2024

CASE celebrates its 50th anniversary!

2023

In January, CASE launches the Executive Advisors Program in the U.S. and Canada, this important initiative supports the hiring and retention of advancement executives with diverse lived experiences.

CASE rebrands AMAtlas to CASE Insights to emphasize that CASE is the world leader in helping institutions and advancement professionals achieve their goals.

In March, CASE establishes the Advancement Inclusion Index for colleges, universities, and independent schools globally to measure their diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging progress in advancement policy and practice. The first-of-its-kind index for the advancement profession, it also captures respondent and demographic information. This work follows the first CASE Insights on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (United Kingdom) survey in 2021, which was undertaken to better understand the diversity of the advancement sector in the United Kingdom.

CASE launches a new section in Spanish on the CASE website, to ensure our members have easier access to the content they need most.

In August, CASE joins with More Partnership to release a 10-year analysis of annual giving trends to UK universities. The CASE-More UK Philanthropy in Higher Education Report details forecasts for the next 10 years and gives recommendations applicable to a global audience.

CASE introduces a free, short online course for members new to educational advancement. Introduction to Integrated Advancement explores the core disciplines of advancement, incorporating alumni relations, fundraising, and communications and marketing, and how and why they work together at educational institutions.

2022

CASE launches ‘Championing Advancement’, its current 5-year strategic plan, which seeks to continue and expand CASE’s leadership role in six key areas: Educational Programming, Thought Leadership, Global Membership, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB), Data and Research, and People and Culture. The new plan was announced to members in Currents article: "President's Perspective: A Bright Future Ahead" (January/February 2022).

CASE and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) partner to launch the online initiative Data and Analysis for School Leadership, creating an industry-wide standard for data collection and analysis for independent schools, to generate yearly reports. This survey is now known as CASE Insights on Philanthropy in Independent Schools (United States).

CASE creates a new executive role to support global growth. Advancement leader Terry Flannery becomes CASE’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

The Discover the Next initiative is launched, creating a partnership of CASE, the American Council on Education, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. This work was supported by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

2021

CASE plans and executes its first-ever online All-Districts Conference in February, with nearly 20,000 individuals registered—more people than had ever attended a year’s worth of district conferences combined.

A $300,000 donation from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation supports the launch of CASE’s Opportunity and Inclusion Center (OIC). The OIC’s focus is to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in advancement, enhance the advancement capabilities in Minority Serving Institutions, and increase the diversity pipeline for advancement professionals in service of educational attainment. The OIC was conceived during an 18-month planning grant from The Kresge Foundation and guided by a volunteer task force.

CASE publishes the CASE Global Reporting Standards, which defines a common set of standards, guidelines, and definitions for reporting the results of educational philanthropy activities at schools, colleges, and universities across the globe. This is the first global edition and provides the first major update to the standards since 2009. The book is available via printed copy and digital subscription and has six country-specific supplements.

Together with Marts&Lundy, CASE announce the launch of CampaignSource, a new global fundraising campaign benchmarking resource. CampaignSource encompasses two global surveys on educational fundraising campaigns and associated data and reports. Today, this survey is known as CASE Insights on Campaigns.

In November, CASE launches CASE Academy, a leadership-enhanced program directed at professionals with five to eight years of advancement experience. A sequence of seven courses delivered over six months, the Academy provides rising stars in advancement the opportunity to engage with and learn from their peers and industry leaders.

2020

In March, CASE began to adjust operations to account for the Covid-19 pandemic. Offices went remote, and CASE began augmenting additional online resources, such as a new podcast entitled CASE Xchange, and adapted to virtual conferences, including regional Togathers, to remain in contact with membership during global lockdowns.

In July, CASE launches its new governance structure, creating a model ‘better aligned with the strategic plan and the future direction of the profession’, establishing a move to regional councils in each of CASE’s regions: U.S./Canada, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Latin America. Voices: Our Global Journey, a commemorative booklet was published as a supplement with the Currents July/August 2020 issue, to detail the vision behind this important move.

In July, CASE announces the inaugural members of the association’s first CASE Council for U.S./Canada. The U.S./Canada Council will set strategy, advise on member growth and retention opportunities, and ensure that CASE’s programs, products, and services continue to meet members' needs within the region. CASE also announces the inaugural Chairs of the CASE Latin America Regional Council and the Asia-Pacific Regional Council.

2019

CASE membership votes on the new governance model, a change proposed its global volunteer leadership structure to meet the current needs of CASE membership and CASE as an association.

CASE unveils the CASE Competencies Model, created by the Curriculum and Content Review Task Force, which becomes the tool by which educational programming is planned and evaluated.

The CASE Laureates program launches to maintain connection and communication with prevalent senior volunteers who have given invaluable service to CASE and the education advancement sector. Laureates are invited to come together at major events to receive briefings, offer advice, and stay close to the action.

2018

CASE partners with Loughborough University on a 12-month project to examine the state of philanthropic support for higher education in Africa. Its goal is to create a sustainable framework for building philanthropic engagement in African universities. The project generated a series of digital advancement resources, including an app, a website, podcasts, and videos.

CASE acquires the Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey in July and launches AMAtlas, a global resource for educational advancement-related metrics, benchmarks and analytics.

CASE announces a grant from the Kresge Foundation to build fundraising programs and related services at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The Center for Minority Serving Institution Advancement will provide research, benchmarking tools and professional training for advancement professionals, as well as leadership programs for academics, administrators and volunteers focused on growing the fundraising capacity at these vital institutions.

2017

CASE convenes the Global Governance Steering Committee to begin the work of developing a new CASE governance model, to simplify its existing structure of 11 fiduciary bodies.

CASE develops its Advancement Internship Program, based in the US and Canada.

2016

The CASE Commission on Alumni Relations address the need for an industry-wide framework to measure alumni engagement, creating the Alumni Engagement Metrics Task Force. The task force’s work became the basis of the CASE Global Alumni Engagement Metrics (AEM) survey, now known as CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement.

CASE Board of Trustees approves the Reimagining CASE 2017-21 strategic plan which proposed a new governance structure—a first step toward the vision of creating a “One CASE” that provides members with a seamless CASE experience—regardless of where they are based.

CASE develops its existing graduate trainee scheme and launches a graduate initiative in Australia.

CASE begins an intensive review of its conferencing curriculum with a volunteer task force.

2015

John Lippincott, CASE’s ninth and longest-serving president, retires after leading the association for 11 years.

Sue Cunningham begins her role as CASE president.

CASE is formally granted its charitable status in Latin America, allowing the association to generate and collect revenue. CASE had been delivering programs in Latin America for more than 15 years prior to this.

2014

CASE introduces online communities, an online forum platform, which allows CASE members to join special interest groups and connect on topical issues on a global scale.

Building on the work of the Ross-CASE Survey of Charitable Giving to Universities in the UK, CASE launches the first survey exploring charitable giving to universities in Australia and New Zealand in the period 2012-14. The Ross-CASE survey of universities in Australia and New Zealand is now known as CASE Insights on Philanthropy (Australia and New Zealand).

2011

CASE establishes an ongoing presence in Latin America with an office in Mexico City.

2009

The CASE Member Magazine Readership online survey, sponsored by Qualtrics, is created to help members evaluate how readers view their campus magazine and benchmark the results.

CASE launches its Benchmarking Toolkit, a state-of-the-art survey tool that helps advancement professionals benchmark activities, staffing, budgets and other aspects of their programs with peer institutions.

The ‘BriefCASE’ newsletter is redesigned to provide targeted variable content for professional and general members in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other regions.

CASE launches its first graduate trainee program in Europe, a yearlong training program specifically developed for graduates interested in advancement careers.

2007

In May, CASE opens an Asia-Pacific office in Singapore to help address the evolving needs of the growing advancement profession in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

2006

CASE holds its first conference in the Asia-Pacific region on March 1-3 in Singapore. Its success prompts trustees to make the historic decision to open an office in Asia.

CASE holds its first Summit for Leaders in Advancement on July 9-11, which revamped the Annual Assembly to a conference more closely aligned to the needs of senior advancement professionals.

CASE in Europe partners with the Ross Group of Development Directors, to commission the 2006/07 Ross-CASE Survey of Gifts and Costs of Voluntary Giving. The survey, which first began in 2001/02 under the Ross Group, seeks to create a reliable source of data on the philanthropic health of universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The survey later came to be known as CASE-Ross Support of Education and is known today as CASE Insights on Philanthropy (United Kingdom and Ireland).

2005

CASE undertakes key initiatives to increase the diversity of the advancement profession. CASE holds a diversity summit attended by advancement professionals from across the U.S. Summit members identify 15 strategies for CASE to diversify the profession.

CASE completes a five-year partnership with the Kresge Foundation and the Southern Education Foundation, the Kresge HBCU Initiative's purpose is to help build capacity at historically black colleges and universities.

2003

CASE begins its Online Speaker Series, a live, interactive professional development program delivered via the telephone and internet.

The Network, CASE's revamped, dynamic, personalized website, is launched to make more resources and services readily available to professional members around the world.

1999

CASE celebrates its 25th anniversary with membership reaching more than 2,900 institutional members across colleges, universities and independent schools, to serve more than 33,000 individuals around the world.

CASE creates the Chief Executive Leadership Award.

1995

CASE begins sponsoring the first of its listservs or online discussion groups. This innovation allows subscribers to connect with their peers via email for discussions and advancement issues.

The District Chairs Council, which brings together chairs from each of CASE’s U.S. eight districts, is created.

The first CASE Europe Board meeting is held at the Strand Palace Hotel in London.

1994

CASE Europe opens its office in London, England.

The CASE website is launched at www.case.org

CASE rebrands several of its long-time recognition programs to become the Circle of Excellence Awards.

1993

CASE, the American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, and Association of Fundraising Professionals adopt the “Donor Bill of Rights”.

CASE reduces its nine commissions to three, focusing on alumni relations, communications and philanthropy. The “three-legged stool” concept of advancement—a concept that has been present in the discipline for a long time—is reinforced within CASE’s organizational structure and strategic vision. Today, the commissions support the creation and dissemination of knowledge within the advancement disciplines. They also advise CASE on programming and services for professionals within their respective areas of advancement.

1990

On September 23-26, CASE holds its first conference in the Europe region, where the University of Edinburgh hosts 127 professionals from 60 institutions. Its focus is cross-discipline with core programming covering how to get an alumni or fundraising program started, understanding the role of internal and external communications, cultivating alumni involvement and support, and examining advancement's future in higher education in the U.K.

1983

The first Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence is awarded to M. Fredric Volkmann.

1982

On October 9, one thousand people gather at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the National Convocation for Higher Education, which is sponsored by CASE.

1976

CASE publishes its first book, The Changing World of College Relations: History and Philosophy 1917-1975 by W. Emerson Reck.

1975

Currents magazine debuts in September with Virginia Carter Smith as the founding editor.

CASE holds its first Annual Assembly, July 8-10, at the Palmer House in Chicago.

The membership formally approves the name, articles of incorporation, and nominations for the board of trustees.

CASE’s Summer Institutes are created in the U.S.

1974

The American College Public Relations Association and the American Alumni Council merge to create the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, a name selected from more than 400 suggestions.

The association's articles of incorporation are signed November 26, 1974, and its headquarters are at One Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C. Edwin Crawford is the first board chair and Cletis Pride is interim president.

CASE has 1,835 member institutions and 7,200 member representatives. “We Will”, a 16-commitment pledge adopted by the members of the Joint Study Committee, is sent to the members of the dissolving organizations to define the future agenda for the new organization and, to reassure individual members.

In September, Alice L. Beeman, the former chief executive of the American Association of University Women, is chosen to be the first CASE president and starts her position on December 1.

On October 1-3, the new association holds its first conference, the International Alumni Conference, in Washington, D.C.