The "Fun in the Fundamentals of Annual Giving" revaluates traditional annual giving through the lens of ‘Design Thinking’ and focuses on how you can improve the three fundamental goals of annual giving: Donor Acquisition, Donor Retention, and Donor Upgrades. The presentation explores fun and innovative ideas from various institutions, highlights how new tools like Artificial Intelligence and ChatGPT can be used to enhance your work, and discusses evolving annual giving strategies from digital marketing to special events, and everything in between.

In today's competitive landscape, engaging donors and alumni effectively is crucial, even when resources are limited. Big budgets do not always equal big impact! In this session, seasoned engagement professionals from Washington and Lee University and UVA's Darden School of Business will unveil their most impactful donor touches and event enhancements that cost nothing and will share lessons learned. This session will highlight ways to leverage existing resources and partnerships and will showcase practical, cost-effective ideas that add value and authenticity to your events. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to elevate their engagement and stewardship programs. The session will be interactive, featuring case studies, practical examples, and opportunities for peer-to-peer learning and discussion. Come prepared with your best event extras to share with the group!

In today's dynamic higher education landscape, coordinated communications and marketing efforts are more critical than ever. Aligning communications and marketing professionals across campus, from the colleges and units to the central teams, can significantly uplift university priorities and advance the overall institution. Drawing from their work to establish a council of 21 communications leaders from the colleges and units at Virginia Tech, Zeke Barlow and Jesse Tuel will share a series of practical strategies, ranging from easy (hosting meetings for all communicators) to difficult (changing the university organizational chart), that can be applied in any institutional setting. Participants will leave the presentation with a toolbox of tactics to customize and deploy at their own institutions.

W&L's first year of utilizing a named Annual Fund scholarship for the 5th and 10th reunion gifts broke dollar goals early, inspired collective philanthropy, created authentic connections to incoming students, led with impact and invested in ongoing stewardship. Learn how your school can create similar programs that align institutional priorities with young alumni philanthropic interests, generating authentic, long-term relationships with your next generation of donors.

Higher Education's challenges are numerous and complex. Are you ready to lead? This panel of current and former college and university vice presidents, will stimulate your thinking about how to turn challenges into successes. How will we approach challenges such as declining trust in higher education, continued declines in donor participation and event attendance, national cultural/political divisions, board and legislative intrusion, uses of A.I., recruiting and retaining talent, staff work expectations, and managing multiple constituencies. Bring your questions to ask your C-Suite colleagues who serve on their respective presidents' cabinets.

This session will discuss the strengths and opportunities of a college-specific development officer versus a centralized model at Jacksonville State University (JSU). We'll explore how these different approaches impact fundraising effectiveness, donor relationships, and overall advancement strategies at Jax State.

Learn how the Western Kentucky University (WKU) Alumni Association, in collaboration with the WKU Office of the Provost, the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, and five academic colleges, created the CASE Circle of Excellence Silver award-winning First-Generation Alumni in Residence program. Discover how this initiative and the broader First-Generation Alumni Advocates program are building a supportive community and enhancing student success for first-generation college students at WKU. With over 35% of all undergraduates being first-generation college students, creating support programs that connects them with first-generation alumni is crucial. These students often come from low-income or minority backgrounds, are less likely to use career-planning services, and have lower participation in extracurricular activities, making alumni mentorship vital for their academic and professional success.

Learn practical strategies for leveraging first-generation alumni experiences to inspire current first-generation students, create meaningful connections, and promote institutional commitment to first-generation success. This session will provide actionable insights for building and sustaining a scalable first-generation alumni network that pays it forward, making a lasting impact on your institution and its community.

"Every person on the planet has sass and smart-sass qualities in them." - Dictionary.com . Do you know and have the skill sets to solicit, acknowledge, and steward the gifts your charity seeks? What are the most important attributes in each category? If you've closed the gift and acknowledged why should you be included in the stewardship?