In today's ever evolving tax landscape it is important to understand how to properly assess gifts and pledges with appropriate tax implications for gift acceptance and gift processing standards. We will navigate through the matrix of rules that are set for gifts-in-kind, cryptocurrency and other complex donations. We will also explore IRS requirements as well as ethical questions that can arise in the acceptance and processing of gifts and pledges. We will discuss how to handle tax questions while maintaining ethical and common-sense practices that ensure accurate processing for the IRS and your auditors.

Have you ever implemented a new strategy for your giving day and found its results lacking? Us, too! In an industry that demands constant improvement to remain relevant, sometimes “best practices” do not look their best at our own institutions. In this interactive session, Ohio Wesleyan University will share specific examples of how we have troubleshooted our giving day strategy over more than 10 years of iterations. Come prepared with questions about your own giving day and walk away with crowdsourced solutions. While no single institution has all the answers, our collective wisdom provides the expertise our giving days need.

About 15 percent of the world's population lives with a disability - including many of your alumni. The choices you make in engaging them can be the difference between inclusion and exclusion. In this session, we will explore major topics around accessibility, including breaking down why accessibility is so important in alumni programming. Participants will walk away from this presentation with a set of actionable tools and strategies to promote accessibility within event and engagement planning, on websites, and in digital communication. This presentation will be appropriate for both new and seasoned alumni engagement professionals.

In today's digital era, your website is your most critical recruitment tool. Google Analytics 4 has a treasure trove of actionable data you can use today to improve your conversion rates. In this session, we will uncover how to identify key recruitment gaps within your web strategy. Additionally, we will learn how to adapt to the emerging cookieless world of web analytics.

Fund management is an essential component of providing financial transparency to our donors which ensures our fiduciary responsibilities are met. In this session we will discuss endowed fund reporting as well as processes to ensure endowment spend allocations and current-use funds are being spent in a timely manner and how the donor intended. We will also discuss fund management best practices to ensure donor's wishes are being fulfilled. Foundation project Administration was established within University Advancement as a resource for campus partners. As fiduciaries of donor funds, Foundation Project Admin offers support, guidance, education, and training on the use of Foundation funds. We perform financial compliance reviews for departmental spending of restricted funds ensuring they are spent timely and according to donor intent. As donors are inspired to give, we have a shared responsibility to ensure their support is spent as intended. We strengthen our donor's relationship with the university through financial transparency with impact reporting for future contributions.

More than 95% of US assets are held outside of cash. In order to strengthen our fundraising success, institutions and individual fundraisers must understand cryptocurrency and be comfortable soliciting and closing gifts of crypto. This presentation seeks to demystify crypto and the blockchain, so that institutions understand why they should entertain these kinds of gifts and individual fundraisers can close gifts of crypto that benefit their institution EVEN if their institution doesn't currently accept gifts of crypto.

Each of us (easily) receives over one hundred emails each day. With all of this competition, how can you ensure your communication is cutting through the noise and getting in front of your readers? In this session, you’ll see email examples from Cornell University’s advancement communication team, which boasts industry leading open and click rates. Learn how to curate quality content for your newsletter and boost engagement for each of your constituent emails.

Professional development conferences provide a catalyst for growth and connection. How do you create and maintain momentum post-conference once you are back in the office? This session will explore how we can foster unique connections, stay energized, nurture new habits and practices, and bring all this back to your teams and workplaces. These experiences can help you foster inclusiveness, recognize your institution’s investment in you, and grow your own leadership.

The way we approach DEI in Advancement is changing. We’re moving beyond education and training. Many of us are getting past the “why” and moving toward the “how” phase of our DEI journeys; we’re starting to form best practices and share results. As we seek more equitable ways to operate, engage with stakeholders, and communicate, we’re stepping closer to truly living our values. At the University of Washington, we’ve taken action, working towards our values of equity and belonging in meaningful ways. At the University of Washington Advancement, we have been calculated in establishing meaningful cross-team, cross-unit committees and groups dedicated to culture, practice, and policy change. Our committee structure is unique, and we can share how this work shapes our organization. We have also developed our DEI strategic plan and lead with a set of DEI values, all created in partnership with one of our committees. Our session will focus on how our leadership invested in DEI in UA and how we’ve moved from “why” with our vision and values, to planning and action.

In an era of declining  public trust in big societal institutions, higher education is no exception. Join CASE's CEO for a discussion of public perceptions, what it all means and what we can do about it.