During the COVID pandemic, a group of alumni created a nostalgic environment via Facebook to stay connected to their alma mater. Excitement was apparent, and the CMU Alumni Engagement team worked with a dedicated group of volunteers to produce a fun-filled reunion weekend. We listened to their hopes and dreams, and partnered with the campus and Mt. Pleasant community to implement the three-day long event, all while empowering our volunteers to lead. Our commitment to this dedicated group of volunteers has ultimately led to increased alumni engagement via first-time attendees, donors, and contributed to overall economic growth during a “slow” weekend in Mt. Pleasant. The biggest hit of the weekend was the chance to truly relive their time at CMU and move BACK into the residence halls on campus. This was so successful that our Residence Life department has since opened up a recently retired hall to alumni for special events and occasions to accommodate steadily increasing demand. This new tradition continues to evolve as new ideas for alumni programming converge with growing interest from campus partners.

Are you questioning the future of phonathon, rethinking the role of alumni participation rates, moving away from membership models, assessing campaign readiness, or "simply" realizing that you have data gaps in your donor pipeline? Evolve your annual giving and alumni engagement operation and build capacity through technology by launching constituent portfolios to strategically target and scale personalized outreach and outcomes. Using Gravyty’s Raise platform, learn how the University of Northern Colorado deepened its pipeline of donors and volunteers to achieve current and future campaign goals.

Learn how a team of volunteers, guided by major gift officers, leveraged a matching gift opportunity to successfully raise significant funds for a longstanding scholarship program. You will hear directly from two of the volunteers who were engaged in this effort, and learn about the specific strategies you could employ to see similar success.

Reunion celebrations are the culmination of a year's worth of event planning, volunteer engagement, fundraising, and outreach. So why not start the festivities sooner? Join the University of Chicago team to gain insight into additional opportunities for reunion programming and team collaboration to build momentum for Reunion Weekend and class giving. This session will discuss spreading the magic of reunion milestones throughout the year with pre-reunion engagement, collaborating with signature events, and empowering your volunteers to connect the importance of philanthropy with their class milestone to make reunion a success.

This session goes behind the scenes to see how one institution created an alumni recognition program that goes far beyond just recognition and created an intentional pathway for alumni involvement, strategic engagement and philanthropic support. Participants will hear from Advancement staff as well as a recent alumni honoree and a Dean to learn how the positive results of cross campus collaboration pay big dividends down the road.

In May 2019, the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference involuntarily removed the University of St. Thomas from the conference, citing "lack of competitive parity" based on St. Thomas' athletic success. This created a need to find a new athletics home. The St. Thomas Board of Trustees made the bold decision to seek unprecedented reclassification directly to D-I, and in July of 2020, St. Thomas received long-awaited news from the NCAA that it had been approved. This move made St. Thomas Minnesota’s first private D-I collegiate athletics program as well as the first university approved to transition directly to D-I from D-III in the modern history of the NCAA.

The transition has required significant fundraising and advancement support to fuel its success. In this session you’ll hear about the key strategies employed to raise historic philanthropy – more than $130M to date on a goal of more than $250M. In addition, you’ll hear about how the university has made the case to donors in the context of the university’s larger trajectory.

How do you measure programmatic success? How do you communicate that success with your supervisor, boards, and colleagues? And then how do you use those measurements to make strategic decisions? We will review KPIs for various areas of engagement, including events, volunteer management, board participation, and more, and identify ways you can leverage these metrics to improve the strategic direction of your programmatic mix.

How do you turn virtual tools created during and after the pandemic into meaningful ongoing in-person and virtual programmatic efforts? Learn more about how the Northwestern Alumni Association's Small Business Directory and Alumni Authors CATalogue went from online directories into multifaceted engagement opportunities. We will share information on the development and creation of these tools as well as their continuous impact on programming and engagement. Additionally, attendees will learn how these projects further the organization's mission to broaden outreach to previously unengaged alumni as well as support the advancement of institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion values.

In a post-#girlboss era, how can alumni relations teams create authentic connection and community for women alumni leaders and increase their likelihood to make a gift? Join staff from UChicago Alumni as we share our successes in breaking down silos between alumni relations and gift officers to launch our first Women’s Leadership Initiative, giving space for alumnae leaders to tell their stories, celebrate their achievements, and mentor young alumnae, all while deepening their connection and engagement with the University. Participants will gain actionable insights on how alumni relations frontliners can be effective and valued partners for gift officers in cultivating their prospects and fostering increased affinity for the institution.