Our Head of School believes strongly in not sweeping problems under the rug so that they just go away. Rather, she asks that we lift up the rug and address the problem straight away even if it is messy. In the world of alumnae/i engagement, it can be tempting to slide an email complaining about dress code, being too woke, too focused on sports, too focused on arts, and so on, right under the rug. We can usually make do with phone calls and thoughtful replies, but every now and then a problem comes up, picks up steam amongst our constituents, and then demands a lot more care and attention. These kinds of problems require partnership, innovative and creative thinking and, with the right strategy, can result in a complete narrative change. You can, indeed, convert a ‘too big to fit under the rug’ kind of problem into purposeful and mission aligned engagement. In this workshop, we will share our unique multi-faceted problem solving story that resulted in an undeniably positive reconnection between our alumnae to their school. We will then use the bulk of the session to lead participants through actionable steps that can work to solve specific problems at their own unique institutions. We will conclude with time to review specific examples shared by session participants.