As Colleges and Universities emerge from the pandemic, Alumni & Family Relations are recognizing the need for a transformative approach to community engagement beyond traditional parent weekends. As a distinctive institution without competitive sports teams, Champlain College has always been career-focused and unique in its approach to higher education. In response to the desire for a more inclusive community connection, Champlain Weekend was conceived. This three-day event features a diverse array of activities, events, and learning opportunities, bringing together families, alumni, and students to celebrate the college's entrepreneurial and innovative spirit.

Join us in this session to discover valuable tips and best practices for uniting all college stakeholders. Explore innovative approaches to foster a more inclusive connection among families, alumni, and students and celebrate what sets your college apart.

In this session, led by Finalsite Chief Evangelist - Rob DiMartino, attendees will learn how several CASE and NAIS peer schools from across the country and spanning the globe are using the power of their digital engagement platforms to retain and build enrollment.

From a family’s first interaction with your school’s website to when they are fully immersed in the life of the school, expectations for the digital experience of your school have been accelerated and changed permanently. From admissions to academics, athletics, and advancement, an integrated digital strategy—once a "nice to have"—is now a necessity.

Join us to learn how schools are delivering a connected, engaging digital experience that extend from the website to all-in-one communications (email, SMS, Text to Voice, automated email drip campaigns) including leveraging real time integration with Database management systems.

The GOAL is engagement. You cannot recruit, retain, cultivate or educate with out it.

Dive into the vibrant tapestry of Parent and Family Giving at Brown University. Learn about the Brown family community, how we build it, and foster its relationship with the University. Discover the ways in which Brown’s Parent and Family Giving team connects families through meaningful opportunities for intellectual engagement, volunteerism, and philanthropy.

To fully flex your fundraising muscle you need buy-in from both the annual giving and advancement services sides of the house. How do you achieve the alignment necessary to drive meaningful results? The devil is in the data.
GiveCampus analyzed aggregate data from 4,532 campaigns and 4,973 giving forms to identify what’s moving the proverbial needle in fundraising and what’s not. Find out from fellow higher ed fundraiser Jessica Gagnon at Boston College how she's leveraging that data to drive decisions at key stages of the philanthropic lifecycle, and how she got everybody—including advancement services—to back her team's biggest bets.

Leveling the playing field for all families. More and more institutions are creating family engagement roles outside of the advancement office to better serve the general population of families. In this session, we’ll share our strategies and structures at our individual institutions, and highlight essential internal and external partners. Join us to learn how to engage and educate the parents and families that you serve.

Promoting the message that annual fund dollars will close the gap between the actual cost of education and tuition is becoming less and less of a compelling argument to potential donors. Today’s sophisticated donors want to know that their gift, regardless of its size, will have a measurable impact on the school. Shifting your message to encourage donors to make their annual gift in support of programs or academic departments that they are most passionate about is critical to motivating your stay-the-course donors to give more and attracting new supporters. By doing so, your school will be better prepared to increase the giving participation rate by: (1) developing more customized solicitations that speak to potential donors’ passions; and (2) creating more personalized stewardship reports to show the impact of their specific gifts on the school. Perhaps more importantly, the school will also uncover the areas / projects that resonate most with donors, which will help it to be more strategic in its outreach both for the annual fund and for major gift engagements.