In an era where frequent job changes are often touted as the path to career growth, this session will challenge the conventional wisdom and make a compelling case for the profound benefits of cultivating a long-term career at a single higher education institution. We will explore how sustained commitment allows advancement professionals to forge deeper, more meaningful relationships with donors, develop an unparalleled understanding of institutional priorities and culture, and ultimately witness the transformative impact of their work. Beyond mere stability, discover how longevity can lead to significant career advancement, enhanced job satisfaction, and a lasting legacy within your organization. This session is designed for advancement professionals at all stages of their careers who are considering their long-term professional trajectory and seeking to maximize their impact.

One thig is for certain, change is a constant. In advancement, fundraising priorities shift and evolve, and the needs of the fundraising and alumni teams have grown over time. CRMs have significantly changed over the years to manage all the complexities of data and technology. To lead through these transitions. For example, a fundraising system selection and implementation is not for the faint of heart. It requires vision, strategy and the ability to guide teams with confidence through periods of uncertainty and change. In this session, two senior advancement services leaders - with more than 50 years of combined experience at institutions such as East Carolina University, NC State, Western Kentucky University, Stanford University and Santa Clara University - will share proven strategies for successfully navigating change at every level. Drawing on their deep expertise in CRM system selection and replacement, gift processing, prospect management, data integrity and system security, they will highlight what it takes to keep teams aligned, processes efficient, and stakeholders informed, engaged and on target.

Traditional alumni chapters have long been the backbone of engagement, but they aren’t the only way to build a strong presence in key markets. As alumni seek more flexible, high-impact ways to stay connected – and long-term volunteerism becomes harder to sustain – institutions must find fresh approaches that create momentum even in places without active chapter leadership.

At Washington and Lee University, merging Career and Professional Development with Alumni Engagement has transformed how we connect with alumni. This partnership has fueled regional programs that thrive without a chapter structure, such as:
• A student internship program in Atlanta that created over 40 opportunities last summer and is now expanding to four additional cities.
• The "Energy Forum" in Houston, a first-time event that engaged industry leaders as short-term volunteers, attracted 100+ attendees, and developed our engagement pipeline in a region far from campus.
• Student–alumni industry-based networking socials in NYC, where students meet key alumni in specialized industries like advertising, investor relations, and tech.
We’ll also share how we're engaging our Alumni Board to mentor chapter leaders, boost event attendance, and grow our host pool. In addition to our playbook of successful programs, we’ll also share lessons learned from times when we needed to pivot, and what we’d do differently next time. Participants will leave with replicable tactics, candid insights, and a fresh vision for regional engagement – no chapter president required.

Tired of the same old phonathon? Discover how WKU reimagined student engagement through a video-first strategy that’s part storytelling guild, part donor pipeline engine. In this session, you'll explore how the Student Engagement Center—powered by content-savvy students and strengthened through partnership with BWF—is transforming alumni engagement, annual giving, and stewardship across channels. You’ll leave with actionable strategies for integrating student voices into your campaigns, creating authentic content that resonates, and scaling engagement with limited resources.

In today’s evolving philanthropic landscape, annual giving isn’t just a source of lower tier, entry level gifts—it’s a dynamic engine that fuels long term fundraising success. By partnering with your annual giving team, departments gain deep insights into donor behavior, engagement patterns and segmentation that reveal the most promising major gift prospects.

Whether you work in major gifts, donor relations, alumni engagement, gift planning, or advancement leadership, in this session, you’ll learn about ways to collaborate with Annual Giving and across departments, break down silos, and align early with institutional priorities to help feed your portfolio and fundraising pipeline. You’ll leave with actionable, donor centric strategies that turn annual giving data into a robust pipeline of high impact opportunities and a sustained culture of long term giving.

In today’s advancement world, it’s not just about having data, it’s about making it work smarter! In this session, we’ll showcase real tools and projects our team has implemented to streamline operations and support fundraisers – from custom dashboards to data enhancement initiatives to practical applications of AI. You’ll leave with tangible examples and ideas to help your own team work smarter, move faster, and focus on what matters most: driving your institution’s mission forward.

An alum is more than an alum. They can be a parent, faculty and staff member, a donor, a volunteer, and so much more. Discover how to use blended data in prioritizing segmentation and tailoring your messaging to the multifaceted constituent – the alum, the parent, or the donor – throughout their digital journey:
- Use data to define and speak to individual constituents based on their multiple attributes
- Discover how audience engagement data influences email structure and design and the importance of having a wireframe process
- Crack the code to engaging young alums in the digital channels
- Tailoring messaging in digital ads and saving money doing it

Discover how the University of Tennessee Winston College of Law energized its graduating class with a strategic, student-driven Senior Gift Campaign, featuring a creative graduated pledge model, customizable giving options, and tiered incentives. Learn how this campaign built a culture of early philanthropy, increased class participation, and established a three-year digital-first stewardship plan to transition future alumni into lifelong supporters. Walk away with replicable tactics and insights to activate student giving on your campus.

Hear from Virginia Tech Engagement professionals on the way that the lifecycle of an alumni from student to engaged alum serves as a guiding method to their work, and the unique partnerships and programs they have built in order to strengthen relationships from first-year students all the way to alumni 50 years out from graduation. Panelists will show how this holistic approach to engagement has seen success, pitfalls, and growth over the last few years and where it hopes to take the work in the future.

Touchdowns. Final Exams. Buzzer Beaters. Seminars. Corner Kicks. Each one is seemingly vastly different and yet, in a new era of higher education, there are more similarities than differences. Current use funds at our institutions is more important than ever. The landscape of higher education has changed immensely over the past few years and months and continues to change before our eyes. How do we maintain and grow trust with our donor and prospect base while sustaining and generating more philanthropic momentum? How do we purposefully steward our investors in a manner that honors their gift and encourages them to invest further in the future? How do we prepare for the future of higher education when the present is so demanding? There is more to it than calling 877-CASH NOW.