“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.” Stereotypes in higher education hinder partnerships between academics and advancement professionals. After all, faculty do the university's “real work" and development officers are just slick salespeople, right? No wonder the relationship between advancement and academics is defined more by walls than by bridges. Learn how to bridge this divide and build a program that fundraises FOR and WITH academics.

Finding time for your family, work, and leisure time can be challenging in the lives we live in higher education. It’s difficult to do it all. Not only is achieving a healthy work/life balance an attainable goal, but workers and businesses alike see the rewards. In this presentation, practical steps, tips and secrets will be shared that we can all take to loosen the grip that stress has on us and re-establish the balance we need to thrive and be happy.

Through the #PeopleofYU campaign, York University was able to break through the mold and humanize the brand by highlighting the diversity of their own community. The campaign featured students, faculty, staff, donors, and other community members in a different light, showcasing who they are, emotional and shocking challenges they have faced in their life, and how their journey led them to York. Featured people include: unconventional artists, refugees, scholars, members of minority groups, members of the LGBTQ community, athletes, and many more.

How do you ensure every student graduates connected, cultivated, and capable for today's workplace? Drew University maneuvered from siloed career development, advancement, and academic offices to a coordinated effort that ensures students, universally, are prepared for post-college success. Learn how they created a program called Launch that benefits their diverse student (and alumnx) population with a network of mentors that every student, regardless of background, can access 24/7; walk through six Launch essential elements that demonstrate how they are integrating all aspects of the student and community experience; and brainstorm ideas for your own institution.

We've all experienced it. Those times when conditions at work are less than ideal - when getting things done takes a little more time and effort. But what happens when challenging conditions coincide with the need to complete a high-stakes project? When it came time for Loyola University Maryland to steward and recognize donors to their seven-year, $100M comprehensive fundraising campaign, they faced several challenges. Discover the lessons they learned while checking egos at the door and banding together to successfully close their campaign efforts and honor their donors.

Cornell Engineering increased from 843 to 2,608 donors on Giving Day between FY 17 and FY18, an increase of 309%. In 2019, we increased again by 24%. Through a modest matching gift program, offering $25,000 in funds across 20 student groups, we leveraged student enthusiasm to bring in thousands more gifts. With this program we have been able to access student networks to increase donors and dollars: Dollars also increased by 228% the first year ($48,000 increase), and then by 14% again in 2019. Find out how we did it.

The world of crowdfunding is ever evolving, with both institutions and platforms trying to keep up with what the donor expects in their peer-to-peer fundraising. This session focuses on how crowdfunding has shifted in the last few years, how institutions can take advantage of these changes both in crowdfunding and in the donors, and finally look into the future as to where crowdfunding could be potentially going.

It’s incredibly hard to capture the essence of an institution and its mission in just a few words. So, what goes into crafting an effective campaign name? Explore the “art and science” of the process, including key principles such as authenticity, future focus, and graphic design, not to decorate but to communicate. We’ll share campaign themes that have been effective and those that fell short. We'll also discuss the importance of fostering internal ownership of the campaign, revisiting the journey at UNLV — with all its twists and turns.