When RIT began building its Regional Advancement program, the intention was a team of Rochester-based major gift officers deployed nationally on a regular basis. The pandemic and opportunities for strategic hires shifted that thinking, but brought unexpected challenges. This session, and subsequent conversation, will discuss ways to keep the remote team engaged in the life of the institution, help them learn the institutional culture, and develop close collaboration with their institution-based colleagues. The positive outcomes for the institution, advancement team, and constituents will also be discussed, as will some lingering challenges.

Mentorship programming is one of the most sought-after and rewarding volunteer opportunities an alma mater can offer to its alumni. The problem, though, is that it is also an initiative that takes a tremendous amount of time, effort, and resources to run successfully, all while balancing your other duties. However, with proper coordination and open communication (a LOT of communication), it is possible to do it at scale, regardless of the size of your shop. You just have to get everyone on campus involved. Easy, right? Hear how Saint Francis University’s Offices of Alumni Engagement and Career Services partnered together to bring Mentorship Week to campus and expanded its yearly Homecoming tradition. Learn how to pool resources with your colleagues, leverage your relationships to get buy-in from faculty and staff, and implement the timeline and logistics necessary to create your own marquee mentorship program that benefits everyone: current students, alumni, fundraisers, student enrollment, specialized student services, and more.

Following a 2023 strategic planning exercise, the Temple University Alumni Association in collaboration with its Alumni Engagement team, developed a new standard for volunteer leaders, which creates consistency and transparency across its many alumni organizations and groups. The plan establishes clear volunteer codes of conduct and expectations as well as bylaws, requirements, and processes for handling governance challenges. By embracing these universal practices across boards, Temple aims to cultivate a more engaged, informed, and professional alumni volunteer community.

Join us to hear about the magic that happens when silos are broken down and the different parts of advancement are strategically woven together, from business planning to program execution and even during everyday chat around the watercooler. Genuine engagement brings together all of these pieces and keeps your organization's mission at its core.

Expectations for large and even transformational gifts from corporations and foundations often are an order of magnitude bigger than historical giving from those sources. In the context of campaigns and special initiatives (think AI, DEIB, Climate, 100 & Change), how can fundraisers raise expectations of prospective donors and manage expectations within their own institutions? What are strategies and practices for marshalling internal teams to prepare big proposals? How do you grow and sustain needed external partners? What is the role of alumni connections and how do alumni in different roles and at different levels effectively help the process? What if there are no alumni – what other close connections and friends can act as advocates and champions?