As the advancement sector undergoes rapid transformation, institutions are grappling with declining grant funding and significant shifts in donor behavior. This session explores the evolving landscape of philanthropy, including insights into how changing institutional priorities and the anticipated wealth transfer are reshaping fundraising strategy. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of emerging opportunities, evolving donor expectations, and practical approaches to diversifying revenue streams in a time of unprecedented change.

Using insights from multiple giving reports and other sector-wide analyses, this session explores the most significant trends influencing institutional advancement today. We will examine the shifting dynamics of leadership transitions, the expanding role of family offices, changes in federal funding, evolving generational giving patterns, and the implications of the endowment tax. Designed as a high-level scan of emerging factors affecting donor engagement and organizational strategy.

Many external forces are currently impacting higher education, from government initiatives to financial markets to donor behaviors and limited advancement resources. In this session, we’ll look at the impacts of these forces on higher-ed. fundraising specifically, and we’ll explore ways to increase your ability to focus on building your donor pipeline and winning larger donations effectively. This will include CASE’s new research on the emerging uses of generative AI by advancement shops today.