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.

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.

As one of the first institutions to uncover a University’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, Brown University has been at the forefront of addressing systemic oppression. More recently, the Brown Advancement team instituted an Anti-Racism program for the whole division; a first of its kind. This session will utilize the lessons learned from the co-creators of the program as a case study to explore capacity building, holding an anti-racist lens, and activating that lens in daily advancement work to create an inclusive community.

This moderated conversation will dive into the crucial topic of nurturing diversity within the field of advancement. Attendees will gain insights into effective strategies for recruiting, retaining, including, and promoting talent from diverse backgrounds in advancement roles. We will share our own experience and practical tips to help organizations create inclusive and equitable environments, fostering the growth of talent from diverse backgrounds through early, mid, and senior leadership. Join us and participate in an engaging discussion that promises to drive positive change in your institution advancement staff.

Following on their well-received session from the 2023 CASE VIII conference (Old Skool vs. New and Cool: The Changing Look of Campaigns), Tamara and Lisa will lead a countdown of 10 tactics to set up for campaign success. They will highlight important areas of focus in campaign planning, sharing creative examples of successful work, lessons learned, and what to avoid. Set your institution up for campaign success by planning ahead, learning from peers, and making connections, and gathering creative ideas.

The co-presenters will share their professional, real-world experiences with the challenges of workplace change while drawing upon academic research and advice from Disney's live-action and animated canons. Participants will learn skills and tactics to positively approach change and workplace challenges with grace and grit. Have you ever wanted to receive personalized advice from Walt Disney, Mary Poppins, Jiminy Cricket, or your own fairy godmother? Now is your chance!

Stanford’s Office of Development (OOD) recently hosted its first in-person, multi-day staff retreat to build and nurture our team culture post-pandemic. OOD Connects brought together hybrid and remote colleagues from coast to coast, many of whom had never met face-to-face or been to campus, for three days of festivities focused on strengthening our sense of community, learning together, boosting collaboration, and connecting with the university’s mission. Planned by peers for peers, attendees listened to keynote speakers, participated in breakout sessions, took campus tours, gathered in communities of practice and with teams, and bonded during social activities including a petting zoo and staff recognition awards. Learn about our pitch and planning process, staff outreach, successes, challenges, and outcomes while also gathering ideas to support belonging and connection across your organization. You might even see an alpaca photo or two!

We all know that being aligned around a common goal and working in unison is how you achieve success but what does it look like in a complex university environment undergoing a campaign? In this session, we will explore how the University of San Diego structured its advancement staffing, aligned each department within Advancement around campaign goals and processes, built custom strategies for specific schools and projects within the comprehensive campaign, established a campaign budget, and more. Lessons learned and pitfalls to avoid will also be shared.

Are you curious about emerging leadership trends? Do you want to create a thriving team culture? During this session we will explore key leadership trends and share how they can be leveraged to create an inclusive and prosperous team environment. We will engage in conversations about proactively navigating our ever-changing work landscape. The panelists will share their diverse experience creating a thriving culture that fosters professional growth. This session is designed for the informal and formal leader who wants to be an intentional and effective player-coach.