Unique Course in Leadership for Advancement Professionals

The CASE Academy—a course sequence hosted over a seven-month time period—provides advancement professionals with the opportunity to engage with and learn from each other and from industry leaders. CASE Academy Faculty are among the most seasoned, successful, and respected advancement leaders in the world. Based on the CASE Competencies Model©, itself the product of an intensive volunteer-led process to define essential skills and attributes for advancement professionals, the seven-segment course combines both strategic guidance and practical advice to prepare participants to serve as leaders throughout their career in the profession.

Learning Objectives

• Review core components of emotional intelligence to improve relationship management skills
• Explore strategic thinking to develop innovative problem solving
• Discuss principles of leadership, integrity and professionalism to operate as an effective and ethical leader    
• Hone business, financial and industry expertise to implement data-based decision making and data interpretation and presentation
• Develop cultural competence through listening and analyzing bias
• Create cultures of belonging with access and inclusion for all
• Apply techniques of consensus building, collaboration and teamwork to effectively engage staff, volunteers, stakeholders, and donors
• Explore the capabilities, experiences and qualities that distinguish leaders to support the transition from industry expert to leadership
   

Who Should Participate

The curriculum has been created for advancement leaders, who have a minimum of five years’ experience in an advancement role or are transitioning from a mid- or senior-level role in another profession.

Program Structure

This blended learning course will feature a mix of asynchronous activities and seven live monthly sessions. Each month will focus on expanding your leadership skills in one or more of the CASE Competencies:

• Month 1 (October)
  Strategic Thinking
  Mastering strategic thinking is not easy. It requires thinking and making decisions with more context and nuance. Looking at and analyzing information and data with a winder, longer, and deeper lens. Mastering or burnishing this skill will result in greater alignment, fewer silos, more innovations and creativity, less conflict, and more collaboration. Did I mention more enjoyment and less stress? Join us for an information packed, experiential, day on a topic that can fuel your career.
• Month 2 (November)
  Emotional Intelligence
  What does Emotional Intelligence mean, and how do we apply it in our advancement careers? This session will provide an overview of Emotional Intelligence, looking at its roots in brain and behavioral research. We will hear how the concepts have manifested in practice across advancement disciplines and played a role in the leadership experiences of Academy faculty. Finally, you will have an opportunity to flex your emotional intelligence muscles in small work groups, with the understanding that these aren’t necessarily capacities that you are born with – but skills you can learn and hone.
• Month 3 (December)
  Leadership, Integrity, and Professionalism
  What are leadership, integrity and professionalism? What are the guiding principles and key indicators that tells a leader they are on the right track? This session will provide practical steps and thought-provoking questions to help leaders self-assess and keep moving forward on a journey of self-improvement.
• Month 4 (January)
  Industry Expertise, Business, and Financial Acumen
  What are the facts, figures and narratives relating to the past, present and futures of our institutions, and their finances, that we need to be able to summarize with authenticity to build trust across campus and beyond in ourselves as leaders and, through us, our advancement teams?  How do we communicate our understanding of the relationship between philanthropy and wider financial dynamics at work within our institutions in an emotionally intelligent way with campus colleagues and donors? More broadly, what knowledge do we need about the local and global higher education sector within which we work, alongside the financial and wider sectors that are so central to many of the key external supporters and stakeholders we work with?  And how the heck do we keep up to date on all this, and filter through to what is really important?
• Month 5 (February)
  Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging
  DEIB has received a lot of global intentional attention in recent years, making its way into institutional values, mission statements and strategic plans. DEIB in the United States has also increasingly come under attack as individuals, state legislative bills, and think tanks work to dismantle and invoke fear towards implementation.  In a volatile climate, how is a leader to navigate an increasingly complex landscape of incorporating DEIB principles and initiatives, and what does respecting the myriad of voices, lived experiences, and values advancement organizations serve look like? Join us for a thoughtful discussion on the challenges facing leaders, possible DEIB navigation solutions and leadership considerations for evolving organizational cultures to better meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve.
• Month 6 (March)
  Global and Cultural Competence
  Cultural Intelligence is the capability to cross boundaries and prosper in multiple cultures. It goes beyond existing knowledge of cultural sensitivity and awareness by highlighting certain skillsets and capabilities needed to successfully realizing objectives in culturally diverse situations. An individual possessing cultural intelligence is not just aware of different cultures – they are able to culturally adapt and effectively work and relate with people across a variety of cultural contexts. These skills are hugely important for advancement leaders. The session will guide you through the opportunities and challenges and support you in improving your skills to becoming a culturally responsive leader that creates cultures of belonging with access and inclusion for all.
• Month 7 (April)
  Relationship Building & Leadership Beyond Advancement
  John Donne famously wrote, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” This is never more true than for the Advancement professional where collaboration, teamwork and building a thriving peer network are hallmarks of a successful leader. You’ve spent the last seven months exploring leadership in all its complexity. You’ve delved into essential competencies and hopefully, developed professional contacts that will support you throughout your Advancement career.  In this final session, we’ll explore how leaders proactively develop and sustain strategic partnerships and leverage those relationships to achieve results. We’ll finish with a roadmap for your own leadership journey, reflecting on the competencies you have developed and how you can sustain the Academy learning throughout your career. 
   

Each monthly session will comprise:

• Asynchronous (on-demand) pre-work activity 
• Asynchronous plenary presentation
• Live Q&A with the plenary presenter (30 minutes)
• Cohort discussion (1 hour)

View the CASE Academy schedule