Every creator has faced it: the dread of the blank page. Sometimes it turns into a full-blown creative block; or if you do manage to get something down, it doesn't engage or inspire you. When these problems strike, the culprit is often your “editor” self, who’s trying so hard to make everything perfect that your “creator” self can’t get a word in edgewise. This workshop will lead participants through in-class writing exercises that will teach you how to sidestep your editor so your creator can step forth and do its job. We'll do timed writings that focus on pure creation — no editing allowed — to help you escape the limitations of an everyday mindset and access “beginner’s mind.” Bring a pen, a notebook and a willingness to unlock your creativity.

Often career advancement within higher education advancement requires moving into frontline fundraising or leadership positions. It takes a skilled person to balance the demands of leading a fundraising team while achieving personal fundraising metrics. So You Want Me To Lead AND Make It Rain, will help anyone new to management or leadership, offering tips, experiences, best practices, and discussions on balancing the demands of both worlds. Attendees will learn from others with similar roles, how to pivot leadership types, effectively manage up and down, be a champion for your team, and overcome obstacles that arise through the challenges of our work.

We’ve heard about the enrollment cliff and its likely impact on higher education. For her dissertation, Dr. Carrie Phillips researched how marketing strategies might help mitigate this cliff. This session shares findings from visiting with chief marketing officers about how they’re preparing. The session will begin with a high-level overview of the enrollment cliff followed by a deep dive into how marketing strategies might lessen the impact. You’ll hear about the challenges participants face, strategies they’re exploring and best practices to consider. As you’re looking to navigate change at your institution, this session is a great place to start.

JHU recently completed a major CRM Project - a complete digital transformation of several data systems into one main fundraising CRM. How did they do it? How did their team and project thrive? Join the session to learn how the JHU team engaged with several partners to lead their team, their data and JHU through this change. Learn about the opportunities they took for business process improvement, staff development and overall operational efficiency.

Over the past 18 months, court decisions and public policy has drastically changed how higher education can approach DEIB. While academicians and student affairs personnel prepare for their work, advancement practitioners face our own unique challenges. This workshop is designed for all members of an advancement organization – from alumni engagement to development to Marketing and Communications. Participants will be taken through a framework that will allow them to examine their own organizations’ readiness to be nimble in this contemporary environment, ultimately to support a culture that will keep all stakeholders engaged. Additionally, participants will come away with tools to structure DEIB work in a way that is mission-centric and supportive of all communities.