Are you prepared to outperform you peers, the industry, or your current trajectory? This session will help you explore how effective and engaged strategic planning can put you, your foundation, and your academic institution on a path to outperform the industry and the current trendlines. Examining how to identify goals (not just financial) that matter and have immediate and long last impact allows you to build the strategies, tactics and key benchmarks for new levels of success.

This session will explore the role of how both Management and the Board approach risk and how to create an effective reporting tool to monitor and understand the risk management process for effective oversight. Topics include: what is your risk appetite -- are you taking too much risk or not enough; proactive approach for Identifying and mitigating risk; categories of risk, likelihood and impact; and risk monitoring tool and how it is used.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between a foundation and an institution ideally memorializes a shared vison for the partnership. Too often, MOUs are use as a contractual constraint to manage risk in in lieu of solid policies and governance practice. A good MOU process builds understanding of and commitment to the partnership among both administrators and board leaders. This session will share AGB’s newly revised Illustrative MOU and engage a group of foundation leaders in a discussion about the ways institution-foundation partnerships are changing and recommendations for the development, review, and renegotiation of MOUs as tool to foster effective collaboration.

This session will share key learnings from two public universities as they each launched planning efforts for momentous philanthropic campaigns in the early tenures of new Presidential appointments. Cleveland State University and Indiana State University will share reflections and best practices for president transitions and campaign planning at different stages of incorporating new leadership: present-day and two years down the line. Participants will leave this session with a greater understanding of how to align vision and existing funding priorities during a time of institutional transition, and how you can position new leadership at all levels to drive strategic fundraising activity.

In a post-pandemic world of poor retention and high burnout, today's advancement job market is riddled with continual turnover and labor shortages. Meanwhile, current research indicates only 1 in 5 employers provide sufficient training and career development opportunities for existing talent. Now is the time to embrace the changes and rethink current processes. Based on 20+ years of research and 40+ years of experience in the field, Advancement Resources’ Ben Golding and Robin Bellinger, MCLC, share the top three essential changes teams must make in order to hire the right people and retain the best talent.

Are you and your foundation cyber resilient? Join us as we discuss leading practices you and your organization can adopt to help anticipate, withstand, and recover from cyber threats and how to integrate cyber resiliency into your foundation.

The University of North Dakota and the University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation, while two separate organizations have aligned priorities, coordinate messaging, and share storytelling assets to support both the strategic initiatives of the University as well as the fundraising efforts. The collaboration between the two organizations is yielding strong results for both organizations as they developed and prepared to launch a new university strategic plan and campaign. This presentation will review how the two organizations set up ongoing communication and systems that created the strong partnership and interwoven messaging between the strategic plan and campaign.

Starting with a high level overview of recent hiring and compensation trends followed by a panel discussion of three advancement leaders to discuss their individual experiences/observations in their respective operations.

How can community colleges begin attracting philanthropy that measures up to their growing footprint? The key lies in delivering the right messages and the most personalized communications to educate donors about the outsized impact of their own community college. These institutions are the local bastion of access to higher education, especially for first-generation students. They are where a workforce hones skills and jump-starts careers. and where the future of a region's infrastructure and prosperity rests. Find out how you can better inspire generosity and allegiance by showcasing opportunities for donors to advance their interests and invest in their community's future.

Despite recent volatility, cryptocurrency continues to be used and looks to be here to stay. It is essential for foundations to have an informed strategy on whether and how to accept cryptocurrency donations. Higher education institutions are uniquely positioned in the emerging cryptocurrency space. Though volatility has weakened valuations, donors remain eager to make cryptocurrency contributions when advantageous. As foundations position themselves for the future, understanding cryptocurrency is a business imperative. The panel will focus on operational and economic risks, costs, benefits and will provide the foundational understanding needed to consider whether a cryptocurrency strategy makes sense for their institutions.