Unlock the full potential of your fundraising strategy by putting your alumni data to work. In this session, we’ll explore ways to use insights from engagement history, giving patterns, and demographic data to build stronger relationships and drive meaningful fundraising results.

When traditional matching campaigns weren’t an option, Aalto University had to chart its own path. The result: nearly €20 million raised from more than 1,000 supporters in just over a year. In this discussion, we’ll explore how to design a multichannel campaign that not only attracts new supporters but also maximises income from loyal donors. You’ll hear how the entire university united behind a shared ambition – reshaping internal ways of working and pushing the boundaries of what university fundraising can achieve in Finland. Join the conversation to gain practical insights and fresh inspiration you can apply to drive change in your own institution.

What if your strongest advocates aren’t only alumni, but the friends who champion your mission every day? This campfire explores how to engage students, parents, employers, volunteers, and community partners as a broader ambassador network. Bring your own examples, challenges, and experiments—what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what you’re curious to try. Expect open discussion, quick brainstorming, and peer coaching. We’ll crowdsource light-touch practices and tools that fit different contexts and capacities.

Alumni engagement is diverse and often integrated in various departments’ initiatives. Alumni can open doors to donations, serve as ambassadors, support student recruitment and foster corporate collaboration. How can we create a more cohesive and unified approach to enhance our alumni relationships? What bridges need to be built to facilitate joint efforts over departmental boundaries? How can we ensure communication is consistent and coherent? Let's discuss practical ways we can join forces to create stronger, more meaningful relationships with our alumni!

This is a working session aimed at identifying realistic options for building an endowment or capital fund in a way that fits our cultural context. We are mapping what is truly feasible. What excites you about building an endowment? What concerns you most? Which options and donor pathways are realistic?

Hear how The University of Manchester celebrated its 200th anniversary with an impactful programme of events that captivated the local and global community. Reflecting on its past, celebrating its present and looking forward to the future, with the launch of a bold new strategy: From Manchester for the world.

Oslo Nye Høyskole is a modern, private university college with a clear mission: to deliver high-quality education and foster lifelong learning on campus and online. Our ambition is that every student and every alumni should have the confidence, direction, and tools they need to succeed. In this session, we share how a digital-first approach has transformed how we think about career services. Moving from more traditional guidance to a fully scalable model that reaches all of our students and alumni. This tool has been invaluable in enhancing our career services and providing students with more personalized, data-driven guidance. I look forward to sharing how it's making a real difference in our approach to career development. Candeno shares how offering scalable, high-quality career support after graduation, institutions gain deeper insight into alumni career activity — insights that can inform more personalised outreach, strengthen engagement, and create opportunities for upselling courses and new competences.

Engaging influential alumni can transform the way universities build networks, create opportunities, and strengthen their reputation. But how can alumni teams with limited resources achieve maximum impact? In this workshop, we’ll explore the University of Helsinki’s approach to strategically engaging a selected group of alumni across its 11 faculties. You’ll hear how the university developed a structured programme that fosters meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships—moving beyond traditional events to create real opportunities for alumni to give back. We’ll cover practical steps, from identifying and appointing influential alumni to building faculty-led engagement plans and managing communications. Join us to discover and discuss best practices, lessons learned, and actionable strategies to make your alumni engagement more impactful and sustainable.

Together we explore how existing and new events can become strategic touchpoints for deeper donor engagement. Through shared insights, group exercises and practical examples, we co-create ideas for turning any gathering into meaningful stewardship and fundraising opportunities.

Every advancement professional knows the struggle: turning fleeting digital interest into genuine, lasting support. This session offers practical steps to bridge that gap. Discover how authentic social media campaigns and targeted email storytelling can spark interest and move prospective supporters toward their first gift. You’ll learn how to create content that feels personal, relevant, and motivating – the kind that turns a simple sign‑up into meaningful action. Then, dive into how data and analytics can map the donor journey – from first click to ongoing loyalty. You’ll leave with a tested framework, practical strategies, and a process you can use to strengthen your acquisition and retention activities. Whether you’re just starting out or refining an established program, this session shows how to get started even with a small pool of leads – and how to use data-driven insights to continuously adapt and refine your strategy.