Join us for an insightful session on the transformative journey of The University of Texas at Tyler’s website. This session will delve into the collaborative efforts, strategic planning, and innovative design that culminated in the successful launch of a unified, modern website.

The project team, over 18 months, moved more than 20,000 pages of content and files into the new template system, consolidating our administrative sites in one content management system (CMS). The creation of the new suite of templates was done with significant research and stakeholder feedback. With this launch, content from several sites, including WordPress sites, were combined into a single, cohesive, branded, accessible and robust new .edu.

Discover how internal teams and external partners came together to create a digital presence that reflects the university’s mission and vision and learn about the challenges and triumphs encountered along the way.

In today’s rapidly evolving advancement landscape, AI is transforming how university advancement teams manage donor engagement and drive fundraising success. Join us for a dynamic session where we explore the "How, What, and Why" of leveraging AI to supercharge your mid-level and major gifts outreach.

Discover practical strategies for adopting AI tools to streamline activity tracking, personalize donor communication, and enhance team efficiency. Hear from Joan Shofner, Associate Vice President of Campaign & Development, University of Central Arkansas and Sylvia Vandever, Account Manager at Gravyty as they shares real-world examples of how AI is reshaping donor relationships and accelerating organizational impact at UCA. Walk away with actionable insights on integrating AI into your advancement strategy for sustainable growth and success.

The annual giving pipeline is critical to our organizations and robust engagement, that is personal yet done at scale, is essential for successful retention efforts in this space. Join us to learn how you can apply strategy to your donor and alumni engagement efforts that will positively affect giving retention rates as well as steward some of our more “at risk” donor populations. This is more important than ever as our industry sees declines in overall giving, decreased alumni involvement, and limited staff and budgeting resources. We will explore strategies for retention in key populations, segmentation and messaging best practices, and shifting the organizational culture to a donor-centered retention mindset.

The good news is that you’ve been hired to lead fundraising initiatives at your school. The bad news is that there’s a good chance, especially if you’re at a community college, that your president, leadership team, faculty, and professional staff assume all the development work falls solely on your shoulders. This isn’t fair—and it’s also detrimental to your financial success. How do we persuade everyone at our institutions that they play a crucial role in advancement? Let’s explore strategies for getting even the most reluctant colleagues to embrace advancement at your institution.

Discover how Oklahoma State University’s Digital Experience Officers (DXOs) are transforming donor pipeline development through innovative digital outreach. This session will explore strategies for engaging prospects at scale, creative approaches to outreach, and best practices for collaborating with development officers to seamlessly transition engaged donors up the pipeline. Learn from three years of experience, insights, and growth—including how OSU has expanded the DXO role to a senior level. Whether you're looking to launch a similar initiative or enhance your existing efforts, this session will provide actionable takeaways to strengthen your digital engagement strategy.

The lights are fading, the party is almost over, the goal has been met…your campaign is coming to a close. Your development officer and leadership teams may be starting to breath deep, but now it’s our time to shine – it’s time for donor relations, stewardship, engagement, events, and communications to take the stage and breathe life into all that has been accomplished through your massive fundraising accomplishment. Join this session to explore to role of these teams in effectively recognizing donors to the campaign at all levels, reporting the impact of funds raised, stewarding new funds, consolidating and converting events as necessary, and more. We will explore key data reports to be pulling, important annual communications to be issuing, and how to develop retention strategy for these important donors. It’s now our job to retain and engage these campaign donors – until the next big party!

Join Advancement leaders from across the district, with over 75 years of combined experience between them, as they delve into the intricacies of planning and executing successful fundraising campaigns. They will share expertise on launching and managing successful campaigns at both big and small shops, help attendees identify and navigate potential pitfalls, offers practical tips and tricks for success, and provide ideas for maintaining high staff morale throughout the life of the campaign.

As an advocate for and a manager of alumni volunteers in their communities, providing focus and purpose is critical. By aligning volunteer network groups to what matters most, your volunteers will understand the purpose for the work they do and be better equipped to grow as an alumni volunteer leader and a mentor for future generations.
In this session, you will be guided through the one year process for building strategy to align alumni volunteer groups into one cohesive Alumni Network serving to make a difference in their communities. One unified Alumni Network committed to supporting and advancing the university’s excellence makes a profound impact!
Join me for this workshop where I will take you through the journey of building out a strategy to equip alumni volunteers to be mission minded. This session will share insights from working with the board of directors and writing bylaws, to creating a leader guide and implementing strategy for volunteers serving the collective Alumni Network at the University of North Texas.

Join the Oklahoma State University Foundation (OSUF) for a dynamic session designed to simplify and enhance the art of prospect research, trip planning, and donor engagement. OSUF will share essential strategies for building collaborative prospect lists, planning efficient donor visits using mapping tools, and identifying top prospects by integrating data on giving history, wealth, and more. Learn the art of effective outreach and hear inspiring stories about how persistence and going the extra mile can lead to securing transformational gifts. This session will provide practical insights to help elevate your fundraising strategy and optimize donor engagement.

Volunteers are not just casual supporters; they are key collaborators in enhancing alumni engagement and advancing fundraising efforts, especially for reunions. Their active involvement amplifies the voice of your institution and leverages their peer-to-peer influence to inspire classmates, increase reunion attendance, and encourage greater giving. Engaged volunteers help foster stronger connections within alumni communities, contributing to the success of your initiatives. In this session, Christina Woods, Director of Annual Giving, Rice University, and Felicity Meu, Head of Partner Success, GiveCampus, will explore how to activate your most valuable asset—your volunteers. Finally, Christina and Felicity will showcase data that demonstrates how volunteers can significantly improve your alumni engagement and fundraising outcomes and share strategies for maximizing their impact.