The expansion of a team typically signals success, pointing to an innovative group in need of additional resources to further pursue and amplify their objectives. Growth on a team is exciting and also has its challenges, especially in the field of relationship management. In this session, we will offer insights on how a team can survive and thrive through changes and growth, while maintaining and enhancing strong internal and external relationships and partnerships. How do we transfer consistent relationships when we are still part of the team but in a different role or region? How do we encourage our new teammates to take the lead on a project or relationship that we formerly led? When do we decide the transition period is over? These questions, though easily answered during a team exit, appear more challenging as a team grows and relationships and partnerships evolve. We invite you to participate in this thought-provoking session on harnessing change and growth to augment your team's success and innovation quotient amid the fluidity of the higher education landscape!

In today’s Higher Education Advancement world, there are challenges everywhere. Sometimes the challenges are easy to see and navigate and sometimes they blindside you and leave your world upside down. Christy Cates and Keely Ashman will talk about the CASE Zero Tolerance Policy, talk about situations that can arise in advancement that can put you in uncomfortable or dangerous situations and how to best navigate them. Sexual harassment, sexual assault, reporting options and mental health will be top priority in this session and will hopefully help give the audience some tools and tips to help arm them as they work in their advancement world.

Join us for an enlightening discussion where you'll gain valuable strategies and ideas on a range of key topics:

1) Piloting Career Development Teams: Discover innovative approaches to pilot career development teams at both Development Associate and Assistant Director levels.

2) Building an Inclusive Team: Learn how to source, recruit, and hire a diverse and inclusive team that brings fresh perspectives to the table.

3) Retention Strategies: Explore effective methods for retaining talent by providing hands-on training and immersive experiences that keep your team motivated and engaged.

4) Career Growth Conversations: Gain the skills to confidently navigate discussions about career growth within your institution, fostering an environment of professional development.

Half of alumni say their college didn’t prepare them for their career. Institutions struggle to provide career support to alumni at scale, because we’re naturally focused on supporting graduating students. Are we really there for alumni, long after graduation, as they navigate their careers? Are we making a promise that we don’t deliver on? Providing lifetime career support not only meets our mission, research shows that it can almost triple the giving rate for alumni who take advantage of it. Learn how the University of Nebraska embraced this lifetime education mission, and key steps you can take to start providing alumni the support they crave quickly and within your resources. Plus, learn key metrics and hundreds of alumni who used the services their alma mater offered to advance their careers.

Are you challenged with a daunting project and don't know where to begin? Have you put your ideas on a shelf where they have collected dust for 10+ years? Are you looking for ways to transform the work that you do? This session will present a case study of how the University of Nebraska Foundation reimagined its entire funds management process, moving from piles of paper to fully digital and automated fund creation and management. If you want to transform your work by tackling messy and complicated projects, this session can help generate ideas on how to do that.

Overview
University fundraising campaigns often heavily rely on the generous contributions of prominent leaders and high-net-worth individuals. These major donors can significantly impact the campaign's success by providing substantial financial support. However, it's crucial to recognize that the dedicated advancement staff working behind the scenes are equally vital to achieving fundraising goals. In this session, we will explore strategies universities can implement to ensure that their advancement staff remains engaged and motivated during leadership-driven fundraising campaigns.

These strategies will include:
1. Internal Strategic Communication
2. Goal Alignment
3. Involvement in High-Profile Campaign Components
4. Celebrating Milestone Achievement

Ethical fundraising is everyone's business - the fundraiser's, the administration's, the board of director's and the staff's. This session will explore the importance of ethical fundraising and what it means to be an ethical professional. This interactive session will also include an opportunity to discuss “ripped from the headlines” ethical dilemmas.

Do you ever resonate with that meme of the dog sipping coffee amidst chaos, calmly stating, "this is fine"? In our professional spheres where events, initiatives, leadership support, higher education, and fundraising converge, it's not uncommon to feel engulfed in flames, unsure where to begin extinguishing the fires. In the next 60 minutes, we'll delve into this common sentiment, validating its occurrence even among the most seasoned professionals. What may seem like an insurmountable dumpster fire actually presents invaluable opportunities for skill development. Through prioritization, delegation, productivity enhancement, time management, and mindfulness, we can transform crises into catalysts for growth. In navigating crises, we discover not only our resilience but also our capacity for growth. By embracing challenges as learning opportunities and proactively fireproofing our futures, we empower ourselves to thrive amidst chaos. Together, let's harness the flames of adversity to illuminate our path forward.

The Enrollment Cliff. Rising costs. Soaring student debt. High-paying jobs that don’t require a degree. Political inference. Declining public trust and value perception. It’s easy to list the many challenges facing higher education, but what role do we as advancement professionals play in overcoming them? Join us to hear about and share examples of how advancement teams have leveraged their alumni, donors, communication platforms, and philanthropic resources to help their institutions meet today’s challenges head-on.

This session will provide Advancement staff with strategies to build more equitable engagement pathways, empower diverse constituencies and drive mission impact. We will discuss: why equity and inclusion are critical to Advancement's mission and community impact, challenges and barriers facing marginalized groups, strategies for driving change to foster inclusive participation, and frameworks and language to advocate for equity-focused engagement in a compelling way.