What is the role of university and research in addressing the global sustainability challenges? How can universities help companies to become sustainable? 

Does your university have clear objectives and targets for your fundraising? How are your university’s fundraising goals in line with your overall strategy? Are your fundraising efforts fully supported by the leadership? What is the difference between donor-driven and strategy driven fundraising? Is your fundraising proactively driven by your fundraising team or is it often driven by your donors’ interests? How do your fundraising efforts link to creating impact and to delivering on the UN sustainable development goals? How to build your case for support with the donor in mind?

The importance of alumni relations is well understood in the Nordic countries already, but we still have universities and colleges setting up their first initiatives or revitalizing young programs. What are the first steps to take and which challenges need to be addressed? While this session is designed for those of us new to the field or running young alumni relations programs, experienced professionals will also get the chance to take stock of the trajectory of their work and swap stories about successes and roadblocks as well.

I will share my experiences on recruiting a new fundraising team in Finland where higher education   fundraising is still rather a new phenomenon. A few years back we started growing the donor engagement team and opened simultaneously three new major gifts officer positions to the areas of business, art & design & architecture, and individual giving. One of the latest focus areas on the Aalto’s fundraising road map is the new digital giving platform and marketing expertise to support digital fundraising. The person responsible for this area was recruited from outside Finland. You are welcome to share your best practices in recruiting and/or to look for useful tips for recruiting in an immature market.

In 2016 BI appointed the first International Advisory boards consisting of distinguished business leaders, academics and alumni, in a consulting role for BI’s Management as well as the Board of Directors. The board’s aim is to develop BI’s international footprint. Join and share in the conversation on what are the pitfalls and successes of advisory boards

“Students are future alumni and to stay connected with them after graduation you need to put in an effort. How do you recruit students to join your alumni network, sign up for newsletters etc.? Join us in sharing ideas and best practices.”