Discover how San Diego State University achieved a 99% utilization rate of scholarship dollars by transforming a decentralized, inefficient system into a student-centered, collaborative model. This session will highlight the formation of a cross-campus scholarship committee, the adoption of the Aztec Scholarships platform, and intentional partnerships across Advancement Services, Donor Relations, Fundraising, and the Scholarship Office. Participants will learn how a multi-department approach eliminated barriers, aligned with donor intent, and ensured nearly every available scholarship dollar reached students.

When college and district foundations operate in isolation, opportunities to strengthen student impact are often lost. In this session, Executive Directors from three cities—each working within different structures of a multi-college district—will share how they are collaborating to maximize student support. Together, they are revitalizing a long-standing district foundation by clarifying its unique role, aligning with the two established college foundations, and ensuring their efforts complement rather than compete. This coordinated approach broadens fundraising opportunities, deepens donor engagement, and increases support for students across the district. Presenters will also discuss the challenges and successes of working across diverse communities, while highlighting innovative practices that other districts and institutions can adapt.

Change is inevitable—but for newly arrived chief advancement officers, it’s also an opportunity. Particularly when job number one is to launch a comprehensive campaign. This panel discussion brings together experienced advancement leaders to share candid insights and practical strategies for navigating into a new organization, aligning teams, building trust, and managing cultural shifts. Panelists will explore how to assess organizational readiness, communicate vision effectively, and foster resilience. Whether you're leading a campaign, restructuring staff, redefining strategy, or all the above at once, this session will offer a tangible framework and real-world lessons to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and impact.

This session will underscore the strength of creating an in-house news team as part of your communications strategy. Having reporters, rather than just PR professionals, increases efficiency, builds ethos, facilitates a diversity of storytelling and nurtures trust while also bolstering your brand. The result is stronger reputation management, broad media placement and a vibrant campus voice.

Discover how unconventional strategies and real-time adaptability turned a complex campaign into a success story. From redefining counting guidelines mid-stream to embracing transparency and evolving priorities, this session dives into the lessons learned from a campaign that broke the mold. Learn how a lack of a mega-gift led to a surge in mid-level giving, how shifting social media tactics mid-campaign paid off, and why building internal fundraising culture matters. Whether you're navigating a quiet phase or wrapping up, this session will inspire you to embrace flexibility, focus on people, and work with what you have—not what tradition dictates.

Discover how one transformative gift is revolutionizing higher education equity! The Leading, Empowering, And Developing (LEADS) model created a safety net for students facing extraordinary challenges through philanthropy.

This dynamic case study reveals the strategic fundraising approach, innovative gift structure, and measurable impact of the LEADS Endowment Fund—a transformative investment supporting foster youth, first-generation students, and those experiencing basic needs and mental health challenges.

Learn actionable strategies for cultivating major gifts around social justice missions, designing endowments for systemic change, and creating replicable models that position your institution as an equity leader. Learn how the donor's visionary approach to holistic wellness is positioning CSULB as a national model for inclusive education, and discover actionable strategies for leveraging major gifts to inspire broader community giving by working strategically with campus partners (e.g., university leadership, program directors, faculty, students).

Key Takeaways: Major gift strategy, equity-focused fundraising, endowment building, and donor stewardship for transformational impact.

In an era of budget constraints and lean staffing, institutions are challenged to deliver meaningful engagement opportunities without overextending resources. This presentation explores how to develop and sustain an impactful alumni mentor program, even with limited staff and funding. Sharing the Alumni Mentorship Program model from ASU’s Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, attendees will hear practical experience and a detailed, multi-phased approach to building a mentor initiative that supports student success and deepens alumni engagement.

Key takeaways will include strategies for leveraging existing tools—such as LinkedIn, free social media platforms, and campus-wide communication channels—as well as how to recruit and retain volunteer alumni mentors through targeted messaging and recognition. We’ll also explore how to partner with faculty, student groups, and career services to share responsibilities and expand reach.
This session is ideal for advancement, alumni relations, and student affairs professionals seeking to launch or scale mentoring programs in resource-conscious environments.

Colleges thrive when students, alumni, parents, and community members are meaningfully connected. Yet many community colleges struggle to articulate and demonstrate the value of alumni relations, especially in their early years. This session will explore how MiraCosta College developed a three-year Alumni Plan designed to empower alumni, expand student support, and strengthen the College’s visibility. Participants will learn how strategic objectives such as growing alumni membership, launching signature events, and expanding digital storytelling for long-term success.

Events are more than schedules, name badges, and catering orders – they’re powerful opportunities to inspire connection and strengthen community. At the Allen Institute, a nimble six-person events team transformed what was once a fragmented, labor‑intensive operation into a strategic engine for engagement. Managing over 75 programs each year – from alumni reunions and public symposia to internal celebrations – they faced duplicated work, inconsistent processes, and limited capacity for innovation.
By reimagining their approach, the team built unified workflows, introduced intuitive self‑serve tools for guests and staff, and reclaimed valuable time for strategic thinking. The result? Events that scale seamlessly, strengthen relationships, and elevate the Institute’s mission. Attendance is rising, staff are operating proactively, and events are now recognized not merely as logistical necessities, but as essential, mission‑driven experiences that deepen trust and spark community.

In this dynamic session, we’ll explore how artificial intelligence is transforming early-stage donor qualification, constituent engagement, and volunteer identification, in advancement. Featuring Oregon State University (OSU) Foundation’s innovative use of machine learning to track behavioral signals and alumni/donor interests, to predict, personalize and scale outreach through a combination of people, processes and technologies, Mark Koenig, VP for Technology and the Chief Innovation Officer at the OSU Foundation, will share how these models are driving smarter segmentation and campaign strategy. Jen Howe, Principal, will complement this with broader insights from Huron | GG+A, showcasing how institutions across the country are leveraging AI to accelerate donor qualification and engagement. The session will go beyond theory and offer actionable ways to address key challenges advancement professionals are facing on when trying to accelerate the use of AI responsibly and to achieve measurable returns, including: How do we get started with limited resources? What data is needed to make AI work? How do we ensure ethical use and protect privacy? What does success look like, and how do we measure it? And how do we build internal buy-in for these innovations? The presentation will conclude with interactive discussion, giving attendees space to reflect, ask questions, and consider how to apply these strategies in their own programs.