Discover how Oklahoma State University’s Digital Experience Officers (DXOs) are transforming donor pipeline development through innovative digital outreach. This session will explore strategies for engaging prospects at scale, creative approaches to outreach, and best practices for collaborating with development officers to seamlessly transition engaged donors up the pipeline. Learn from three years of experience, insights, and growth—including how OSU has expanded the DXO role to a senior level. Whether you're looking to launch a similar initiative or enhance your existing efforts, this session will provide actionable takeaways to strengthen your digital engagement strategy.

Feeling overwhelmed by your donor portfolio? Struggling to effectively cultivate and steward all your donors?

Discover the Secret Sauce to successful fundraising with the T36 (Top 36) approach, as shared by leaders from the Sam Houston State University Development team. The T36 provides a transformative strategy for managing donor portfolios across various areas, including Annual Giving, Major Giving, Alumni Relations, Donor Relations, Corporate and Foundation Relations, and Special Events.

Why the T36 Works:
• Effective Portfolio Management: Focus on the most impactful donors with targeted engagement strategies.
• Streamlined Strategies: Apply practical methods to ensure that each donor is effectively cultivated and stewarded.
• Enhanced Collaboration: Foster teamwork to build stronger donor relationships and maximize engagement.

By prioritizing the number of asks, setting clear ask minimums, and promoting collaboration, the T36 creates a sustainable and effective approach to fundraising.

Proven Results:
After a year of implementing the T36 strategy, our Advancement team achieved its second-largest fundraising year, surpassing our annual goal by over $2 Million. We’re on track for even greater growth in the coming years.

Join us on this journey and transform the way you manage your donor portfolio. Discover how the T36 can be scaled to all aspects of Advancement and lead to unparalleled success in your fundraising efforts.

The lights are fading, the party is almost over, the goal has been met…your campaign is coming to a close. Your development officer and leadership teams may be starting to breath deep, but now it’s our time to shine – it’s time for donor relations, stewardship, engagement, events, and communications to take the stage and breathe life into all that has been accomplished through your massive fundraising accomplishment. Join this session to explore to role of these teams in effectively recognizing donors to the campaign at all levels, reporting the impact of funds raised, stewarding new funds, consolidating and converting events as necessary, and more. We will explore key data reports to be pulling, important annual communications to be issuing, and how to develop retention strategy for these important donors. It’s now our job to retain and engage these campaign donors – until the next big party!

With so much anxiety and worry all around, how are we supposed to find focus? Join this keynote with Dr. Diana Sanchez Lira, licensed psychologist & consultant, to show you how. In this session we will explore how stress/anxiety hijack your mind/body, how to recognize three levels of stress in yourself, as well as engage in a self-guided compassion exercise to help you find focus (one you can share with others!).

Join us for an engaging and interactive session where we dive into the latest trends in stewardship and donor experience strategies for higher education advancement. Discover how modern approaches and cutting-edge AI technologies can transform your donor relations, making them more personalized, efficient, and impactful. Through a mix of real-world examples and hands-on activities you’ll learn how to modernize donor experiences that exceeds expectations. Whether you’re a seasoned advancement professional or new to the field, this session will provide you with practical ideas, tips from AI, and innovative ideas to take your stewardship practices to the next level.

The Gumbo of Community College Fundraising has been cooking for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System since 2014 and the roux in the gumbo is just now being perfected for success. This session focuses on how elements of enrollment management, student affairs, academic affairs, workforce and economic development, fundraising, and governmental affairs are key ingredients to making the gumbo. Join this session to learn from a community college “Sous Chef” who has had the opportunity to work in each department at the college level and now is the “Executive Chef” at the system and what key ingredients played an important role to making a robust impact in Louisiana. These ingredients shared with attendees are key strategies to investments toward student success.

SMU is a nationally ranked global research university located in Dallas. The institution is known for its tenacious spirit and academic drive fostered by its alumni, faculty, and students. Beyond academics, SMU Athletics is committed to student-athlete excellence with its athletics program striving to be among the best in the nation. Building on its storied history in sports and academics, SMU joined the prestigious Atlantic Coast Conference (“ACC”) in July 2024. This strategic move positions the SMU Mustangs to compete in one of the most competitive intercollegiate conferences in the country—offering a unique opportunity to expand its reach in the classroom and on the field across a broader national audience. This panel explores the strategic and executional work that SMU marketing and 160over90 undertook to build the “Mustangs Must” reputation enhancement campaign which launched in market with the ACC entry and has expanded to provide an overarching level of brand awareness, enrollment consideration, sports attendance, and positively impact ongoing fundraising.

Join Advancement leaders from across the district, with over 75 years of combined experience between them, as they delve into the intricacies of planning and executing successful fundraising campaigns. They will share expertise on launching and managing successful campaigns at both big and small shops, help attendees identify and navigate potential pitfalls, offers practical tips and tricks for success, and provide ideas for maintaining high staff morale throughout the life of the campaign.

Clubs and Chapter events can vary in format, goal, budget, and audience... to name a few. The team at University of New Mexico will moderate a group conversation around best practices and lessons learned, encouraging audience members share their stories and participate in the dialogue. Let's learn from each other!

Are you ready to dive into the world of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and uncover the best solutions for higher education and advancement? Join us for an engaging and insightful session where we put three leading CRM platforms—Salesforce (Affinaquest, Kindsight) Slate for Advance, Raisers Edge, and Dynamics CRMs —head-to-head in a showdown that will reveal the strengths, weaknesses, and unique features of each system. We'll explore how each CRM handles data management, user experience, integration capabilities, and customization options. Discover which platform offers the best support for donor engagement and alumni relations. Whether you’re looking to streamline your institution’s operations, improve stakeholder engagement, or make data-driven decisions, this session will provide the clarity and insights needed to choose the right CRM for your unique needs.

BWF will facilitate this session and will highlight a panel of three nonprofit leaders on different CRM platforms.