Want to move beyond aspirational values statements to culture change that sticks? This applied case presentation will focus on a partnership between Syracuse University's Advancement and External Affairs and Human Resources teams to engage 200+ staff members in actively shaping-not just adopting- organizational culture during a period of transition. Through cross-unit working groups, transparent communication structures, and intentional opportunities for staff ownership, Syracuse's AEA team transformed abstract cultural goals into daily practice centered on collaboration, respect, and shared success. This interactive session moves beyond theory to share practical tools, honest lessons learned, and proven strategies for building culture WITH your team, not FOR them. Walk away with frameworks, and peer insights you can implement immediately-whether you lead a team of 5 or 500.

Are you engaged in fundraising, alumni relations, and student recruitment in Asia? Do you want to advance your institution in the region but don’t know how to begin or how to position your work for the best impact? This "In Conversation" Session, facilitated by two longtime CASE volunteers with *over 20 years of* extensive experience advancing their institutions across borders, will surface successful practices and considerations for engaging with your key stakeholders in China and across the region. The session will be a conversation. Bring your own experiences into the room or come if you are curious about the opportunity.

Are your pipeline strategies actually creating transformational donors, or just creating activity? Josh Newton and John Morris argue that advancement's biggest barrier to transformational gifts isn't donor capacity or institutional case; it's our refusal to disrupt operating models designed for a different era. Drawing on data from Emory and Minnesota, they reveal the gap between where we invest resources and where institutional impact comes from. Then they get bold: what if we stopped replicating sector "best practices" and started learning from industries that serve high-net-worth individuals better than we do? Through compelling case studies, they show how service design principles from Delta360, Ritz-Carlton, and J.P. Morgan Private Bank translate into advancement-and what it actually looks like to realign operations around transformational relationships. This means hard choices: rethinking alumni engagement, automating baseline stewardship, and shifting investment away from activities that feel productive but don't move the institutional needle. If you're ready to ask tough questions about what your institution actually needs, and willing to make disruptive moves to deliver it, this session provides the diagnostic framework, real-world examples, and institutional imperative to act.

Sponsored by Huron With the number of Americans giving to charity on the decline, many nonprofits increasingly rely on a smaller, more affluent circle of supporters to meet their fundraising goals. The 2025 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy, the 10th in a series of biennial reports on giving by wealthy households in the United States, offers practical insights into where, how, and importantly why affluent Americans give and volunteer. This understanding can help build the confidence and increase the success of nonprofit leaders when seeking the support of high-capacity donors.

Many institutions have philanthropic resources that could be doing far more—if leaders prioritized fund use and stewardship, rather than seeing them as purely administrative tasks. Grounded in CASE InsightsSM research in partnership with FundMiner, this session explores the pressing need to address the “rainy day” mindset, highlighting how activating funds and communicating meaningful impact to donors today helps to lay the foundation for giving tomorrow. Panelists will also share their insights on which roles are best to lead fund-management pursuits, along with best practices, collaborative opportunities, ethical considerations, and the risks of getting it wrong, particularly amidst market uncertainty, resource constraints, and changing donor demands.

Minneapolis and St. Paul recently experienced a period of profound disruption following a major ICE operation that included the deaths of local residents. The events deeply affected the city, bringing parts of the community together in grief and solidarity, while also intensifying divisions and strain. Captured and shared widely through video, the events unfolded in real time, confronting the community with moments that were both painful and inescapable. This panel brings together leaders from three institutions at the center of the moment, the University of St. Thomas, Macalester College, and the University of Minnesota, and is facilitated by Josh Birkholz, the CEO of BWF, a consulting company located in Minneapolis, to reflect on how the crisis impacted their campuses. Panelists will discuss the effects on their teams, students, and donors, the decisions they faced in real time, and how they navigated communication, leadership, business continuity, and community responsibility during an unprecedented period of tension. Together, they will share lessons for higher education leaders navigating civic unrest, institutional trust, and the role of universities in moments of community crisis.

Every advancement leader eventually steps into a culture they didn't create. They're hired to bring fresh perspective while simultaneously learning unwritten rules, navigating long-standing relationships, and earning trust inside institutions with deep histories. These legacy cultures can be a foundation for loyalty, stability, and success-while also becoming a constraint on meaningful, necessary change that would benefit both the institution and the advancement profession.

Drawing on insights from a recent Harvard Business Review article, this session explores what it takes to lead effectively in a legacy culture without burning bridges or carrying the weight of change alone. The conversation will focus on lived experiences of how leaders have navigated inherited cultures, built trust while resetting expectations, and made progress when "we've always done it this way" is embedded into the organizational norms. For leaders expected to deliver results while stewarding and evolving culture, this conversation offers practical insights into integrating effectively, leading change with credibility, strengthening teams, and achieving the fundraising outcomes their institutions are counting on.

Sponsored by Huron Amid global shifts in philanthropy, giving is becoming more concentrated, with fewer individuals participating and greater reliance on affluent donors. In Part One of the CASE Research Symposium, attendees heard key findings from the 2025 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy, which explores how and why wealthy households give and volunteer. This follow-up panel brings advancement leaders together to translate those insights into action, reflecting on what the research means for fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and stewardship today. The conversation will center on how organizations can position themselves for long-term relevance with next generation donors by aligning purpose, value, and engagement with evolving expectations around impact, trust, and connection. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to apply these insights to strengthen their approach and lead with greater confidence in a changing philanthropic landscape.

Is volunteerism dead-or has it simply changed in ways we haven't fully acknowledged? This facilitated, in-conversation session invites advancement leaders into a candid exploration of how alumni volunteer engagement has evolved, why traditional models are struggling, and what today's realities demand of leadership. Drawing on lived experience across institutional contexts, participants will examine shifting motivations, structural inequities, and emerging models of service. Expect thoughtful dialogue, honest tension, and practical reframing-not easy answers.

Advancement is facing a structural shift, but it's happing below the surface of everyday challenges. Donor expectations around transparency, personalization, and impact are increasing rapidly, while institutions continue to operate with systems, processes, and models designed for a different era. The result is a growing gap between what donors expect and what institutions are able to deliver.

Drawing on proprietary benchmarking data from across the sector, this session explores the emerging trends reshaping advancement and the risks facing institutions that are slow to adapt. From rising expectations around impact reporting to increasing complexity in managing funds, the data points to a fundamental shift in how advancement organizations must operate. This session is a call-to-action: designed to challenge assumptions, surface uncomfortable truths, and prompt leaders to consider whether their institution is prepared for what's coming next.