Managing social media can feel overwhelming, but this session will share a practical, step-by-step framework to bring clarity and purpose to your work. We’ll start by discussing how to audit your current efforts and identify what’s working (and what’s not), then align your content and platforms with institutional goals like recruitment, retention, and engagement. From there, we’ll explore key trends, audience behaviors, and platform strategies shaping higher ed today. Finally, we’ll focus on working smarter, sharing tips for streamlining workflows, strengthening account management, and leveraging AI tools to increase efficiency without sacrificing authenticity. Attendees will leave with actionable insights and a roadmap for managing social media with confidence.

What does it take to turn a donor’s intent into a clear, actionable, and compliant gift agreement? This session explores the critical collaboration between fundraisers and advancement services in structuring agreements that honor donor goals while protecting institutional integrity. Attendees will learn what makes a strong gift agreement, gain clarity on each team’s role, and hear real-world stories illustrating how shared understanding leads to better outcomes - for donors and the institution.

In the ever-evolving landscape of alumni relations and fundraising, understanding and leveraging the power of data is critical for success. This session will delve into the strategic use of metrics and KPI to drive alumni engagement and boost fundraising outcomes. Attendees will learn how to harness data to identify trends, measure engagement effectiveness, and tailor outreach efforts for maximum ROI.

As hard as we try, we can't do it all. Data harvesting, volunteer placement, guest speaker identification or selection of institutional stories to tell all require collaboration across silos. We will review which partners are critical to our success, how to build or repair relationships, and how to leverage these newly-created opportunities to meet our goals.

In this session, you’ll learn how to create and maintain a custom AI assistant that helps you work smarter, scale your impact, and free up time for the human side of philanthropy. You’ll see how it can support your work across annual giving, research, and frontline efforts, with ideas you can adapt to your own context. You’ll leave with clear ways to keep your AI sharp, relevant, and actually useful in your day-to-day work.

Most external facing advancement officers have experienced an uncomfortable, offensive, tricky, or harmful donor interaction. Perhaps you have. If not, chances are you will. Power dynamics are real, and it is easy to feel as if the donor, volunteer, or potential donor has ALL the power. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll equip you with tools and tactics to help you define situations, navigate difficult donor conversations in the moment, follow-up actions, and ways to create strategies that will minimize troubling donor interactions in the future.

Prospect research is evolving beyond wealth screening and reactive fact-finding into a more strategic function that supports fundraising, engagement, and institutional decision-making. This session explores the changing role of research in advancement, including how teams can provide stronger partnership around prospect identification, relationship strategy, reputational risk, and donor engagement. Attendees will examine the core foundations of effective prospect research, discuss how AI and emerging technologies are reshaping the field, and explore practical ways fundraisers, alumni relations, communications, and advancement services professionals can better collaborate to strengthen donor relationships and organizational insight.

Great alumni stewardship is more than a handwritten note and an annual magazine. It's about creating meaningful experiences that make alumni feel seen, valued, and connected long after they graduate. In this interactive session, we'll explore practical stewardship strategies that strengthen relationships, inspire volunteerism, increase participation, and build lifelong partnership. Participants will leave with creative ideas, scalable tactics, and real-world examples they can implement immediately - whether you're a team of one or part of a large advancement operation.

Move beyond one-size-fits-all engagement and discover how segmentation can help you better understand the alumni experience. In this interactive session, participants will explore core segmentation concepts and best practices, including how to use both demographic and behavioral information to identify meaningful audience groups. Together, we’ll learn how segmentation can deepen your understanding of the alumni experience and strengthen the way you engage your audience. Participants will explore practical, data-driven approaches for identifying alumni groups, aligning outreach with audience needs, and creating engagement experiences that feel more relevant and intentional.