We’ve heard about the enrollment cliff and its likely impact on higher education. For her dissertation, Dr. Carrie Phillips researched how marketing strategies might help mitigate this cliff. This session shares findings from visiting with chief marketing officers about how they’re preparing. The session will begin with a high-level overview of the enrollment cliff followed by a deep dive into how marketing strategies might lessen the impact. You’ll hear about the challenges participants face, strategies they’re exploring and best practices to consider. As you’re looking to navigate change at your institution, this session is a great place to start.

We all know you can’t ask for the next unless you have successfully stewarded (and spent!) the last one. Join us as we dive into the complexities of fund compliance and utilization programs, what makes them successful (or not!), and the indispensable partnerships across your division and the campus that ensure their success. Whether you are in advancement services or a frontline fundraiser, everyone has a role to play in this space. We will explore the core components of a program that ensures your philanthropic funds are spent according to donor intent and to maximum capacity. We will explore strategies to strengthen collaboration between multiple key stakeholders for a more cohesive and effective approach. From data, reporting, metrics, and engagement and education programs, we will cover what you need to strengthen and streamline your fund stewardship program. Using real-life case studies from two rock solid donor compliance programs in the District, we'll give you all the tools you need to ensure success in this challenging space.

Discover Texas State University's innovative strategic corporate engagement program, a pivotal step towards the coveted R1 status. Join us as we unveil a groundbreaking initiative that unites internal university stakeholders, aligning them with a singular vision and igniting powerful industry relationships. In partnership with UNITE Corporate Engagement, we'll delve into how this program opens doors to enhanced career services for students, support for academic excellence, expanded industry-sponsored research, and a boost for university-wide initiatives. Get ready to explore the future of corporate collaboration at Texas State University.

In this session, Carrie and Muriel will discuss the driving force behind UA Little
Rock's Affordability Campaign, illuminating its critical objectives and sharing
essential lessons learned. Discover how the campaign seamlessly melded alumni
and student messaging, forging a powerful alliance in the fight for affordable
higher education. This presentation promises to inspire and educate, offering
strategic insights for an unforgettable messaging & perception campaign that
leaves a lasting impact.

We all know that a robust donor pipeline is key to a sustainable, growth-oriented development operation. but how do we combine the relationship-building power of major gifts with the scalability of annual giving activities? The answer: Digital Experience Officers (DXOs)! In this session, you will hear how the OK State Foundation Annual Giving Team built a DXO program to engage and upgrade donors in the middle of the pyramid to identify and hand off the next generation of major gift prospects. Your presenters will share their experience building a program from the ground up, how they collaborated with peers to form a program that was right for their institution, and how the program has grown and changed in its initial two years.

In this session, we will discuss the importance of CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement survey as well as techniques and best practices in gathering key data points in the four modes of Philanthropic, Volunteer, Experiential, and Communications engagement. Whether a small shop or large decentralized institution, we will explore how to successfully execute and utilize this key strategic initiative. Co-presenters Jenny Cooke-Smith and Chuck Arnold will present the latest findings from recent Alumni Engagement surveying activity as well as a deep dive into how to successfully (and efficiently!) complete the Alumni Engagement survey for your institution. Learn how measuring engagement really does drive your organizational outcomes and how your institution can take part in this important benchmarking project.

You’ve heard about A.I., but have you heard about S.I.? Strategic Initiatives (S.I.) is an emerging niche in higher education advancement that is changing the field. The term "strategic initiatives" is not new, of course, but as one advancement leader recently said, "Everyone wants S.I., very few have it, and even fewer are doing it well." Participants in this round table session will: (1) learn about S.I. in higher education fundraising, (2) identify different S.I. models, and (3) discuss the opportunities and barriers of integrating one or more S.I. roles, transformational support for large-scale institutional priorities, and interdisciplinary research initiatives at their institution.

This session challenges the traditional model of community college grant development which can be reactive and inefficient. Leaders from the Dallas College Advancement & Development team will share why and how they have shifted toward a culture of strategic grant seeking. Learn how to use grants strategically to advance the innovation efforts of your college in a proactive and effective way. Participants will gain tools, insights, and strategies they can immediately deploy.

Our students are the future alumni and donors of our institutions; cultivating them and creating a culture of philanthropy is vital to the long-term success of our fundraising efforts. Learn how the Oklahoma State University Foundation Annual Giving Team adjusted student fundraising and engagement strategies following COVID. We will discuss best practices in Student Foundations, crowdfunding, stewardship, and talent acquisition. This session will cover ways to right size or start from scratch for all things student fundraising and engagement!

The expectations from a gift officer to their research colleague can often be summed up by the famous words of Jerry McGuire, "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!!!". While this may be true for some, we believe there is a better way, one of collaboration and communication. Please join us for a practical workshop where gift officers, researchers, and managers will walk away with some best practices on how to effectively collaborate and maximize fundraising success.