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.

Advancement and Development services are approaching a new horizon when working with internal employees and external partners. Through discovery work, Dallas College Advancement and Development has created a new model for leveraging funding using network systems to support students and provide partners with a roadmap for success. This session will explore the new model, its benefits, and how it can be used to create a more efficient and effective way to manage sponsored program projects.

This session will provide findings from survey results, provide tools to navigate conversations with dissenting opinions, and harness the power of honoring traditions and values of the past while forging a relevant and progressive future. Attendees will learn how to engage alumni and donors in a way that empowers them to join in the vision, and identify when to detach from donors who do not uphold the institution’s current mission and vision.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Transform your university's culture and impact with a dynamic Employee Giving Program! Learn how to plan, execute, and evaluate this game-changing initiative. Empower your staff to make a difference while boosting morale and funding critical projects. Elevate your university's mission with our proven strategies and watch your community thrive.

As a leader of an advancement organization, prepare yourself and your team to embark on the impactful journey of crafting new cultural values. Unlike traditional approaches, we'll be diving into a dynamic process that involves each member of your team actively. This isn't just about drafting values on paper; it's about infusing your shared mission into the very essence of your organization.
In this session, you'll be guided through the process of creating values tailored to your unique organizational identity. Imagine the impact of involving your team members in a collaborative dialogue that shapes the culture you aspire to cultivate.
This isn't a one-size-fits-all process – it's an opportunity for you to glean insights and strategies that you can adapt to your specific context. Whether you're leading your organization, a team, or peer to peer, the principles shared will empower you to foster a culture that aligns with your mission and resonates with your team.
Join me for a practical workshop that equips you with the tools to shape a collective vision. This isn't just about values; it's about empowering you to lead intentional cultural change within your organization that is not only well received, but is owned, embraced and lived out each day.

In this highly competitive talent market, what components of the interview process and resulting offer attract new team members? What keeps high performers with your team? And, what are the distinctive differences in strategy between attracting the best professionals and retaining them? Join this panel of leaders known for building healthy, high-performing teams as they share creative ideas, challenges, and insights in talent acquisition and retention. Come for strategies, ideas, discussion and debate with this panel of CASE IV advancement leaders.