This moderated conversation will dive into the crucial topic of nurturing diversity within the field of advancement. Attendees will gain insights into effective strategies for recruiting, retaining, including, and promoting talent from diverse backgrounds in advancement roles. We will share our own experience and practical tips to help organizations create inclusive and equitable environments, fostering the growth of talent from diverse backgrounds through early, mid, and senior leadership. Join us and participate in an engaging discussion that promises to drive positive change in your institution advancement staff.

Following on their well-received session from the 2023 CASE VIII conference (Old Skool vs. New and Cool: The Changing Look of Campaigns), Tamara and Lisa will lead a countdown of 10 tactics to set up for campaign success. They will highlight important areas of focus in campaign planning, sharing creative examples of successful work, lessons learned, and what to avoid. Set your institution up for campaign success by planning ahead, learning from peers, and making connections, and gathering creative ideas.

2024 marks the 50th Anniversary of CASE as an association, which came about from the joining of the American Alumni Council and the American College Public Relations Association. CASE now is the global professional association for those who work in those disciplines and also in fundraising and advancement services – and many other specialties. To mark this anniversary, CASE President and CEO Sue Cunningham will engage a panel of District VII and VIII volunteers about the future of advancement. At the end of the year, this conversation will inform a collection of insights about our profession and all its disciplines – the ones we know now, and the ones that might emerge!

College athletics inherently creates built-in affinity groups within a university and the surrounding community. Learn how to tap into these groups by capitalizing on the nostalgia of historic moments, teams and players to plan an inspiring event and reconnect the community, alums and business partners back to the university. Hear from the Arizona State University Alumni Association team on how they have developed and built events such as their annual Legends Luncheon celebrating Sun Devil Football and this year’s Affinity Reunion celebrating 50 years of Women's Volleyball.

An insightful speaking session where we will delve into the area of brand and the role it plays within post-secondary institutions. In today's competitive educational landscape, a strong and consistent brand is essential for universities to differentiate themselves, attract students, engage stakeholders, and foster a sense of identity and community. This session will explore the various aspects of brand and visual identity, including methods of implementing effective branding strategies within university departments and faculties, developing a singular cohesive identity, and building brand champions both external and internal. Examples from the University of Calgary (UCalgary) will be shared, including the launch of our current brand campaign called “Start something”.(CASE 2023 Circle of Excellence Grand Gold Winner).

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a standard strategic tool for many industries. For most advancement programs, it presents an untapped opportunity to prioritize predictable and sustainable gift revenue, grow recurring giving, maximize ROI on fundraising costs, and catalyze other important strategic decisions. This session will provide context on AI in the broader environment, with special emphasis on AI in advancement and the opportunities that exist today, supported by real-world examples.

The co-presenters will share their professional, real-world experiences with the challenges of workplace change while drawing upon academic research and advice from Disney's live-action and animated canons. Participants will learn skills and tactics to positively approach change and workplace challenges with grace and grit. Have you ever wanted to receive personalized advice from Walt Disney, Mary Poppins, Jiminy Cricket, or your own fairy godmother? Now is your chance!

How can a small team of three accomplish the work of ten while delivering a caliber of work that is unique, rewarding, and engaging for their alumni? It's no small feat; you might ask yourself, "How do we meet our alumni's expectations? How do we execute initiatives with limited financial and human resources? How do we stay current and innovate?" The answer lies in your very own campus partners. TRU Alumni rebranded and relaunched itself in 2021 with the aim of providing our alumni with meaningful experiences and encouraging our campus partners to buy in. So, how did we do it? Our alumni team of three went not only went fully digital, we expanded into 'new media'! With a digital strategy in hand we implemented a phased approach toward meaningful integration back to in-person pieces, we were nimble enough to capitalize on opportunities presented to us. This allowed our digital side to grow without being too burdensome on our limited human resources and budget. Today, we want to share how you can learn from our strategies, challenges, and successes to improve your department.

In light of the Supreme Court's recent decision regarding the consideration of race in university admission processes, and the continued attacks on civil rights across the country, it is imperative that we continue to identify strategies for engaging diverse alumni communities through a social justice lens. We have also learned a great deal through the COVID-19 pandemic about how to serve and connect with alumni through virtual tools. This session will provide insight into how the UCLA Alumni Diversity Programs and Initiatives team has identified and employed new approaches, strategies and tools for engaging in life-long learning and relationship building with the diverse alumni communities that we serve. We will discuss how we define and operationalize a social justice lens that is nimble and capable of evolving in relation to the dynamic needs and interests of our alumni. We will also discuss the framework we utilize for fostering sustainable alumni engagement for identity-based alumni networks. We will then describe some of the key programming efforts and digital content that we have developed both virtually and in a hybrid format to connect with our alumni, and discuss both our successes and the challenges that we encountered. We will close with a list of our best practices for how any alumni leader, committed to both alumni engagement and social change, can assess their current offerings and begin to explore new possibilities for better serving and uplifting diverse alumni voices.

The act of visiting donors and prospects face to face has never been more important. This interactive session will frame why face to face work still matters for all development professionals and will provide tip and ideas for those at all levels of experience.