The WSU Foundation embarked upon an analysis of positions descriptions and metrics for our frontline fundraisers. Hear about the process for structure and implementation across the WSU system with an equity lens. Our focus was on creating a professional development path for frontline fundraisers to standardize position descriptions, titles, metrics, funding structure/budget, and salary bands for entry-level through senior-level fundraisers.

Navigating the complexities of scholarship fundraising around diversity, equity & inclusion, and protected classes, is critical to long-term fundraising success in many CASE District VIII institutions—and easier said than done. Oregon State University Foundation’s Scholarship Task Force, working with colleagues across the Foundation and University over the course of three years, developed and implemented guidelines for working with donors to inspire scholarship gifts that stand the test of time. Their case study illustrates the benefits of consistent guidelines for donor conversations, partnering with campus leaders, and specific language in gift agreements. OSUF colleagues will share how this process changed the culture of fundraising as OSU. They’ll address the challenges they faced along the way and the professional satisfaction they gained through this project. Their goal is to help other CASE District VIII institutions maximize the impact of scholarship funding on student success through integrity and transparency with donors.

As the OSU Foundation prepared for the launch of the public phase of our campaign, we saw an opportunity to ensure that we were building a robust pipeline of potential board volunteers that reflected our community, promoted diversity, and targeted the skills necessary to be successful in our campaign. To achieve these goals the presenters worked with senior leadership to develop a volunteer profile to model what a strong pipeline would look like. This profile was then used to review the current board member skills and demographic attributes to better understand areas of opportunity and growth. Once new volunteer candidates were identified, we worked with our analytical team to develop a pipeline Tableau dashboard with information regarding candidate education, skills, location, and engagement to better see the pipeline in its entirety. We also created a dashboard that provided current board members a view of how the demographic makeup of the executive committee would change as candidates from the pipeline are added. During our presentation, we will discuss our process for creating our pipeline of candidates with diverse skills and backgrounds and how we have been working with the current board to bring diversity to the executive committee and subcommittees.

Culture can be an afterthought in advancement. We hire mission-driven, self-motivated staff for autonomous, competitive jobs and expect them to buy into our existing culture. Yet, in a post-pandemic workforce, culture matters more than ever. To attract, grow and retain top performers, we must build and rebuild a powerful, sticky culture. In this session, you'll learn how and why to foster trust, belonging and celebration to create a magnetic culture where top performers want to stay.

The way we approach DEI in Advancement is changing. We’re moving beyond education and training. Many of us are getting past the “why” and moving toward the “how” phase of our DEI journeys; we’re starting to form best practices and share results. As we seek more equitable ways to operate, engage with stakeholders, and communicate, we’re stepping closer to truly living our values. At the University of Washington, we’ve taken action, working towards our values of equity and belonging in meaningful ways. At the University of Washington Advancement, we have been calculated in establishing meaningful cross-team, cross-unit committees and groups dedicated to culture, practice, and policy change. Our committee structure is unique, and we can share how this work shapes our organization. We have also developed our DEI strategic plan and lead with a set of DEI values, all created in partnership with one of our committees. Our session will focus on how our leadership invested in DEI in UA and how we’ve moved from “why” with our vision and values, to planning and action.

In response to current events, WSU Advancement colleagues came together in May 2020 to discuss how to bring diversity, equity, inclusion, and access to the forefront of our work in Advancement. Two years later, the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access and Belonging (DEIAB) Leadership Council is formally established with a charter, 8 leadership positions and 2 standing committees, reporting directly to the CEO of the WSU Foundation and VP for Advancement. Join us as we share our journey to create a DEIAB Leadership Council and how to take our lessons learned and apply them to your organization. This session will include a guide for how to center DEIAB as values in your organization. We will discuss frameworks and organizational structures that reflect those values, and will enable you to work collaboratively with leadership and engage with everyone in your organization to make change and sustain educational growth. Participants will learn how WSU Advancement came to their current structure for DEI and discuss strategies and potential formats for imbedding DEIAB at their home campus/organization.

Managing teams in remote and hybrid work requires even more acumen and understanding of key concepts in team management. The concepts and tactics described in this presentation will help team leaders – and team members – understand how they can contribute to building a powerful, aligned team where each person feels they are seen and heard, and understands how their contribution is important to the whole. At the conclusion of the presentation, attendees will have tactics that will help them: • Create a safe environment for all team members to express their opinions and ideas • Unpack and lessen personal differences and misunderstandings that arise • Understand the critical roles of each team member • Embrace the power of co-creation • Generate alignment on purpose and vision The session will also discuss communication tactics that help managers and team members operating in a remote enviroment.