Millions of professionals left their jobs monthly during the great resignation. While the trend has slowed drastically in 2023, companies are witnessing new challenges. Recent polls discovered that 50% of fundraisers are expecting to leave their job within the next couple of years. While not all staff members are exiting, employers are seeing less engagement and examples of quiet quitting. 

Our conversation with top executive search firm leaders will explore talent architecture and provide a starting point for advancement shops to avoid the pitfalls of talent engagement. Learn how you can be a champion for an engaging, functional and collaborative advancement team. 

Students are students for a fraction of the time that they will be alumni yet so little work is done with current students to teach them what it means to be engaged and involved as an alum. Most students-alumni-donor pipeline best practices currently in use were designed for a now-outdated constituency. The world has changed. The demographics of students have shifted, including more first-generation and students from underrepresented backgrounds. We now live in a digital world where online and hybrid opportunities for engagement are no longer outliers, they are practically required. A consumerist approach to education points to a more transactional experience rather than an immersive, developmental one. We must find ways to demonstrate the value of engaged alumni and donors and acknowledge that the student-alumni-donor paradigm has shifted. One-size-fits-all approaches are no longer acceptable. Drawing on findings from their research, Drs. Gilbert and Brinton have put together a toolkit that advancement professionals and campus partners can use to teach Alumni in Training not only the “how-to” but also the “why” of alumni engagement. This interactive session will provide opportunities for attendees to explore the toolkit in action and learn ways to jumpstart a student’s alumni role identity.

Learn from London School of Economics and Political Science how they created a framework to process and manage the data for our closest alumni and supporters, our VIPs in shorthand. We analysed the issues, delved deep into use cases and examined data structures that had evolved organically over time - without critical, strategic thought - and then implemented some significant changes to better manage this dataset.

Session Description: Creativity isn’t just for creative professionals or artists. Creative thinking is one of the most sought-after skills companies (and CEOs) look for. And yet, 75% of people think they're not living up to their creative potential. How, exactly, do you get more creative? In this session, you will: Learn the mechanics of creativity; Experience a mini-Creative Friday, an outrageous day of silliness used by the ASU Outreach Hub to increase creative thinking, teamwork, and professional development; Have some fun (without forced socialization); Leave with some creative thinking exercises you can do, anywhere and at any time.

How can we create an innovative and positive environment of support, acceptance, collaboration and progress that fosters creativity and talent? How can be become better at what we do? How about with a little bit of humor? Explore a world of YES, AND – acceptance and building; active listening; collaboration; risk taking; failure embracing and inspiration. Through engaging activities and participant discussion, we will practice elevating our work and our play. Find the joy in what you do, and bring it to others. Let’s participate, learn and find the FUN in FUNdraising!

We will share how a system of collaboration between Caltech’s Prospect Management and Research and Regional Major Gifts Teams has implemented analytics and strategy to measure output, mentor for success, and indicate promotion. This system helps avoid the pitfalls of unconscious bias to move away from anecdotal perception to measurable results. Clearly defined metrics and accessible reports are the basis for the collaboration enabling researchers to effectively support fundraisers’ progress toward goals, and managers to effectively mentor fundraisers. It maintains equity among peers by quantitatively reflecting achievements, highlighting areas of improvement, and indicating where promotion (or separation) is needed.

Are you redefining your board management and engagement for meetings? Learn tactics that can be instituted in working with your board members to engage them at the meeting - from time with students to problem solving to executive sessions with your leadership. Learn ways to engage with them virtually and in person. Have your board members come out of the meeting feeling like they made a difference and impacted your institution.

In this session, attendees will learn why it is important to take an aggressive approach to developing and maintaining a coherent brand as it applies to enrollment marketing, social and digital media, and on-campus communications. Presenters will explain how Carson-Newman University tackled a murky identity and unveiled not only a new campaign, but new brand look and supporting elements in 8 months in an interactive session with Q+A opportunities.

For advancement offices with small budgets and few staff, tackling the world of advancement can pose extra challenges. In this session you'll hear from Universidad Panamericana, a small private university in Mexico City about how changing their approach and partnering with other small universities helped them make better use of their limited resources.

Some of your greatest champions live outside the US, but it's harder to keep them involved. Don't let borders and time zones limit your alumni relations! Extend your reach to alumni living around the world through strategic events, outreach, and relationships. Join this session to learn about and discuss why, when, and how to implement an effective international alumni engagement plan. We'll talk data, resources, ideas, best practices, and opportunities to create and sustain a vibrant global alumni community.