11:15 - 11:30 AM
Login and Test Your Systems
Use this time to login and test your systems. The conference will begin at 11:30 AM ET.  

11:30 AM -12:30 PM
Welcome, Introductions and Setting the Stage
Join conference leadership to meet the faculty, review conference highlights and learn how to make the most out of our time together before kicking off the conference 
 
12:30 -12:45
Stretch Break  

12:45 -1:30 
Elective Sessions

• Developing New Digital Tools for a Suddenly Virtual World 
  When Northwestern University Alumni Relations and Development switched to working from home in March 2020 due to the coronavirus, we had to add more virtual programming to our engagement strategy. Many in-person events moved to entirely online, and many teams sought new initiatives to communicate with alumni and donors during a pandemic. The sharp increase in digital communications gave us an opportunity to examine and refresh our brand guidelines. We developed several new tactics, including a guide to web and email metrics as well as a process for recording, captioning, and submitting video events. These guidelines assisted teams across the department with sharing fresh content and determining the best ways to increase conversions. With these tools, you’ll know more about what goes into an effective web strategy, analyze metrics and conclude what content works for your audience, and increase accessibility in your digital sphere. 
  Speakers:  Evangeline Politis, Tristan Riddell, Emmet Sullivan, and Andrew Uebelein
• Leadership Volunteerism: Harnessing Your C-Suite Alumni Power
  Most mentoring programs we surveyed empower alumni and students to join in an online portal to make mentoring connections and network. We found that too few of the C-Suite alumni, often in major gift portfolios were participating in these, mainly because they are too busy to manage the activity on their own and their possible mentoring opportunities were too uncertain. In our approach, we simplified the process for the alumni and provided an efficient, but personally tailored concierge service. This has allowed us to support 350 leadership volunteers and growing. For the student, they meet an alum that has had the highest levels of achievement. For the alum, it gives them a rewarding, fun and easy engagement in support of their pathway to generous philanthropic giving.
  Speakers: Gary Grant and Timothy Worzick

1:30 - 2:00  
Resources / Stretch Break  
Use this time to view resources and stretch.   

2:00 – 2:45  
Elective Sessions

• Track A: Managing Institutional Change – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 
  Making the Case for Institutional Change – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 
  This informational session provides an overview of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) programs at institutions of all sizes while addressing the challenge of gaining leadership support. Learn how to use engagement data to inform strategy and gain practical solutions for programmatic implementation.
  Speakers: Natalee Ellars
• Track B: Measurement and Engagement 
  Advocating for Engagement: Goals, Measurement, and Outcomes – Part 1 
  CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics project is a bold initiative, which seeks to shift focus from using just alumni participation to measure affinity, to a more inclusive measurement of alumni engagement.  Join this session to learn why that matters (beyond just getting a bigger participation percentage).  Duane Wiles will share examples of how his team is making data-driven decisions to establish outcome-based goals for alumni engagement and Jenny Cooke Smith will overlay initial “a ha’s” from both CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics survey and the newly formed Facilitated Cohorts, of which University of Tennessee took part.  They will also discuss key measures to justify alumni relations internally to leadership and campus partners.  This session will set the foundation for a collaborative discussion the following day. 
  Speakers: Jenny Cooke Smith and Duane Wiles 

2:45 – 3:00  
Stretch Break  

3:00 – 3:45  
Elective Sessions

• Alumni Identities and New Approaches to Measure Engagement and Predict Future Philanthropy 
  The value and place of higher education in America are under attack - especially in the liberal arts and in the support of diverse students and alumni. With the "magic" of on-campus participation removed, many colleagues and universities are struggling to make the case that a bachelor's degree is truly transformative. What if we could prove that it is? New research into the role of the collegiate experience in creating the self-identities of college graduates has revealed quantifiable insights into just how life-changing higher education can be. Join this session for a hands-on presentation of alumni datasets from six liberal arts institutions. Learn how segmenting graduates according to their "alumni identities" can provide new ways of (1) measuring engagement, (2) refining programs for alumni of color, and (3) predicting future philanthropy. By attending this session, attendees will be able to leverage data, scoring, and metrics to better understand the alumni-to-alma mater relationship and to better articulate the case for support of American higher education. 
  Speaker: Jay Dillon
• Strategies in Forming Alumni Networks Based on Professional Identity
  How do you ensure your programming is meaningful to your alumni? Meet them where they are in their alumni journey--and meet WHO they are. Networks sometimes form organically, sometimes by necessity, sometimes with staff initiative. Two things remain constant, however: (1) alumni and students who feel connected remain connected to their alma mater; (2) Alumni volunteers are critical to any network's success. This session will address how to support new, forming, and formed networks (even with limited staff) and ensure they develop a sustainable model to function long-term with deliberate succession planning built into their formation. You'll leave knowing how to ensure those networks remain sustainable, incorporate a succession plan, have an agenda to engage alumni year-round, and—in the process—support your current students.
  Speaker: Carol Bassie

3:45 – 4:00  
Stretch Break  

4:00 – 5:00  
Small Group Conversations and Networking  

11:15 AM – NOON  
Roundtable Discussions 
Bring your breakfast or lunch and connect with attendees in small groups.  Each group will receive discussion prompts and will be encouraged to participate in the conversation on timely topics affecting our industry.  This is a great time to connect with peers to share best practices, ideas and support. 

12:00 – 12:15  
Stretch Break  

12:15-1:00   
Elective Sessions

• Alumni Engagement Dashboards 2.0 
  Join James Hurley, Senior Director of Advancement Programs at NYU to learn about NYU's suite of business intelligence dashboards which transform traditional alumni engagement metrics to further articulate advancement's impact on the alumni experience, giving, and pipeline development. The session will focus on the beginnings of NYU's alumni dashboard work, and then delve deeper into leveraging tableau and related software to assess our unit's impact.
  Speaker: James Hurley
• Career Programming for a COVID Economy
  Career programming for alumni is more important today than ever before. With the move to virtual spaces, institutions are able to reach far beyond their campuses and provide nimble programming. UCLA's Alumni Career Engagement team will share programming ideas that were implemented to serve alumni in a variety of career stages and needs during the pandemic. From utilizing a networking platform, like Graduway, to developing a low-cost podcast, this session will share tips and resources for your team to create action-based engagement opportunities for alumni who want to help and relevant programs for alumni and students looking for assistance. The format will explore three main types of career programs: job search programs, digital career discovery programs, and mentorship opportunities.
  Speaker: Christian Chavez, Cathy Choi, and Gloria Ko

1:00 - 1:15 
Stretch Break  

1:15 - 2:00 
Faculty Workshop Sessions  

• Track A: Managing Institutional Change – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 
  Strategies for Institutional Change – Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 
  This working session examines how institutional changes were implemented at several schools with a focus on strategies for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Participants will be encouraged to develop their own plans, offer feedback and share experiences. 
  Speakers: Natalee Ellars

• Track B: Measurement and Engagement 
  Advocating for Engagement: Goals, Measurement, and Outcomes – Deep Dive 
  CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics project is a bold initiative, which seeks to shift focus from using just alumni participation to measure affinity, to a more inclusive measurement of alumni engagement.  Join this session to learn why that matters (beyond just getting a bigger participation percentage).  Duane Wiles will share examples of how his team is making data-driven decisions to establish outcome-based goals for alumni engagement and Jenny Cooke Smith will overlay initial “a ha’s” from both CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics survey and the newly formed Facilitated Cohorts, of which University of Tennessee took part.  They will also discuss key measures to justify alumni relations internally to leadership and campus partners.  This session will set the foundation for a collaborative discussion the following day. 
  Speakers: Jenny Cooke Smith and Duane Wiles

2:00 - 2:30 
Resources/Stretch Break 

2:30 – 3:15  
Elective Sessions

• Bringing Alumni Associations in Pipeline Development
  By attending this session, attendees will be able to design and implement strategies that leverage the relationship building of the alumni association into the frontline efforts of an advancement team. Key takeaways will focus on: processes of identifying potential donors, engaging and soliciting association members, and annual giving opportunities.
  Speaker: Erika Jordan
• So You Want to Track AEM in Raiser’s Edge?
  In this session, we want to share with attendees our journey in addressing the challenges faced by incorporating the new CASE Alumni Engagement metrics debuted in 2018 into the work that we do as Advancement professionals. From brainstorming the types of data we wanted to gather, to forming or improving campus partnerships, to figuring out how best to store and report this information, this session will share some tips and tricks we have incorporated at Franklin College that have helped us be successful at understanding our alumni engagement at a deeper level than ever before. By attending this session, attendees will be able to walk away with ideas on how best to gather, store, and report CASE Alumni Engagement metrics using Blackbaud's Raiser's Edge fundraising platform.
  Speaker: Adam Dunigan and Lee Ann Jourdan

3:15 - 3:30 
Stretch Break

3:30 – 4:15  
Faculty Panel: Where do we go from here?  
This forward-thinking conversation between faculty and attendees about what’s next in the industry will bring together many of the content threads from the program to help set you up for success for what comes next. 

4:15 – 4:30  
Final Thoughts and Questions
 
4:30 
Conference Adjourns