In December 2023, Newcastle University welcomed a team of external experts in higher education philanthropy and alumni relations to conduct a independent Peer Review of the full spectrum of philanthropy and alumni relations activity. The purpose of the Review was to seek advice on our strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in order to promote continuous improvement and to inform the development of a new strategy for University Advancement. In this session, we will describe how we went about commissioning the Review, the Review process itself and the actions that we have taken in response to the findings.