Villanova University’s strategic plan outlines a priority in supporting vocational success of alumni. In order to bolster engagement for alumni professionals across the world, Alumni Relations partnered with the Career Center to create a month of programming dedicated to professional development for all career levels. "Nova Network November" offered 30+ events ranging from regional networking gatherings to webinars led by campus experts on topics tied back to the university’s priorities. Review our step-by-step approach to gain university support and leverage regional clubs and campus leadership alike.

Most alumni relations professionals would agree that their event planner toolbox can sometimes feel a little empty. Join an event planner (turned alumni relations colleague) as she shares reliable tools of the events industry, ones that will create purposeful events to increase alumni engagement. Explore practical scenarios for how to plan for events, how to stretch your budget, and how to learn from her successes and failures. You'll leave this session armed with more tools than a superhero's utility belt.

As part of a comprehensive fundraising strategy, events and direct response campaigns can combine to form a meaningful tool that increases both engagement and revenue. Events and campaigns can intersect to propel engagement forward – resulting in increased participation, unrealized revenue, and a pipeline for major gifts. In this session, the event leader and campaign leader will describe the strategy, implementation process, and tactics they developed to successfully create a scalable project flow that positions fundraisers for success, and is easily replicable and scalable for fundraising teams of any size.

The NYU LGBTQ+ Alumni Network has made tremendous strides in providing programming for a more diverse audience over the course of just one year. Historically, this group had difficulty reaching the full LGBTQ+ alumni community, attributable to an excess of happy hours and other alcohol-centered events. Learn how the LGBTQ+ Alumni Network transformed from a majority cis-gay-male- identified group into a network that engages all LGBTQ+ identities. The NYU LGBTQ+ Alumni Network was a recipient of a 2019 CASE Circle of Excellence Award for their success in redesigning their programming.

Finding ways to bring together students and young alumni in a manner that is satisfying and fulfilling to both can be a challenge; come hear about the strides and mistakes Johns Hopkins University has made in their 10 years of hosting the Seniors and Young Alumni Leadership Symposium and some of the events that have spun off from it in that time. Bring ideas on alumni-student programs from your institution to share.

Review best event strategies to make your events hit it out of the park! We’ll cover each stage of event planning from conception (spring training) to follow-up strategies (the walk off home run). This session is great for new event professionals or seasoned planners looking for ways to engage and steward donors and potential donors. 

Connecting with alumni online is essential to any 21st Century engagement strategy. Explore how to cost effectively engage alumni with a variety of online programs including webinars, livestreams, virtual book clubs, podcasts, and more. Alumni relations professionals will learn a simple framework to determine where to make investments in virtual programs based on their goals, along with specific ideas for programs based on experience from more than 150 universities and independent schools. We’ll share several free tools that can increase the reach and quality of online engagement programs.

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.