How can advancement leaders and data professionals use data from CASE Insights to respond to emerging issues and build a data-informed strategy for success?  This session presents ten areas of focus--drawn from regional and global data on philanthropy and engagement, recent research into topics ranging from fund management to artificial intelligence, and current analysis of headlines and societal trends.  For each area you will understand the underlying data, see an analysis of trends, and get practical next steps to incorporate into your strategic plans and personal development. Closed captioning available for this session, bring your own fully charged phone, tablet, or laptop to access the captions.

This introductory session will help contextualize the “why” of statistical analysis as a valuable tool in your toolkit. Together we will walk through examples of statistical models in Excel and R, focusing on data structure and actionable business decisions. Designed for participants with little to no programming experience, it focuses on the building blocks of technical knowledge.

This session explores how Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin (F&MCW) built a high-performing grateful patient program by establishing meaningful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that drove accountability, alignment, and results across the enterprise.
Through this case-based discussion, participants will learn how to identify, operationalize, and sustain KPIs that create clarity across leadership, clinicians, and frontline fundraisers. We’ll share how F&MCW’s disciplined approach—anchored in strong institutional buy-in, clear structures, and robust data tracking—led to more than $9 million raised, 100+ qualified prospects, and 100+ engaged clinicians within two years.

As AI continues to move from "novel experiment" to a disruptive innovation, University Advancement offices find themselves at a critical intersection. While AI seemingly promises to revolutionize donor engagement and multiple areas of the advancement enterprise, it also introduces significant risks to data governance, cybersecurity, privacy and ultimately, donor trust. This session presents the findings of a 2026 case study conducted across a diverse cross-section of higher education institutions. We intend to move beyond the "AI hype" to look at the reality of institutional adoption: Who has a formal policy around governance and security? How are shops handling the "Shadow AI" problem and training teams on the safe and effective use of AI? And how is the evolving legal landscape changing the way we vet vendors? Closed captioning available for this session, bring your own fully charged phone, tablet, or laptop to access the captions.

In this session, we will cover how South Dakota State University Alumni & Foundation implemented Microsoft Fabric to handle data warehousing for Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT (RE NXT). We will outline the selection process, the hurdles encountered along the way, and the benefits achieved so far. We will also discuss the skills the SDSU Alumni & Foundation's team needed to learn to support the implementation, including working in SQL and Python. This session is intended for anyone interested in using Fabric or other data warehousing technology to manage and analyze data.

At the Kansas State University Foundation, scale and complexity (thousands of funds, stories, and potential touchpoints) made it hard to put the right “products” in front of the right people. Over the past five years, we built a governed, tagging framework to capture what donors care about (29 interest tags) and why they give (seven motivation tags), powered by first party surveys, declared preferences, observed behavioral engagement, and select third party data. We operationalized these tags across our CRM, content planning, reporting, and campaign segmentation to personalize journeys and improve the donor experience. This session covers how we designed the framework, collected and validated data, set up data governance, and embedded these tags into everyday strategy. Plus, what we’d change if we could do it all over again. Leave DRIVE with a playbook for immediate action: tagging strategies, governance guardrails, and impact metrics.

Scaling Donor Stewardship with Data, Storytelling, and Digital Innovation
Stewardship is no longer about static reports or paper mailings. It’s a high-value opportunity to build lasting donor relationships through storytelling, personalization, and data-driven engagement.
Northeastern University, one of the fastest-growing alumni networks in higher education, partnered with iFOLIO to reimagine stewardship at scale for 14 global campuses. By combining interactive digital storytelling with scalable journeys and real-time analytics, Northeastern has elevated donor experiences, streamlined operations, and unlocked actionable insights to guide strategy.
This session shares how Northeastern scaled immersive stewardship, demonstrating practical approaches that institutions of all sizes can apply to deepen engagement, demonstrate impact, and grow relationships.
Participants will:
• Discover how to scale personalized stewardship across campuses, regions, or units with data attributes.
• Learn how data integration and analytics inform strategy and future outreach.
• Explore ways to transform traditional donor communications into interactive digital experiences.
• Gain examples of measurable impact—from operational efficiency to strengthened donor relationships.

At the Iowa State University Foundation, Salesforce is more than just our CRM—it’s our central analytics and reporting hub. This session will explore how we architected the integration between our data environment and Salesforce, to embed Tableau dashboards directly into the tools our teams use every day. This approach has improved access to real-time insights, encouraged data literacy, and supported more informed decision-making across the organization. We’ll cover the technical architecture, user experience design, and rollout strategy behind the integration. Attendees will see examples of dashboards currently in use—from portfolio reviews to executive-level reporting and program-specific assessments—and learn how different teams are using them to support their work. Whether you're aiming to enhance your CRM’s reporting capabilities or foster a more data-informed culture, this session will offer practical insights into using Salesforce and Tableau together as a unified analytics platform.

For more than a century, the Rose Parade has been a global stage for tradition, pageantry, and community celebration. But behind the beauty of the blooms lies a complex operation powered by data, analytics, and strategic innovation. In this session, leaders from the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association pull back the curtain to reveal how a volunteer-driven nonprofit orchestrates one of the world’s most-watched live events. Follow the life of a float—from its earliest sketches to its show-stopping trek down Colorado Boulevard on New Year’s Day—and see how creativity, logistics and analytics converge to bring these moving works of art to life. Discover how real-time data keeps a two-hour parade running to the minute, how audience insights shape partnerships and revenue streams, and how the Association balances honoring a cherished legacy with staying relevant in today’s fast-changing landscape. From the evolving brand dynamics of corporate collaborations to the challenge of innovating within century-old traditions, this conversation will provide a rare inside look at what it takes to keep America’s New Year Celebration® thriving for generations to come. Closed captioning available for this session, bring your own fully charged phone, tablet, or laptop to access the captions.

Whether you’re cultivating alumni, parents, grateful patients, or community advocates, timely insight is the foundation of strong relationships. Yet for most institutions, emerging prospects remain hidden behind stale records and manual research bottlenecks.
This session demonstrates how advancement teams are applying AI-driven intelligence—combining career enrichment with real-time news discovery—to surface meaningful life and career events the moment they happen. By embedding these external signals directly into prospecting workflows, institutions can act faster on giving cues, personalize outreach, and lighten the research load without expanding staff.
Carrick and Dhruv will share their operational framework, governance lessons, and results from piloting an AI-assisted discovery model that integrates seamlessly into existing systems. Attendees will leave with a replicable roadmap for using data enrichment and external intelligence to uncover opportunity across all supporter segments—not just alumni.