The Washington State University Alumni Association works with multiple partners across the university system to produce a series of exclusive winemaker dinners each fall, called The Feast. These exclusive dinners feature a different Wine-By-Cougars winery for each dinner, showcasing the achievements WSU alumni are making in the wine industry. Executive Chef for the Carson College of Business School of Hospitality Business Management (HBM), works with students to bring guests expertly crafted, WSU-focused fare. Researchers and faculty members from the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences will also speak during the event, to provide further insight into the food products and research taking place in the college. The Feast also incorporates the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, which hosts the reception prior to the dinner and includes a brief discussion with the museum director. Guests are also treated to entertainment by the WSU Marching Band. We will discuss the planning process involved for this unique engagement opportunity, and how events of this nature can be used to cultivate potential donors and current donors by showcasing highlights of the university. This type of event is also a useful tool for alumni engagement.

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 the summer of 2020, colleagues from across University of Oregon's Advancement came together for peer-facilitated conversations about the 1619 Project Podcast series. The 1619 Project Podcast Listening Series made space for staff from a predominantly white university to better understand the history of Black Americans, explore the contemporary reverberations and repercussions of that history, and build a more inclusive community together. Join the three facilitators of the Listening Series to hear how the project developed, tips for facilitating sensitive conversations among colleagues, and strategies to utilize cultural events to strengthen a work community.

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.

The landscape of naming and recognition policies and standard practices is experiencing a significant evolution and shift toward inclusivity and community-based approaches, particularly due to several exceptional gifts at high-profile institutions at a time when the sector is grappling with its own inherent power dynamics. We’ll explore the recent trends of naming and recognition practices and illuminate a path forward to shift policies and programs toward more inclusive and community-centric approaches. Through thoughtful discussion and new perspectives, we’ll provide an opportunity for reflection and evaluation of organizations’ naming and recognition practices – and offer steps to establish a clear understanding of the community’s needs, interests, and opinions.

alumni UBC recently undertook a review of its magazine, TREK, culminating in a new content strategy, print design and website. It more than doubled online readership and led to a Grand Gold at the 2022 Circle of Excellence Awards as best designed alumni print magazine. This session covers the extensive research and strategic work undertake prior to the relaunch, and the subsequent roll out encompassing the refreshed brand and new magazine features to meet reader interests, including multimedia.

Panel discussion will begin at 8:30 Join us for a panel discussion with four former Rising Star Awardees to hear where they are now, how they got there, the challenges they had to overcome, the lessons they learned along the way, and what drives them. Finally, hear where they aspire to go next! Rising Star Awards honor individuals with 3 to 5 years of experience in the advancement professions of Alumni Relations, Communications and Marketing, Advancement Services, and Philanthropy, recognizing the accomplishments of those whose early success bodes well for future leadership and achievement.

The #1 way to ensure your institution's success & your future success as a fundraiser is ambitious, consistent discovery now. But discovery is one of the hardest parts of fundraising! When you're getting in the door with amazing new potential donors, discovery can feel like an adventure. When you're slogging through names in your database and getting zero responses, discovery can feel overwhelming and oppressive. Join this session for tactical discovery tips from sending better emails to cold calling to turning the conversation to money in that first visit.

What strategies and practices remain the bedrocks of successful campaigns? How are changes in how we see the world influencing the structure and focus of campaigns? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion about the future of campaigns. Together we will explore practices that that have stood the test of time, those that are evolving, and some we may leave behind.