiple gifts exceeding $1 million. Notably, these major gifts did not come from new prospects; they came from lapsed donors who were already known to the University. By refocusing effort on relationship-building, staff development, and strategic engagement of senior leadership, a small team was able to consistently deliver major and transformational outcomes. Designed for advancement professionals across fundraising, alumni relations, stewardship, advancement services, communications, and leadership, this session balances big-picture strategy with practical, transferable approaches. Participants will explore how small teams can move beyond transactional engagement, use existing data more intelligently to identify high-potential donors, and rebuild trust with disengaged supporters. The session will also examine how investing in current staff development—rather than expanding headcount—and thoughtfully engaging senior leaders and academics at key moments in the donor journey can increase donor confidence and commitment. Through candid case studies, attendees will gain practical frameworks for rethinking the allocation of limited human resources and general budget constraints, aligning advancement services with frontline fundraising, and embedding a collaborative, relationship-led culture that supports major and transformational giving. With a significant intergenerational transfer of wealth anticipated across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, this session underscores the importance of investing now in relationship management with prospects, donors and staff; leadership alignment with work of the advancement team, and staff development to ensure long-term philanthropic success, nationwide impact.

Session Description: In an era of increasing complexity and scrutiny, philanthropic decisions demand more than instinct they require confidence, clarity, and trust. This session explores how a contemporary risk management framework, strengthened by AI-enabled agents, can transform how advancement teams assess risk, navigate uncertainty, and build sustainable philanthropic relationships. Drawing on a real-world institutional case study, attendees will gain practical insight into designing and operationalising a scalable, tiered approach to due diligence, one that balances risk appetite with philanthropic impact. The session will unpack how AI can enhance efficiency and consistency, while human judgment remains central to ethical decision-making.