As newcomers, you may have heard or will hear the phrase "because we've always done it this way" in response to your questions about programs, events, processes, and activities at your institution. You have an opportunity to open the discussion for innovation and change. We will share tools you can use to assess a program or initiative, evaluate effectiveness, and define goals. Learn how to approach a change-resistant team, create a dialogue, potentially sunset a program, and creating new program buy-in.

The CASE Statement of Ethics begins . . . “Institutional advancement professionals, by virtue of their responsibilities within the academic community, represent their colleges, universities and schools to the larger society. They have, therefore, a special duty to exemplify the best qualities of their institutions and to observe the highest standards of personal and professional conduct.” We’ll consider a framework for making ethical decisions, the difference between real ethical dilemmas and perceived ethical dilemmas, and we’ll put to the test some real-life examples.

Regardless of how an advancement shop chooses to structure alumni relations and development, there are often natural opportunities for alumni teams to collaborate with development teams to engage prospective and current donors in meaningful ways. In this session, you will hear relevant examples of alumni professionals partnering with development officers to cultivate donors in the major gift cycle, while also providing alumni audiences with unique and special experiences. You will gain insight into the win-win opportunities that you can create in your advancement shop that lead to major gifts while also engaging alumni with impactful, alumni-centered programming.

So, you have a great idea but aren’t sure how to get the green light. Have been asked to take on developing a new program to engage alumni and donors, but don’t know where to start? In this session, we will cover the ins and outs of strategic planning not just at the organization-wide level, but also at the program or department level. We will cover the why, approaches for ensuring ROI, managing outcomes, aligning resources, and lead an interactive exercise to support the development of meaningful roadmaps.

Your institution engages a wide variety of students and alumni, all linked by one common experience. Identifying critical alumni touch points based on life stage can help us better understand the journey and maximize engagement. We will share themes on the student and alumni experiences from different generations; their preferences for communication and engagement; and innovative ways that you can connect with students and alumni from different eras.

Alumni relations work encourages alumni to engage with their alma mater for a lifetime. Alumni professionals can create deep engagement that leads to alumni giving and increased participation rates. In this session, we’ll establish the role of alumni relations within advancement and impact on the institution. Join our conversation to better understand how alumni relations professionals can embrace fundraising and the important role we play in the giving cycle.

The questions of why/how/when to incorporate affinity-based alumni programming is one every institution addresses. More importantly in this process are the steps taken to resolve those questions before implementation and execution. In this session, you will be able to address those questions, consider ways to inform your decisions, discuss action plans, and hear examples of lessons learned in the process

Many colleges and universities are heavily reliant upon sustained enrollment growth each year. With demographic and environmental factors wreaking havoc on traditional enrollment models and outcomes, institutions are continually searching for ways to support recruitment efforts that yield more students. Alumni are some of the best ambassadors and should be used throughout the recruitment of prospective students. In the session, you will learn about the importance of strategic partnerships between Alumni Relations and Enrollment Management, how to determine the ROI of investing in recruitment strategies involving alumni and a variety of strategies that have proven successful in enrolling students. No matter the enrollment outlook on your campus, the use of alumni in the recruitment process should be a core strategy.

Volunteers play an essential role in reaching goals and engaging the full alumni network. It is our job to match their passion and partner with them to achieve mutually beneficial results that enhance their experience and your program. In this session, we’ll discuss tips to recruit, retain, reward and yes – reassign or retire your volunteers. Join us to discover how you can manage alumni volunteers and maximize effectiveness in your day-to-day work, institutional mission, and engagement goals.