Discover how R can simplify your work by automating repetitive tasks, from data analysis to generating reports and PowerPoint presentations. This session explores how to create reproducible workflows that save time and increase efficiency. Learn practical methods for integrating machine learning and GenAI to enhance your analytics and presentation game. Whether you're a seasoned data scientist or just starting, you'll walk away with actionable techniques to restructure your process and maximize impact. Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptops to follow along. Code repo: https://github.com/ashutoshn/case_drive_25_r

Pipeline development is a major challenge facing our profession. Donor bases are declining, retention rates are sliding, younger alumni are less inclined to engage with their alma maters, and the principal gifts concentration is only increasing. The University of Nebraska Foundation has developed multiple data-driven, innovative strategies to “double down” on its pipeline development work. Combined, these programs have already resulted in 14,000 prospects contacted, 3,000 personal meetings, 300 qualified major gift prospects, $10 million in new gifts, and 82% retention of leadership annual donors. Explore the strategic intent, data, and processes leveraged to build a new, innovative approach to comprehensive pipeline development.

Recent trends in U.S. giving indicate a consistent decline in donor retention rates over the past decade. This trend threatens the sustainability of crucial programs and initiatives. To combat this, organizations must harness the power of data-informed strategies to better understand donor behaviors, identify gaps, and optimize outreach efforts.
This presentation will explore innovative ways to leverage data analytics to reverse declining donor trends. Key areas of focus will include donor segmentation, predictive modeling, personalized communication strategies, and the significance of donor lifecycle analysis. By integrating these approaches, we aim to cultivate more meaningful relationships with donors, enhance retention rates, and foster long-term support.

In this session, we'll dive into the powerful role that psychographic data plays in transforming donor engagement strategies. Beyond traditional demographic information, psychographics reveal deeper insights into donors' values, motivations, and behavioral tendencies. By understanding what truly drives donors to give, advancement professionals can create highly personalized outreach and engagement strategies that resonate on a more meaningful level. Attendees will learn how to collect, interpret, and apply psychographic data to build stronger, more loyal donor relationships, enhance campaign effectiveness, and ultimately increase donor retention and support. This session is perfect for anyone looking to make their fundraising efforts more targeted, strategic, and successful in today's data-driven world. By integrating AI with psychographic data, we’ll show how you can create detailed donor personas, test engagement strategies in real-time, and gather actionable feedback to continuously refine your approach. This allows for truly personalized outreach, resulting in deeper donor connections and more effective, data-driven fundraising efforts.

Is your donor pipeline healthy? Are you tired of seeing a decline in alumni donors and can’t pinpoint what do to differently? Join us at the CASE DRIVE conference for an interactive panel discussion, fueled by various research, including the 2025 RNL National Alumni Survey, The 2024 Generosity Commission Report, and CASE Insights on Donor Pipelines in partnership with Give Campus. This session will provide valuable insights into the perspectives and philanthropic motivations of alumni, contextualized by broader research on the shifting landscape of American generosity. We will explore the critical data needed to understand the decline in donor participation and discuss actionable strategies to address these trends.  Drawing on the Generosity Commission's findings, we will highlight key recommendations that technologists, data analysts, business analysts, prospect researchers, and advancement leaders can implement to combat the decline in generosity. These include leveraging data analytics to identify and engage potential donors, utilizing digital platforms to enhance donor outreach and engagement, and fostering a culture of transparency and trust through effective communication strategies.

Han has Chewie. Kirk has Spock. Do you have a trusty sidekick? If you aren’t coding collaboratively with GenAI, you’re missing out on huge productivity gains. This session will provide detailed, practical strategies for incorporating ChatGPT (and similar GenAI tools) into your coding process at every stage of development and level of fluency. Attendees will come away able to navigate the vast expanse between using ChatGPT as a glorified Google (or not at all) and the (false!) claim that it can replace the entire skillset of an analyst or developer. Examples will focus on Python and SQL but the strategies in this session are completely language agnostic. Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptops to follow along.

Over the last two years, University of Chicago’s Prospect Development team has published a “Year in Review” for each of it's over 100 fundraisers. These videos are inspired by Spotify Wrapped, an annual celebration of Spotify user’s listening habits that is shared through social media and contains unique data visualizations. The University of Chicago project shares a custom and visually unique minute-long video celebrating each fundraisers work over the course of the year. This presentation will share inspiration drawn from social media and industry, lessons learned from implementing this project, a detailed walk through of the code (including sharing the Github repository) and how participants can implement this in their own programs, and offer ideas for future iterations of this project.

In the age of data abundance, organizations have unprecedented access to insights that can significantly enhance their fundraising strategies. This presentation explores how leveraging historical performance data, coupled with compelling storytelling techniques, can transform forecasting processes and decision-making in fundraising. By analyzing past performance metrics, we can derive actionable insights that inform more accurate and strategic forecasts. The session will also highlight methods for effectively communicating data to stakeholders, ensuring clarity and context around financial projections. This approach aims to bridge the gap between raw data and strategic action, empowering organizations to achieve their fundraising goals with greater precision and confidence.

Since 2022, Arizona State University’s Alumni Engagement team has collected nearly 15,000 alumni stories, generating a powerful new personal connection to ASU. This initiative has become a pillar of our alumni engagement strategy, with more story collection planned in the future. But with such a great response, we had a "champagne problem" of too much data and too few resources to process it by hand. In this session, we’ll share how our Data Analytics & Insights team leveraged AI to transform this raw qualitative data into actionable insights, leading to new strategies that are transforming how we engage with our alumni.

In this engaging session, learn how to foster collaboration between advancement services and fundraisers for effective data management. Explore strategies to empower relationship managers with accurate data and skills, enabling them to navigate data independently and drive fundraising success. Join us to discover practical examples and valuable insights on building a seamless, data-informed fundraising process. Walk away with actionable tips to enhance efficiency, cultivate a data-empowered culture, and foster a successful partnership between advancement services and fundraisers