CASE and CEAC attendee institutions exist in a range of contexts in 2022 related to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Leaders and communities place EDI – both organically and by choices and decisions made – along a continuum of organisational priorities and are on unique journeys, pacing, and levels of action. Current and prospective members of our communities, as a result, experience varied levels of belonging and engagement.

As leaders, we both reflect our contexts and can shape our contexts forward. Where are our organisations, where are we, and how will we choose to lead? This interactive session will work through some key phases and arenas of EDI dynamics, consider paths for focus and action, and help us frame our EDI approach as leaders.

We will first use a structured framework to assess and understand our organisational environments, market pressures and demographic shifts, and leadership directions and signals. Second, what might the various operating, financial, community and/or values imperatives be for EDI action in our realm? And third, what does this mean for each of us in the year ahead, as leaders or emerging leaders in our institutions?

In this interactive working session led by Deb Taft, a leading organizational and talent executive and CEO of Lindauer Global, we will dive into EDI dynamics and contexts and map our leadership paths forward.

University research communication has changed. Press officers and news are out, in favour of communications business partners and multi-channel media campaigns.

Yet, Covid has shown the value in specialist science journalists and news media in holding governments to account and helping the public distinguish fact from fiction. University press officers help journalists to find stories and find experts to scrutinise developments.
Fiona Fox, chief executive of the Science Media Centre, will present a new SMC report into the future of university press offices. She will argue that specialist press officers are vital in the advancement of education, research and society.

Pete Castle, from the University of Reading press office, will describe how today's university comms priorities can coexist with traditional media relations.

I will be dealing with mechanisms on how the University of Navarra has been listening to stakeholders based on the data that we collected during the last 5 years, consisting of roughly 26.000 participants (prospective students, students and alumni). We will then share some learnings from this project and how our own stakeholders at the university perceive us, and how this knowledge can also be transformed into meaningful actions that will lead to an overall improvement of our core activities. I am certain that the session will generate a meaningful discussion about how these insights are relevant to other universities as well, towards a common understanding of metrics for measuring and managing university reputation.

Supporter journeys are the key to unlocking purpose, impact, and focus on your engagement programme.

This session will inspire strategic thinking to build supporter journeys, to advance engagement and fundraising - coupled with practical tips and case studies. We will share global experiences from across the sector, and colleagues at Manchester will reflect (in person or virtually) on their experiences of designing journeys across their alumni population of 533,000, and the impact of this on the institution.

We will invite contributions and share templates to apply the learning in your own context. Senior leaders will gain insights into how their teams can use supporter journeys to drive strategic work across advancement. Join us for this journey of inspiration and learning.

Many fundraising offices in Europe, are surprisingly small or young or have experienced a significant break in fundraising operations.This workshop is designed to map the challenges of colleagues from various organizations, countries, and backgrounds in HE institutions. We believe that some of the key problems are comparable – as are lessons and solutions. Such a discussion would provide fertile ground for peer learning and the development of scalable and adaptable solutions.

We propose an interactive workshop with break-out working groups ensuring active participation to explore the top 3 to 5 issues mapped in the preceding plenary discussion. This will draw out some generalizations and potential ideas and will map out the issues experienced in different contexts as well as the actual job of fundraising itself.

In 2020, the VU Amsterdam, was the only university in the Netherlands not actively engaged in Fundraising. Surprisingly, since it has a long tradition in philanthropy, being the first Dutch university to be founded with a philanthropic gift and being home to the first academic research center in philanthropy in Europe since 1990.

When the Executive Board decided to bring philanthropy back to the heart of its organisation, they realised it would take more than just to start raising funds again. We will share experiences from VU’s journey of re-introducing fundraising and more-over, integrated advancement. From the initial vision to the managerial and operational challenges in bringing together internal stakeholders and aligning their activities with VU’s external stakeholders as they re-shaped VU’s tradition of philanthropy.

Just as Kris Jenner is the mastermind behind the Kardashian-Jenner success, effective and strategic online community managers are the ones keeping online communities booming. Fair enough, that was maybe a bit much, but what is important to realise is that a team of any size or resource can be successful in launching and maintaining an online community if executed with intention, management strategy and overarching framework. In this session, we will present key pillars to achieving success in launching and maintaining an online community by providing specific examples from clients who have been in your shoes. 

In a post-pandemic world, the expectations and demands of students in relation to their learning and student experience has shifted significantly, Meanwhile, within our own institutions a drive for student-centred decision making and more authentic engagement with myriad student communities is accelerating. This session will explore how brand and communications professionals can navigate this challenging terrain, exploring brand propositions and narratives, student values and charters, engagement strategies, and evaluation frameworks. Brand & Reputation founder – and former University Executive Director – Michael Lavery will steer you through a fast-paced session, highlighting his work with institutions from across the globe.

Globally, changes over the past couple of decades in both the distribution of wealth and in demographics, linked to the significant transfer of intergenerational wealth, have increased the importance and impact of principal gifts. In recent successful higher education campaigns, up to 97% of the campaign gifts came from as few as 3% of the donors, and principal gifts accounted for over 60% of the overall campaign total. So, who wouldn’t want a principal gits programme? However, where do you start or, if you’ve already started down this road, have you thought of everything? This session will give practical insights into the fundamentals that should form part of any properly structured principal gift programme from how you define a principal gift through to the identification and allocation of prospects, building your pipeline and choosing which projects might be suitable.

What do we mean by Advancement, Development, and Fundraising – and why should it matter to me anyway?

What do Plato’s Academy, Aristotle’s Lyceum, and your institution have in common? Each has received private donations – solicited and secured by someone – to fund their mission.

Our chosen career of seeking financial support for schools, colleges, and universities is a long-established profession, indeed—yet there’s no doubt that the Antiquity version of LinkedIn had as much confusion about the terms of ‘advancement’, ‘development’, and ‘fundraising’ as there is today.

But who cares, really? Don’t they all just mean roughly the same thing? In this session, we’ll dive into a rich discussion on how we can understand and use these terms to frame our work as frontline fundraisers, development officers, and advancement professionals. You’ll come away with practical insights to help you in multiple contexts: building your career trajectory, advocating for resources for your department, and even securing support for your institution.