In today's ever-evolving workplace, it is crucial to develop effective strategies for managing up to your supervisors and navigating your organization's structure. We will explore the art of managing from your seat, providing you with insights and practical techniques to cultivate strong relationships with supervisors and peers while influencing the decision-making process. We will explore how to effectively communicate your ideas, and results to supervisors, ensuring your contributions are acknowledged and appreciated. Additionally, we will delve into techniques for growing your reputation and credibility and positioning you for success in today’s rapidly changing work environment.

Get the awesomeness started! Join conference chairs to meet your amazing faculty, learn how to get the most out of your time at the conference and get a big picture overview of the field of development.

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

Educational institutions face an increasingly complex and fast-changing political environment, where policy decisions, public sentiment, and media attention directly impact funding, reputation, and engagement. This session offers an introduction to the key political forces shaping education and what they mean for advancement professionals, especially those new to the field. We’ll connect policy trends to real-world implications for fundraising, advancement services, alumni relations, and marketing and communications. Participants will gain insight into emerging risks and opportunities, learn how political dynamics influence donor and stakeholder behavior, and explore ways to navigate conversations in a thoughtful, nonpartisan manner. Participants will also leave with a stronger understanding of the current landscape and greater confidence in representing their institution as they navigate their advancement roles.

Elevate your institution's alumni engagement and achieve meaningful returns by joining our session on "Maximizing Alumni Event ROI Through Effective Operational Support." Discover the critical role of operational excellence in driving successful alumni events and learn how advancement services can provide the streamlined support necessary to exceed expectations. We will explore best practices in planning, execution, and post-event analysis, offering practical strategies to maximize event ROI and enhance future success. Gain valuable insights and actionable tools to transform your alumni events into impactful, ROI-driven successes. Don't miss this opportunity to refine your approach to alumni engagement and operational excellence!

Prospect development connects discovery, qualification, portfolio management, reporting, and philanthropic outcomes. This session explores the core concepts of prospect development and the operational strategies, structures, and practices that support healthy fundraising pipelines across organizations at different stages of maturity. Attendees will gain practical insight into key components of prospect development, including lead and pipeline development, assignment strategy, portfolio management, reporting, and portfolio review practices. Through two real-world case studies — one from an earlier-stage shop and one from a more mature, evolving program — we’ll explore how organizations move prospects into portfolios efficiently, support discovery activity, and use data and reporting to identify gaps, stagnation, and opportunities without relying on overly rigid processes or metrics.

Do people read emails anymore? Yes—they do. But not the way you think. This talk will show you exactly how to write subject lines, optimize your links, and lay out your email copy so your message gets across. In this session, you’ll learn: How to write good subject lines that increase open rates. Typical email reading patterns and how to use them to your advantage. How to appropriately use formatting and white space. Recommendations on sentence structure and reading level. How to use links and buttons to guarantee click-through. A quick way to test if your email will get read. This session is useful for everyone, whether you send mass emails or just internal ones.

It’s been a highly political year, and we all have opinions. What should you share personally, and what should you encourage your campus to share internally and externally? Understanding the interconnected nature of higher education and politics and thinking through your institution’s mission and personal values will empower you to be more effective in your role. This session will provide data and national trends to frame how to help your leaders look around corners and return to strategically communicating with internal and external audiences. Teresa will share how to stay true to yourself while staying safe, and what works for institutions in a polarized environment to shape a narrative.

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.