Designed for educational advancement professionals with fewer than two years of professional advancement experience, this workshop will explore the fundamentals of advancement and lay the groundwork for a successful career in this exciting profession. You will hone networking skills, participate in small breakout sessions with veterans in the field of Development, Marketing and Communications, Alumni Relations, and Advancement Services. You will hear helpful tips for navigating the District Conference and grow your personal network of education advancement professionals.

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.

Collaborating with your colleagues in communications can vastly improve cultivation and stewardship efforts for key donors in your portfolio. Learn best practices from professionals in development-focused print and visual storytelling, and how to leverage these types of communications techniques to enrich touchpoints and conversations with your donors.

Mentorship Matters: Join a University President and a frontline gift officer for a panel discussion to learn how their 7 year plus mentorship relationship has strengthened and advanced their careers. Learn how you can utilize their example of a strategic mentoring relationship to build your own mentoring network to advance your development career and grow in your professional development as an advancement professional.

So … you’re going into a campaign soon. Join me for a case study of the Texas Development Marketing and Communication team’s approach to the brand and marketing of The University of Texas at Austin’s $6 billion campaign. I’ll share a multimedia show-and-tell, our three-phase approach, and strategies to produce high-impact, award-winning web and video with zero budget and three team members.

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.

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.

Launching a Giving Day is no small feat. Contrary to what the name implies this type of high energy campaign encompasses much more than a single day of philanthropy. This session will outline everything from recommended timelines and strategic messaging to key successes and areas of improvement from UNT's very first on campus day of giving. Join us as we walk through the key components of starting a giving day from initial idea to fruition.