Break out of the silos and join us for "Stronger Together: Uniting Alumni Relations & Annual Giving for Enhanced Engagement," a session focused on maximizing the impact of collaboration between alumni relations and annual giving. Explore successful initiatives like our annual day of giving, reunion program, student and young alumni engagement, integrated communication strategies through e-newsletters and new websites, and the power of personalized outreach driven by data. Discover how leveraging alumni networks and fostering a culture of philanthropy deepen engagement, and learn how metrics and key performance indicators can help measure and refine these strategies. Gain actionable insights into creating a cohesive and dynamic alumni experience that drives both involvement and support.

Data storytelling is one of the best ways to empower your organization’s donors to understand the impact of their philanthropy. Join Lynne as she explores effective writing and communication techniques that artfully blend storytelling and data that resonates with your readers and moves them to action. She will cover fundamentals and samples of data storytelling and visualization so that you too can deliver key messages that matter to your donors in a clear, concise, and meaningful manner. Learn how to turn your data into stories and modernize your communications.

Campaigns continue to drive philanthropic growth throughout higher education, but the traditional campaign model is changing. Institutions are using the lessons learned from traditional campaigns to innovate, with creative new approaches and responses to donors’ demand for institutional vision, transformative goals, and institution-wide engagement. This session will introduce emerging trends in contemporary campaigns and discuss the implications of “principal gifts.” We will explore how expectations for sources of campaign revenue are evolving and the inclusion of goals that are not measured in dollars. How has the role of volunteers adapted to our 24/7/365 world, and do they help or hinder? Whether your institution is in campaign, planning a campaign, or recovering from a campaign, this session seeks to challenge your thinking and inspire your work.

The number one way alumni wish to reconnect with their alma mater is through career ready programing, yet most campuses have a difficult time getting alumni affairs and career services to work together and support each other’s missions. The University of Hartford made a bold decision to merge the office of career services with the offices of alumni engagement and fundraising…. The result: hundreds of alumni volunteering annually and interacting with students while being cultivated towards giving. We also saw improved experiences for students, and enhanced levels of partnership with industry thanks to alumni employees.



Join this session to learn more about how career services, alumni engagement teams, and development officers can work together and achieve multiple goals. Learn about events and programs we have successfully brought to fruition at the University of Hartford and hear about lessons learned along the way.

Transform your approach to donor pipelines by using qualification protocols and data to identify and cultivate emerging major donors, especially those in the middle of the giving pyramid. We will discuss how leveraging innovative engagement strategies to build meaningful connections lead to significant and lasting philanthropic support for your institution. Participants will come away with tangible tips on how to implement qualification protocols to yield the most impact and how to create tailored and meaningful engagement opportunities to bring prospects closer to your organization, ultimately stewarding them to become top donors. To see this topic in action, we will leverage the example of Northeastern University’s recent development of a successful Leadership Giving Program aimed at cultivating, stewarding, and upgrading the university’s mid-level donors.