Program
Sunday, February 4, 2024
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM ET
Preconference Workshops (pre-registration required)
In this half-day session, join us for an interactive workshop where participants will gain tools to enhance their fundraising operation as single contributor or as a team of a larger development enterprise. This session will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn additional ways to work more effectively as an advancement professional, which will include but not limited to leveraging advocacy organizations, utilizing data to grow your pipeline, and creating compelling engagement and fundraising strategies.
Speakers: DeShanna Brown, Founder, Dr. DeShanna K. Brown Consulting LLC, Franklin Johnson-Norwood, Executive Director of Alumni Engagement and Advancement Services, Virginia State University
7:30 AM - 11:30 AM ET
Preconference Workshops (pre-registration required)
Are you new to the dynamic world of advancement, eager to explore its intricacies and carve out a successful career path? Join us for this exclusive preconference session tailored especially for newcomers!
In this enlightening session, we'll delve into the rich history and significance of CASE and District III, shedding light on its pivotal role in shaping the advancement field. Discover the benefits and resources available to you as a member, empowering you to leverage these invaluable tools for professional growth and success, and gain invaluable insights from a panel of seasoned leaders within our industry. These esteemed professionals bring a wealth of experience and wisdom, poised to share invaluable advice on navigating the complexities of advancement work. From strategies for success to fostering a long and rewarding career, their guidance will be invaluable.
We'll also provide guidance on making the most out of the upcoming conference. Learn effective planning strategies to optimize your experience, from selecting sessions that align with your career goals to networking effectively with industry peers and thought leaders.
Speakers: Latasia Priest, Director of Alumni Engagement and Strategic Initiatives, North Carolina State University
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM ET
Conference Registration
Welcome to Orlando! Stop by the registration desk starting at 10:00 AM to check-in and pick up your name badge for the full conference.
Opening Keynote
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET
Conference Welcome and Opening Keynote Panel: Stewardship of our Bodies, Teams, and Institutions during Transition through the lens of DEIB
From the pandemic to increased social and political movements, the last several years have presented both challenges and opportunities for institutions, their teams, and the leaders within the industry. This panel intends to discuss varying perspectives and approaches to framing wellness as an important factor for successful development.
Speakers: Ben Fiore-Walker, Sr. Director of the Opportunity and Inclusion Center, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Maia McGill, Senior Executive Director, Florida International University Foundation, Khaleel Seecharan, Co-founder and Partner, DEI Ready, DeShanna Brown, Founder, Dr. DeShanna K. Brown Consulting LLC, Mandrake Miller, Vice President of Student Life, Equity & Compliance and ADA/504 Coordinator & Title IX Coordinator, Emmanuel College
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Adapting to a Changing Social Media Landscape
New features and functionality on social media platforms have become normal occurrences. This means the opportunities to communicate a singular message or multiple messages evolve through the academic year. Social media managers are learning to adapt to the changing social media landscape and sometimes rethink their content delivery. In this workshop, participants will explore notable recent changes in widely used social media platforms, explore ideas to further connect with their audiences online, and work through how a message can be delivered in different online spaces to further their social media strategy.
Speakers: Aurelia Spaulding, Assistant Director, Marketing & Communications, Western Kentucky University
Competencies: Strategic Thinking
Topics: BrandingSocial Media
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Benchmarking and Research in Gift Naming Valuation and More
This session will share leading research on the best practices of essential functions and policies for the administration of naming opportunities. Through an exploration of the research and focused conversation on emerging trends at higher education and academic medical institutions (e.g., term limits, naming valuation, revocation) participants will walk away with knowledge of leading industry practices and an actionable framework to implement the research findings at their institutions.
Speakers: Tracie Burruel, Executive Director, Donor Experience, University of Miami, Kurt McKinley, Senior Vice President, CCS Fundraising, Kris Kuhns, Vice President, CCS Fundraising
Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise
Topics: Major giftsPlanned giving
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Creating a Strategic Plan to Unlock Synergy and Build a Front Porch for Partners
Get ready to transform your institution by using organizational integration to create a welcoming 'front porch' to college partners, alumni, and the community. Discover the advantages of merging College Advancement, Strategic Communications and Marketing, and Workforce and Economic Development Departments into a single division. Unlock synergies, streamline processes, and maximize outcomes through integration. Explore implementation strategies, benefits, and the transformative power of this merger. Join us as we open the doors to reveal a new level of partnership and excellence.
Speakers: Tisha Poteat, Chief Advancement Officer and Executive Director for YTC Foundation, York Technical College, William Cook, Interim Vice President of Communications and External Relations, York Technical College, John Cioni, Advancement Services and Operations Manager, York Technical College
Competencies: Strategic Thinking
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Develop Carolina: How To Build The Next Generation of Development Professionals From Within
- University of South Carolina’s Develop Carolina Program is a groundbreaking initiative that ushers in a new era of university development through the recruitment and training of recent graduates who are looking for a rewarding job opportunity at the school they love. Develop Carolina breaks down silos, builds community, and prepares our future development leaders to make an impact on our university, community, state, and beyond. During this session, you will learn about the framework of our program, hear testimonials from our inaugural class of cohort members, and walk away with a demonstrated understanding of how to enact a similar program at your institution in order to make a profound and lasting impact.
Speakers: Michelle Dodenhoff, Vice President for Development, University of South Carolina, Will Elliott, Senior Associate Vice President, University of South Carolina, Karen Roberts, Associate Vice President for Development Operations and Services, University of South Carolina
Competencies: Leadership
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Engaging Alumni Through Mentorship
Join staff from the Berry College Alumni Office in a dynamic presentation diving into the programs taking place to further engage their alumni community through mentorship. At Berry College, there is an established culture of mentorship that creates a lasting value for students; through multiple mentorship initiatives, the Berry College Alumni Office is continuing that culture through alumni life stages. By building collaborative campus partnerships and impactful key programs such as the Berry Alumni Mentor Program and the Alumni Admissions Ambassadors, they are successfully deepening alumni-to-alumni and alumni-to-college relationships and are excited to share with you how your institution can do the same!
Speakers: Cecily Crow, Director of Alumni Relations, Berry College
Competencies: Relationship Building
Topics: Special Events
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Health & Well-being for Fundraisers
Our health and wellness are critical to our success as fundraisers and our resilience as humans. Join this session to learn how you can take an active role in assessing your well-being and develop strategies to change your behavior within an area of wellness that is most meaningful for you. Together, we will dive into the challenges of meeting our wellness goals and the impacts of stress and burnout in our lives. We will brainstorm ways to mitigate challenges and what areas of concern are particularly pertinent for fundraisers. Cultivating a mindful awareness of our well-being can enhance our agency, mood, and relationships. Take the next step towards a healthier you!
Speakers: Nicole Thomas, Director of Development for Student Affairs, University of Virginia
Topics: Talent Management
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
How Technology is Taking the Donor-Student Scholarship Experience to the Next Level
How do you create a lasting stewardship experience that effectively recognizes each donor’s impact and makes the scholarship more meaningful to the recipient? The Foundation for Seminole State has developed a unique technological approach to donor stewardship which has resulted in greater donor satisfaction, higher levels of recipient involvement, and increased giving. This session will demonstrate how the Foundation’s On-Line Scholarship Catalog has transformed the donor-student experience which has led to significant growth in the number of endowed scholarships and higher donor gift amounts.
Speakers: Elisa Rohr, Manager, Scholarships, Seminole State College of Florida, John Gyllin, VP, Resource & Economic Development; Foundation Executive Director, Seminole State College, Laura Schumacher, Director of Development, Seminole State College of Florida
Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise
Topics: Branding
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
Inclusive Philanthropy Case Statement: A Roadmap for Donors Committed to Advancing Racial Equity and Social Justice
This session will explore the challenging political climate related to DEI and the role of Inclusive Philanthropy, which includes overcoming barriers related to one dimensional data and Institutionalized biases. Tools will be provided to assist with strategic data gathering, asset mapping and cross collaboration across the Institution. Steps will be shared to assist attendees in drafting a formal case statement outline to use as a roadmap for donors committed to advancing racial equity and social justice.
Speakers: Maia McGill, Senior Executive Director, Florida International University Foundation
Topics: BrandingDiversity & Inclusion
Elective Session
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM ET
The Alumni Voice: Opportunities to tailor communications and engagement strategies for deeper connections
Communication expectations continue to shift among our graduates – meeting those expectations can lead to higher engagement. In this session, we'll share results of our national survey of over 2,000 alumni on areas of interest, expectations, and opportunities to build engagement and support. The team at East Carolina University will then share examples of how they connect with alumni through programming, communications, and more to further deepen their relationship with ECU. Participants will leave this session with concrete ideas to inform communication strategies and next steps to broaden and deepen overall alumni engagement.
Speakers: Mirko Widenhorn, Senior Director of Engagement Strategy, Anthology, Kelley Brown, Director for Marketing and Digital Engagement, East Carolina University
Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
Advancement Staff and Volunteer Partnerships: A Shared Vision to ID Donors; Build Relationships; and Secure Major Gifts
Is your Advancement department overstaffed with talented fundraisers and relationship builders? Waiting for the punchline? We all need additional team members that are qualified, passionate, and empowered to expand our culture of philanthropy and achieve fundraising goals. Identifying, training, and empowering the right Advancement volunteers can take your campaign over the top plus surpass your expectations in donor stewardship. Join us for an action-packed session as we dive-in to relationship building and securing major gifts through accountable, meaningful partnerships between staff and volunteers. We are excited to learn from you as much as you learn from us. We'll see you in Orlando!
Speakers: Rahul Sharma, Major Gift Officer, The Bolles School, Carol Nimitz, Chief Advancement Officer, The Bolles School
Competencies: Relationship Building
Topics: Major gifts
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
AI, oh my! Developing your literacy to supercharge results.
Get ready to embrace the AI revolution in a wild and exciting journey! In this session, we'll show you how to unleash the power of AI to skyrocket your results and pack 25 hours into the day (well, almost!) Bid farewell to outdated "best practices" and say hello to cutting-edge strategies that'll charm even the pickiest donors. We'll reveal tips for crafting the perfect engagement recipe using AI-driven insights and equip you with the necessary literacy to harness the potential of AI and other cutting-edge digital tools effectively.
Attendees will discover strategies for leveraging AI-driven insights to optimize engagement, craft the perfect message, and ultimately bolster fundraising outcomes. We will explore real-world examples and success stories, highlighting how people have navigated the digital transformation journey with remarkable results. By mastering the art of using the right tools at the right time in the right way, participants will gain a competitive edge and pave the way for supercharged fundraising success in this dynamic era.
Attendees will discover strategies for leveraging AI-driven insights to optimize engagement, craft the perfect message, and ultimately bolster fundraising outcomes. We will explore real-world examples and success stories, highlighting how people have navigated the digital transformation journey with remarkable results. By mastering the art of using the right tools at the right time in the right way, participants will gain a competitive edge and pave the way for supercharged fundraising success in this dynamic era.
Speakers: Heather Kopec, Executive Director, Digital Transformation, University of Miami
Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
Building successful dedicated leadership annual giving programs
Three years ago, UNC Charlotte set out to transform leadership giving outreach. Today, they are working to identify, qualify, cultivate, solicit, and steward leadership prospects at a scale that was previously impossible. In this session, Charlotte staff will talk about building the program, the challenges they had along the way, how they ultimately found success at scale, and engage participants in a lively discussion that will prepare them for building or refining their own Leadership Annual Giving Programs.
Speakers: Nicholas Herman, Vice President & Consultant, Ruffalo Noel Levitz, Sharon Horinka, Associate Director of Annual Giving and Donor Experience, UNC Charlotte, Nicholas Hunt, Donor Experience Officer, UNC Charlotte, Kathleen Howley, Director of Client Success, Ruffalo Noel Levitz
Competencies: Strategic Thinking
Topics: Annual GivingMajor gifts
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
Finding the Next Generation of Transformational Donors - How Development and Prospect Research Colleagues are Collaborating on NC State's Principal Gift Discovery Program
Principal gifts make a transformational impact on our institutions, but also our campaigns, which rely on fewer, but substantially larger gifts to bolster our success. It can take decades of strategic cultivation (and good fortune) to secure these gifts. Yet, there are challenges to ensure we are both maximizing the potential of today's principal donors, while also identifying the next generation.
Following its successful $2bn campaign, NC State launched a principal discovery pilot to address this challenge. We will share more about this partnership between the principal gifts, central major gifts and prospect research offices and how we have developed a robust framework to identify and qualify new prospects with the capability of making transformational gifts. We will discuss our initial results, successes, lessons learned and how we are using our frontline and prospect research expertise to grow NC State’s pipeline of future, principal gift donors.
Following its successful $2bn campaign, NC State launched a principal discovery pilot to address this challenge. We will share more about this partnership between the principal gifts, central major gifts and prospect research offices and how we have developed a robust framework to identify and qualify new prospects with the capability of making transformational gifts. We will discuss our initial results, successes, lessons learned and how we are using our frontline and prospect research expertise to grow NC State’s pipeline of future, principal gift donors.
Speakers: Jamie Couey, Assistant Director, Principal Gifts Research, North Carolina State University, Lauren Welch, Senior Director of Philanthropy, North Carolina State University, Alan Taylor, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Principal Gifts, North Carolina State University
Competencies: Relationship Building
Topics: Major gifts
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
Great Alumni Aren't Born, They're Made: Meaningfully Engaging Students and Young Alumni
Join the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Student and Young Alumni Programs team for a comprehensive conversation discussing student-alumni life cycle programming, recent graduate and young alumni initiatives, and collaborative strategies employed to link students with the UT Knoxville Office of Alumni Relations and the UT Alumni Network. Your active participation is key – share both successful endeavors and challenges from your own campus, enabling fellow attendees, and yourself, to depart with a diverse range of ideas and proven best practices ready for consideration and implementation at our respective institutions.
Speakers: Sam Jackson, Associate Director of Student & Young Alumni Programs, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Gina Martin, Senior Director of Student & Young Alumni Programs, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Competencies: Relationship Building
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
How Gift Processing & IT Teams can Partner to Create Custom Gift Reports
How an internal partnership between gift processing team and IT utilized all parts of the gift to enhance reporting through custom reports solving various complex situations. This presentation will walk us through the process of needs assessment, problem solving, testing and implementation. It will showcase specific examples and how to use out-of-the-box gift components in a custom way.
Speakers: Sauntel Richardson, Assistant Director, Gift Services, University of Central Florida Foundation, Inc., Wilfred Bailey, Business Analyst, University of Central Florida
Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
Learning from the Mouse: Adapting Disney-Inspired Secrets to Transform Advancement and Alumni Engagement Events
It’s no surprise that special event professionals as well as academic fundraisers, marketers, and constituent engagement officers are drawn to vacations at places like the Walt Disney World Resort. Around every turn is a spark of creative inspiration and a chance to observe world-class guest relations, Imagineering, and storytelling mastery. The author of the award-winning book "Five Days with the Mouse to be a Better Event Planner" will lead you on a journey through Disney-inspired secrets and how they can be applied to advancement and alumni engagement events at all levels and budgets. From subtle storytelling tips, to full guest immersion techniques and guest expectation management, we’ll look at academic events from an exciting new perspective. While helpful for event planners, this conversation is also for program owners, communicators, and anyone interested in ways to strengthen experiential constituent engagement. This presentation is not associated with the Walt Disney Company.
Speakers: Michael Kloss, Assistant Vice President for Emory Events, Emory University
Competencies: Industry or Sector Expertise
Topics: Special Events
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
Measuring Alumni Engagement
Come hear and see how the University of South Carolina built a business process and visual dashboard using the CASE Global Alumni Engagement Metrics Survey as a catalyst and guide to introduce CASE standards and definitions for consistent analysis by University, Campus and/or Unit. Pop-ups and links to drive home the verbiage and definitions used by CASE and USC. Warning, we will be diving into the details!
Speakers: Derek Clark, Assistant Vice President of Advancement Services, University of South Carolina, Rob Gibbons, Senior Director of Analytics & Client Solutions, University of South Carolina, Rachel Bruce, Development Business Analyst, University of South Carolina
Competencies: Strategic Thinking
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
So You Want Me To Lead AND Make it Rain???
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.
Speakers: Reshunda Mahone, Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, North Carolina State University
Competencies: Integrity and Professionalism
Topics: Annual GivingMajor gifts
Elective Session
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM ET
Synergy Unleashed: Maximizing Impact through Integrated Marketing Campaigns
Discover the transformative potential of combining donor, admissions, and brand campaigns into one cohesive strategy. Learn how to amplify your organization's message, build stronger connections with supporters, and maximize fundraising efforts. Join us as we delve into practical techniques, success stories, and essential insights to take your campaigns to new heights. Get ready to supercharge your mission through the art of seamless integration!
Speakers: Holly Hill, Senior Director of Marketing, Communications, & Brand Strategy, Flagler College, Carol Branson, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, Flagler College
Competencies: Strategic Thinking
Topics: Branding
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