In this lightning-fast session, we'll condense 25 years of on-staff and client print magazine and higher ed communications experience into 60 ideas that you can use TODAY to make your print publications more read, more loved, and more valuable. We'll discuss how to develop coffee table–worthy publications, we'll share what the research says about the four most valuable pages of your publication, and we'll offer key “engagement engineering” techniques to make your storytelling feedback-friendly. We'll also discuss ways to collaborate effectively with partners across campus to increase the impact of your print publications. Participants will come away with concrete ideas that they can implement immediately and make a real difference for their publications and communications.

How the University of North Dakota and the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation created alignment between brands and messaging, strengthening overall brand messaging for the success of the University and Foundation's Campaign. It's all about communication, leadership support, and working smarter together. We'll tell you how we did it.

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.

When was the last time a supervisor, colleague, or client asked for something that sent you down a big, complicated rabbit hole? 10 minutes ago? 5 minutes ago? We can spend ridiculous amounts of time researching, understanding, drafting, revising -- and wondering what we're missing. Artificial Intelligence can help take the pressure off by taking on some of your most mind-numbing tasks. Need a content strategy? ChatGPT can whip one up in seconds. Need to optimize a web page for search? Bard can crunch your Google Analytics and Search Console data and give you meaningful suggestions. Need to edit an image? Tools like Adobe Firefly make it easy. Find out how AI can be used to debug code, create reports, write proposals, generate web copy and so much more.

The alumni and donor lifecycles show how to engage populations at various stages to create institutional affinity, support and giving. An essential preliminary step is to bridge the gap from student to engaged alum. In this session, we'll share our results-driven "Alumni 101" strategy and multichannel marcomms tactics for capturing new graduates while they're still listening.

The higher education landscape has continued to change in recent years, including the need for bold messaging everywhere that our audiences are. Screen usage has increased dramatically over the past decade, with all demographics reading information online, engaging with social media networks, streaming shows, video conferencing, and even attending classes virtually more and more.

Needless to say, Luther has chosen to prioritize sharing our story and brand more loudly and intentionally. After the completion of market research, brand research, campaign concept development, attaining internal buy-in, and external market tests, Luther has implemented a bolder look and feel across multiple channels reaching many different audiences.

Luther College’s new website was launched in August 2022 with this new campaign, after just over a year of dedicated work with mStoner, a Carnegie Company. Our focus in this session will be a review of this process: our new brand strategy, approach to information architecture, and the conceptualization of a new governance policy. Now with two website awards and high marks in user experience, we will share what we have learned, what we would have done differently, and what we’re still tackling as we continue to build on this new foundation for Luther’s marketing and communication efforts.

Are you growing tired of the same Giving Day messaging year after year? In an industry where the stakes are constantly evolving, it is important to keep your marketing and communications strategy fresh and innovative. In this interactive session, Wayne State University will share specific examples of how we reinvigorated our branding, messaging and visibility after many standard iterations. Bring questions and suggestions from your institution, and we'll have a lively discussion about how to lead with creativity for maximum results.

There’s no shortage of projects, priorities, and stories to share. How do you make the most of your limited resources and focus on what matters most to your institution? In this presentation, Mike Barzacchini will share a planning process and tools to help organize your marketing, communication, and other advancement efforts to move your institution’s strategic priorities forward. The session will also include tools to help you share your story with internal stakeholders to gain buy-in and support.