Embarking on a leadership role in advancement can be both exhilarating and challenging. While many of us began our advancement careers as specialists, (making in-person asks for big gifts, mastering back-office processes, creating marketing materials, etc.), sooner or later, we find ourselves managing teams. While we may be experts at “making the ask” or “mapping appeal code structures,” oftentimes new managers can find ourselves at a loss when required to give effective performance reviews or coach up a new team member. This session is tailored for advancement professionals who have recently taken the step from being practitioners to managing teams. You will hear from three of your colleagues who have made this leap and are now successful industry leaders. Madison, Karl, and Adrian will introduce you to the dynamic world of advancement teams, providing essential insights, strategies, and tools to help you become a more successful team manager and leader.

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 will delve into our journey of moving away from a conventional, formal award dinner to a dynamic alumni recognition program. This strategic shift not only boosted event attendance but also created a pathway (and opened up the resources) to develop captivating awardee videos that continue to engage our alumni long after the award presentation.

To fully flex your fundraising muscle you need buy-in from both the annual giving and advancement services sides of the house. How do you achieve the alignment necessary to drive meaningful results? The devil is in the data. GiveCampus analyzed aggregate data from 4,532 campaigns and 4,973 giving forms to identify what’s moving the proverbial needle in fundraising and what’s not. Find out from fellow higher education fundraisers how they’re leveraging that data to drive decisions at key stages of the philanthropic lifecycle, and how they got everybody—including advancement services—to back their biggest bets.