More than ever, the advancement disciplines rely on each other to ensure school and institutional success. Learn how cross-discipline collaboration works (and sometimes doesn't) from a panel of leaders in alumni relations, fundraising, advancement services, and communications and marketing. Discover the current state and coming trends in collaboration across advancement disciplines. Your institutes' chairs will share examples of how fundraising, advancement services, alumni relations, and communications and marketing.

Attendees will meet daily with advisory groups co-led by expert faculty members to debrief from the day’s learning and problem-solve in real-time.

As the education sector undergoes seismic shifts, advancement professionals are being called to adapt with purpose and agility. As new advancement professionals there is a powerful opportunity to lead with purpose, creativity, and heart. Join Brian Flahaven, vice president of strategic partnerships, and Jessica Elmore, senior director of cross-cultural learnings, as they highlight the shifts shaping the advancement field and inspire you to see your unique and essential role in the future of education.

Effective stewardship is about more than a "thank you." It's about creating a structured, personalized approach that deepens donor relationships over time. Join us to explore how you can design and implement a stewardship matrix to ensure consistent, meaningful engagement with donors at all levels.

One of the greatest privileges of working in education is in a community filled with unbounded ambition. although most academic-development interaction centers around prospect and donor work, this session will explore ways we can cultivate meaningful relationships with members of the academic and campus community to strengthen fundraising potential and expand our intellectual curiosity. You can learn how to effectively identify who and how to approach them, maintain relationships, and build your own board of directors.

Parent engagement and fundraising efforts pose unique challenges to a traditional development program. With parents, there tends to be a narrow window of opportunity for engaging, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding parents, so we must thoughtfully plan the critical fundraising touches along the way - from the admissions cycle through graduation. If we do this well we can achieve our goals and provide rewarding experiences for our parents and families. Let's explore the journey of parents/families and discuss ways to optimize fundraising opportunities along the way.

Strategic and generative conversations are at the heart of our work. Questioning and listening are powerful life skills. First, they will help you create productive donor relationships. What organizations do you support with your philanthropy? Where are we on your list of philanthropies? How do you make your philanthropic decisions? What has been your most meaningful gift? Quality questions elicit amazing information that will guide you in the solicitation process and help you build relationships on campus with your supervisor, peers and faculty members. Learn how to develop questions instead of talking points that will inform your gift strategy, advance relationships, and result in a joyful, generous "Yes" to your request for increased engagement with your institution, a significant gift to one of your priorities or for whatever you were hoping that volunteer or colleague would do to help you achieve your goals.

In any organization there is an overarching culture that permeates all areas of responsibility including volunteerism, fundraising, and communication. These are the policies and procedures; the knowledge of how things are done. Culture also includes our organizational values and beliefs. It generally frames how we behave at work. There are also subcultures among the different areas of responsibility which depcit how your teammates relate to one another, share information or opinions, make decisions, and work toward goals. All of which will have an impact on results, especially when leading through change. Peter Drucker, the ‘father of management,” is famously quoted saying “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Meaning you can have all the strategic plans, policies and procedures that you want, but at the end of the day it is the behaviors and reactions of people that drive culture and determine which plans, policies, and procedures succeed or fail. In this session, we will focus on the nemesis of a healthy culture - the “silo mentality” - and how to move toward positive collaboration and avoid these classic pitfalls in change management.

Why do some fundraising professionals thrive while others plateau? What can we learn from those who ascend to the highest levels of impact? In this interactive session, we’ll go beyond inspiration and introduce a practical framework rooted in the habits, mindsets, and disciplines of expert performers. Through this lens, you’ll chart your path toward excellence—whether you're seeking sharper skills, stronger relationships, or a more purposeful career. Discover why advancement stars are made, not born—and how you can shape your journey to become one.