Session Description: 2020 wasn't a very funny year. 2021 wasn't a lot of laughs either. But amid challenging times, the University Relations team at UC Riverside found ways to utilize humor in executive communications, strengthening connection among a broad range of internal and external stakeholders and capturing media attention while delivering important messages. In this session, we will review these examples, then examine the strategic benefits of using humor. We'll also address when it's not appropriate. Finally, we'll review some ideas for cultivating humor, ending with an understanding of how this contributes to institutional health.

Session Description: In this interactive event, two teams of experienced fundraisers will tackle a surprise fundraising challenge, live, in a cooking-show inspired competition! They'll accept your feedback as they "cook," and you'll determine their fate over three rounds of surprises. See it unfold live as the teams respond and share their perspectives on today's biggest advancement challenges. You’ll decide what happens each round and who will be crowned the Throwdown! champions. Be ready to offer your take on key topics, including organizing campaigns, balancing revenue and participation, and engaging an inclusive donor base. It's a CASE session like nothing you've seen before!

Session Description: The Five-Step Persuasive Process is an advertising technique. In this session, we will explore how these steps may be instrumental in school leadership, management, and communication. This interactive session will explore ways in which we can best use this method to reach employees and constituents, examine desired outcomes of messaging, define the target audience, and determine when we will know if or when we have succeeded in reaching our objective.

Session Description: Today, educational institutions must implement JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) principles throughout the organization and create learning opportunities in real time. This case study demonstrates how Alumni Relations, in collaboration with Development and the DEI offices, successfully produced virtual conferences and community events focused on JEDI learning, resulting in measurable engagement and giving. Learn the opportunities and challenges of reframing strategic leadership alliances and how to extend programming across and beyond the institution. Discover how the CASE strategic framework was used, how to leverage the virtual environment while creating community, and the power of joining forces across departments.

Session Description: Learn how Western University of Health Sciences is utilizing Blackbaud's Award and Stewardship Management software to create a “Virtuous Circle” that inspires existing scholarship donors and transforms donor-funded scholarship recipients into new donors after graduation. Share and discuss other institutions' strategies for donor relations that can be replicated at your institution to elevate your department’s operations from fund stewardship to a complete donor-centric program focused on stewardship strategies, impact reporting, and donor engagement and recognition.

Last lunch will be served at 12:30 Program will begin at 12:45 We live in challenging times. Our society feels divided by politics, by social class, by race—even by what we regard as true. This could provide an opportunity for educators and educational institutions to assert their rightful places as vendors of truth and creators of opportunity. Unfortunately, trust in schools and colleges is at an all-time low. Rather than despair, Eric Abrams, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at KQED, has created a vision for Positive Curiosity. Our discussion will illustrate how this concept can help us learn to disagree without being disagreeable, and to move conversations from seeking to win to seeking to understand with kindness, grace, and optimism. To ask Eric questions, submit them from this link

Session Description: Join Jennifer Martinez and Robyn Ireland for an interactive conversation on how UC Davis School of Education Development and Foundation and Corporate Development teams collaborate to build a faculty-focused foundation fundraising program. They will share “how-to” scenarios to strengthen your relationship with faculty and academic leadership and build a faculty-forward strategy to raise more foundation money. Attendees should come prepared for an interactive discussion on building a model to expand a pipeline of foundation support, establishing trust, and structuring support and services calibrated to the needs of new and experienced faculty. This session will address navigating challenges in working with faculty and across silos and strategies for improving communication and building up their foundation fundraising toolkit.

Is there any additional information you would like to share about the session, speakers or format? : Can our session be open to all skill levels? The drop-down is only letting me select one level. Thank you

Session Description: How does your institution engage with its network? This seemingly simple question is often met with a complex web of systems that vary by user profiles, university departments, vendors, digital platforms and organizational priorities. Many higher education institutions are plagued by siloed agendas that make accessing, maintaining and leveraging your outreach efforts feel overwhelming. In this session, we will examine how Santa Clara University (SCU) is re-envisioning its approach to outreach. Since 2020, the Jesuit university of Silicon Valley has been designing, implementing, and expanding one seamless pipeline that provides a curated and personal experience for every stage of the Bronco lifecycle: prospective, admitted and current students, undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff, alumni and friends of the university. We will also provide an analysis into the best practices, data, campus partnerships and advancements necessary to connect our community of Broncos across the world. In response to the COVID pandemic, the SCU Admissions Department pivoted to virtual recruitment efforts by partnering with PeopleGrove. This new partnership resulted in immediate success by connecting prospective and recently accepted students to the campus community and alumni. SCU’s Career Center, Alumni Association, and Division for Student Life began to examine how leveraging that platform could benefit the entire SCU community; students, alumni, faculty/staff, parents. A university-wide approach that supports networking and mentorship needs was developed: Bronco Exchange, Student & Alumni Connections. This platform allows us to scale and provide equitable access to our community around shared interests, ideas, industries and identities.

Session Description: Institutions are seen as resources for alumni throughout their career, but each career stage has its unique set of challenges and benefits. Alumni relations is quickly becoming a source of support for alumni, and alumni are also helping their community. This session will first start with reviewing the new UCLA strategic plan that focuses on the alumni life stage, and share how the Alumni Career Engagement team used this model to create a career-stage approach to organizing their resources. The presenters will share their approach, actual programming templates, and website examples to show how they implemented the new strategic direction.

Session Description: Creativity isn’t just for creative professionals or artists. Creative thinking is one of the most sought-after skills companies (and CEOs) look for. And yet, 75% of people think they're not living up to their creative potential. How, exactly, do you get more creative? In this session, you will: Learn the mechanics of creativity; Experience a mini-Creative Friday, an outrageous day of silliness used by the ASU Outreach Hub to increase creative thinking, teamwork, and professional development; Have some fun (without forced socialization); Leave with some creative thinking exercises you can do, anywhere and at any time.