AI-Driven Micro-Volunteering: Boosting Alumni & Donor Engagement at Scale
2:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Advancement leaders are grappling with a growing “activity crisis.” Alumni and donor networks are larger than ever, yet traditional engagement methods often fail to provide meaningful opportunities for connection, leaving many feeling overlooked or disengaged. This lack of activity doesn’t just impact participation—it erodes the human bonds that foster lifelong loyalty and support.

AI-driven micro-volunteering is redefining what’s possible by creating personalized, impactful moments of connection at scale. Whether it’s an alumnus mentoring a student, answering a question from a prospective family, or providing industry insights to a peer, these interactions spark genuine human connections that strengthen relationships and build community. Importantly, this approach requires no new apps or platforms for alumni or donors to adopt—making engagement seamless, accessible, and authentic.

In this session, The Ohio State University will share how they’ve harnessed AI to scale these meaningful connections across a broad and diverse network. Designed for senior advancement leaders, this session will explore how AI not only removes barriers to engagement but also amplifies the relational heart of advancement work. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into their engagement strategies, cultivating vibrant alumni and donor communities that are truly connected to their institution’s mission.
Speakers: Josh Harraman and Max Leisten

Leveraging AI & Technology Integration - Chapter 1 of the Journey
2:30 PM to 3:00 PM
In this session, Rita L. Walters and Jeanette Hanlein will share the journey of evaluating new technology that is better integrated with our CRM to enhance efficiency, improve the experience for our constituents, improve the level of data we have on our constituents and enhance donor discovery and qualification efforts. This in-depth session will also cover how Montclair State integrated new technologies to engage our alumni and donors that are fully integrated with our CRM, Raiser’s Edge—including Gravyty for video outreach and Almabase for email communications, and seamless event registration. These packages are helping us to engage our constituents at a new level and track that interaction in real time back to the CRM and prepare us for the next chapter of fundraising. They will also discuss how the team evaluated three leading platforms for software that uses AI to build personalized, multi-channel cadences and engage our donors and prospects in new ways.
Speakers: Jeanette Hanlein and Rita L. Walters

Presidents often operate within a traditional hub-and-spoke leadership model—but in today’s environment, that’s no longer enough. Sustained institutional trust and effective constituent engagement require leaders who can build and empower cross-divisional teams that work in alignment, not isolation. In this session, McDaniel College President Julia Jasken will unpack how she evolved her leadership approach to foster a "neural network" of collaboration across divisions. Drawing on McDaniel’s lifecycle constituent engagement model, she’ll be joined by two senior leaders—VP Janelle Holmboe and CMO Carrie Phillips—who will share strategies for elevating constituent marketing from service provider to strategic driver of institutional success. Attendees will walk away with practical frameworks for reimagining internal alignment and improving constituent trust through collective leadership.

After decades of direct effort to support diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in education, we now are in an environment where some of that work is no longer politically or legally viable. What does that mean for advancement, and how do we continue moving forward with our values when the landscape is shifting? What is the new work with donors and supporters that can advance belonging? Join this “in conversation” session to hear what others are doing, and contribute to the conversation.

Uncertainty – that is what is currently what CASE members are experiencing in many places worldwide. This conversation will give us insight into key political and legislative activities in a few different countries, and note how the advocacy community is addressing issues impacting institutions and our sector. CASE VP for Strategic Partnerships, Brian Flahaven, will lead a conversation with a panel of leaders who will bring us current information, explain the landscape, and provide concrete ideas on what we as a community can do together within and across borders to advance education to transform lives and society and ensure our sector remains strong.

Rich Bundy assumed the Presidency of the UC Foundation in April of 2024. During that time Caleb Whitted the VP for Development has worked with Rich to implement many innovations to the UC Foundation model including goal setting, gift acceptance policy, metrics, and incentive plans for staff. This session will describe the transition to leadership and use specific examples of change and innovation that is occurring at the UC Foundation.

Despite being the majority in advancement roles, women leaders often encounter unique challenges to reaching and thriving in chief advancement executive positions. This dynamic session brings together a panel of accomplished chief advancement executives to share insights, strategies, and real-world examples on successfully building teams, achieving ambitious fundraising outcomes, and navigating these challenges. Drawing on data from the first of its kind BOLD Women in Advancement study in 2025 of women chief advancement executives, this session will explore actionable strategies for supporting women leaders and fostering organizational success. Attendees will gain inspiration, practical tools, and data-informed recommendations to advance their leadership and create more inclusive workplaces.

In this panel, attendees will hear candidly from advancement experts representing different profiles and geographies, and in various stages of campaign and endowment fundraising—on navigating a dwindling donor pool while meeting donors’ rising expectations. With added perspective from 160/90 as moderator, conversations will cover an assortment of pressing donor connectivity and campaign positioning considerations, from navigating the “traditional donor” cliff, to respecting an institution’s past while bridging to the future, to engaging donors intellectually, emotionally, and financially among other key topics.

How can leaders use CASE data to respond to emerging issues and build a data-informed strategy for success? This look into CASE Insights regional and global data on philanthropy and engagement will help you put your work in context by providing you a sense of the evolving trends in donor behavior, alumni affinity, and advancement resources in CASE’s work around the world. This session will directly position insights from CASE alongside current headlines and emerging issues in Advancement and education.