The past three years have been exceptionally challenging for the philanthropic sector. Market conditions have fluctuated drastically, and social conditions change every day. On March 13, 2020, at the very start of real social and economic uncertainty, the University of Southern Maine (USM) voted in their first Zoom meeting ever to proceed with a $46 million comprehensive campaign. In June 2023, USM closed their campaign over goal ($50 million raised) and two years ahead of schedule. In this session, we will explore how this public regional comprehensive university kept focused and resilient amidst turbulent market conditions, an unpredictable philanthropic environment, presidential and Cabinet-level transitions, and a challenging capital approval process. We will pose several scenarios to the audience for group discussion and hear from USM how they tackled these challenges and turned them into opportunities.

In music the most basic chords are based in a triad, three notes that become something better, something magical, when played together. Likewise, in our work in higher education advancement and philanthropy there are three basic experiences that are the building blocks for success. Research has shown that these three experiences are equally meaningful for individuals at any stage of involvement from student, to involved volunteer, to major donor. In this session you will learn more about this magical triad and how you can build upon it to create success throughout the engagement pipeline.

Whatever Colleges and Universities can do, so can independent schools and small shops. Just ask Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, MA, as they are one of the most active SAA programs on the independent school circuit. You can start one too. This session is for all independent school and small shop professionals who hope to engage current students with their Advancement and Alumni offices on how to get started and how your current students can prepare for life after graduation as "Alumni in Training."

Let’s face it, not every advancement team is built the same. But that doesn’t mean they can’t raise the same (and even better).

While being a member of a smaller team certainly poses challenges, it forces its members to embrace critical thinking, innovative ideas, and modern technology. In this session, you’ll learn about how Central Catholic High School, with an eight person team, did just that and exceeded their goals thanks to multi-channel communications, a unique approach to alumni volunteers, automated donor comment collection, and more repeatable low-touch strategies. When you leave this session, you’ll be ready to smash your goals by embracing efficient and modern marketing techniques and technologies.

Are you ready to save time and engage more?

How do we incorporate AI into our work to be more effective? What are the ethical implications of sourcing information and content in this manner? What are the expectations of our donors, alumni, and academic communities? Moderated by Allyson Irish, director of editorial and creative services at Phillips Academy, this panel discussion will delve into the many questions we face now, and in the future, in the advancement field.

Designed for beginners and non-researchers. In small teams, we wear many hats, and often don't have the budget for a dedicated prospect researcher. But we are still asked for research! Learn some simple formats and strategies to produce a quality product without investing too much.

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.

Michelle R. Weise CEO, Rise & Design, Author, “Long Life Learning” Dr. Michelle R. Weise (pronounced W-ice) is the author of “Long-Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don’t Even Exist Yet” (Wiley, 2020). Her book was awarded the 2021 Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature by UPCEA (University Professional and Continuing Education Association), recognizing the author and publisher of an outstanding work of continuing higher education literature. Thinkers50 named her one of 30 management and leadership thinkers in the world to watch in 2021. Dr. Weise leads Rise & Design, an advisory service tailored for organizations seeking to design education and workforce strategies that will prepare working-age adults for the jobs of today and tomorrow. In the past, she has served as Vice Chancellor of Strategy and Innovation at National University System, Senior Advisor at Imaginable Futures, a venture of The Omidyar Group. She was also the Chief Innovation Officer of Strada Education Network as well as of Southern New Hampshire University. With Clayton Christensen, she coauthored Hire Education: Mastery, Modularization, and the Workforce Revolution (2014) while leading the higher education practice at Christensen’s Institute for Disruptive Innovation. Her service work includes advising BrightHive, a data collaboration platform, the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), the SkillUp Coalition, Basta, Hitch, Bayes Impact, Clayton Christensen Institute Social Capital R&D Project, and World Education’s Personal and Workplace Success Skills Library. She has also served as a commissioner for Massachusetts Governor Baker’s Commission on Digital Innovation and Lifelong Learning, Harvard University’s Task Force on Skills and Employability, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education. Her commentaries on redesigning higher education and developing more innovative workforce and talent pipeline strategies have been featured in The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review and on PBSNewshour. Michelle is a former Fulbright Scholar and a graduate of Harvard and Stanford.