A successful annual giving program thrives in a collaborative environment. Departmental silos limit donor participation and dollars raised on an annual basis. Scripps College changed the paradigm of philanthropy at Scripps by creating an interdepartmental committee, The Scripps Fund Committee. Learn how stakeholders were chosen, the role committee members play in the annual giving process, and simple ways to maximize your annual fund’s effectiveness and reduce your cost to raise a dollar.

For most of us, the road to fundraising was accidental. We arrive from completely different careers and wildly unique backgrounds. The path to leadership is just as diverse and, honestly, a little mysterious. Join this panel of Vice Presidents to pull back the curtain on what the top job really takes. If you’re a new leader, get advice on how to think big, focus on your biggest value, and inspire a culture-shift not a culture shock. If you’re an aspiring leader, learn what skills, experiences, and opportunities to seek out that will prepare you for your next step.

In August 2022, CSUSB invested in its advancement team by creating a position dedicated to professional and leadership development. Since then, we have hired 20 new team members, promoted 5 of our staff, created an Advancement Academy, developed a professional development program, and administered an engagement survey. We have created magic with the help of our friends in strategic communication, academic affairs, and human resources, and we agree with Walt – it’s kinda fun to do the impossible! Help us spread the magic as we share our recruitment and engagement strategies, our mistakes, and our successes over the last year.

The University of Oregon is committed to developing innovative programs that promote inclusivity, leveraging partnerships with community stakeholders, engaging alumni and major gift prospects, and supporting student career readiness. The team responsible for engaging new prospects in the state of Oregon developed a way to meet these needs through an innovative event built off mutually beneficial outcomes and relationships with community leaders. In 2023, the Oregon Engagement Team created a new event that brought together efforts of the UO's Lylle Reynolds-Parker Black Cultural Center, the Black Business Association of Oregon, the UO Alumni Association Black Alumni Network, and the Portland Trail Blazers to engage students, build community, identify and cultivate major gift prospects, address workforce development for our region, and connect students with business leaders. The event was such a success, planning began for a similar event in 2024 that evolved into a networking experience for BIPOC Alumni Network Board leaders, University of Oregon Portland students, and notable Oregon BIPOC business chambers and associations. These strategic engagement events have accelerated the UO’s ability to support students from underrepresented communities, build partnerships with key members of the community, and strengthen relationships with alumni.

Disneyland is known as The Happiest Place on Earth. Shouldn’t our respective schools at least be The Second Happiest Place on Earth? A major role of Advancement staff is that of hospitality. In this session, we will draw from the Disneyland guest experience and relate it to the constituent experience at our educational institutions. How can we help ensure that our school brand is as positive and reassuring as that of the Disney brand?

Starting a new position is intimidating for us all, at any stage of our careers. A solid plan for your first 90 days in a new role makes all the difference in the world. In this session, presenter Ellen Whitlock Baker will walk participants through a tangible plan for how to approach the first three months of a new job with confidence. Topics covered will be who to meet with, what questions to ask, how to write and present your 90-day plan, and how to assess your first 90 days.

This session is appropriate for Advancement team members at any level, as well as for HR/People and Culture team members responsible for onboarding new team members.

This emerging and contemporary higher education philanthropy session is based on Dr. Peter Robertson’s doctoral dissertation consisting of an AERA award-winning qualitative research case study that explored the motivations by allies of the LGBTQ+ community for giving toward LGBTQ+ university causes. Findings revealed heterosexual and cisgender LGBTQ+ allyship affiliations, as well as their motivations for financially supporting LGBTQ+ campus programs and student initiatives. Both topics have not been academically explored, and the findings generated important recommendations for higher education advancement leaders. Today, higher education institutions must strive to connect and engage with its alumnx and all constituents in authentic, honest, and sincere ways, which can increase the likelihood and propensity of private support from this previously overlooked demographic: heterosexual and cisgender LGBTQ+ allies.

Don’t let a milestone anniversary slip by with a simple slice of cake or balloon emoji on Instagram. Take the time to plan out a comprehensive marketing and communication strategy that is intentional and multi-faceted to really leverage the momentum of the big occasion. Share your company’s origin story and lean into all the triumphs and achievements throughout the years. Tap into nostalgia. Nostalgia strengths people’s emotional connection with your company and deepens their loyalty and brand affinity. Your audience will be delighted with special edition product releases and/or retro branding. Infuse all these elements into social media, advertising, PR efforts, design, web content and more. Historical dates and photos can be throwback posts on social media. Create a special commemorative logo that can visually brand the anniversary. Highlight the founders of the past while also celebrating current employees in videos and blog content. Now is the best time to control the narrative, tell your brand’s story by highlighting the past and outlining the vibrant future yet to come.

Step into the future and discover how the latest AI-powered advancements can elevate the impact of all your communications, from marketing videos to social media and email campaigns. “Lights, Camera, AI” is packed with practical advice from Stanford senior creative producer Steve Fyffe and University of Oregon senior director of strategic engagement Michelle Joyce that will save you time, money and countless hours of experimentation. It’s designed for anyone who wants to take advantage of AI to work faster and smarter.

Steve will guide attendees through the process of creating captivating and inclusive videos with global reach through AI-powered brainstorming, voiceovers and translation. Michelle will show you how to train your own, customized GPT models, integrate plug-ins, conduct in-depth research and streamline your email management.

Don't miss this opportunity to harness the power of AI and take your university’s storytelling, marketing and communications to new heights.

Ghostwriting, or writing for someone else, can be a frightful journey. In this session, learn top tips for taking a message (e.g. speech or letter) you’re writing for a dean, board chair, or other campus leader from request to delivery. How do you start? Where can you find information and inspiration? How do you capture someone else’s voice — even when you rarely interact with them? What processes can help create structure and momentum in successfully completing the project? We will also meet a few demons that can stand in our way — Imposter syndrome? Eek! Mean responses? No! — and share ways to slay them. To cap off the session, we will brainstorm ideas for messaging a few different scenarios.