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District V Annual Conference 2025
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21 Results Found
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM CT
Harnessing AI for Everyday Advancement: Tools & Strategies You Can Use Today
Unlock the power of AI in your daily advancement tasks with this hands-on session! Discover free or low-cost tools like ChatGPT that can streamline donor communications, enhance alumni engagement, and simplify data management. Through real-world examples and an interactive activity, you'll learn how to implement AI solutions today, without waiting for large-scale institutional changes. Walk away with practical strategies to make your work more efficient and impactful, all while staying ahead in the evolving world of higher education advancement.
Speakers: Emily Berry, Assistant Vice President for Development, Individual and Annual Giving, Miami University
Competencies: Strategic ThinkingIndustry or Sector Expertise
Experience Level: All Levels
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM CT
Women Navigating Advancement Leadership
Join in a conversation about the context and experiences of women in advancement leadership. Explore research on the field, hear from a panel of women leaders, and explore best practices and resources to encourage and support women’s journeys to leadership. This session aims to motivate, empower, and energize--whether you are looking for networking, planning for career growth, seeking to enhance your leadership skills, or creating organizational environments where women leaders can thrive.
Speakers: Dana Cummings, Founder & CEO, Dana Starr Cummings Consulting, Jeri Pat Gabbert, Executive Vice President and Chief Philanthropic Officer, Porter County Community Foundation, Julie Melton, Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Richland Community College, Genevieve Shaker, Professor of Philanthropic Studies and Donald A. Campbell Chair in Fundraising Leadership, IU Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Lindsay Vahl Dean, Assistant Vice President, Alumni Engagement and Executive Director, Northwestern Alumni Association, Northwestern University
Competencies: Leadership
Experience Level: All Levels
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM CT
Maximizing LYBUNT Engagement: Personalized Video Appeals That Drive Results
Join Illinois State University for an engaging session on how personalized video appeals have revolutionized their post-2020 fundraising campaigns. From the clever Holiday Gift Appeal, designed to feel like a fun gift-purchasing experience, to the highly engaging Birds Give Back video, Illinois State has successfully used video to re-engage LYBUNT donors and drive retention rates. These creative campaigns have led to increased CTA clicks and deeper donor connections. Explore how these examples can offer fresh approaches to drive results in your own fundraising efforts.
Speakers: Jillian Nelson, Senior Managing Director, Annual Giving and Philanthropy Engagement, Illinois State University, Dennis Lawrence, Senior Customer Success Manager, EverTrue
Competencies: Industry or Sector ExpertiseRelationship Building
Experience Level: All Levels
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM CT
The Great Wealth Transfer: Strategic Adaptations for Alumni Associations
The “great wealth transfer” is a monumental phenomenon that is already underway and will continue to impact our work. Over the next two decades, Boomers are expected to transfer approximately $68 trillion in assets to younger generations. This transfer presents a unique opportunity for transformative philanthropy and strategic adaptation within alumni associations. This session will share actionable insights on how alumni associations can leverage this as an opportunity to forge stronger connections with aging constituents while maximizing philanthropic impact.
Speakers: Lindsay Seminara, Associate Manager, Adv. Events and Operations, The Ohio State University Alumni Association
Competencies: Strategic ThinkingIndustry or Sector Expertise
Experience Level: All Levels
10:45 AM - 11:45 AM CT
Leading with the Legacy of Tragedy
Kent State University's legacy of the May 4, 1970 tragedy remains pivotal in its identity. As history recently seemed to repeat itself on American campuses amidst current societal divisions, Kent State has proactively integrated powerful lessons from its past into its brand messaging. This session reveals how the university's half-century journey of embracing its history informs its current marketing strategies. Discover how authenticity and values-driven storytelling can elevate your institution's brand beyond conventional marketing approaches.
Speakers: Stephen Ward, VP, Kent State University
Competencies: LeadershipStrategic Thinking
Experience Level: All Levels
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CT
Making Milestones: How Two Schools Brought New Life through Reunion and a Sesquicentennial
How can you elevate cherished alumni traditions and allow room for fresh experiences? Learn how Denison University reimagined its reunion experience with enhanced technology, fresh programming, and record-breaking participation. Explore how Macalester College brought its 150th anniversary to life, connecting a global alumni base with fresh twists on existing programming, new ways of storytelling, and ample opportunities to celebrate. Join us to learn about the process from concept creation through execution including planning, communication, events, and more. You’ll walk away with actionable insights and ideas to help you transform your own campus events into unforgettable celebrations.
Speakers: Catie Gardner Smith, AVP of Engagement, Macalester College, Alyssa Smith, Sr. Assoc. Dir. of Mkt. & Comm. Alumni & Family Engagement, Denison University, Samantha Smith, Sr. Assoc. Dir. of Advancement Events, Denison University, Erin Updike, Director of Alumni Engagement, Macalester College
Competencies: Relationship BuildingIndustry or Sector Expertise
Experience Level: All Levels
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM CT
From Data to Decisions: Revolutionizing Fundraising Management Reporting
In this session you'll hear from Kristine Lo, Director of Fundraising Performance Analytics at the University of Chicago, how her team revolutionized fundraising management reporting to ensure managers and staff at all levels had the insights they needed to effectively manage up, down and across. The session will include best practices of effective management reporting, how consistency in management reporting can improve results, and suggestions for how you can audit (or start) your own data-delivery program.
Speakers: Kristine Lo, Director, Fundraising Performance Analytics, University of Chicago
Competencies: LeadershipStrategic Thinking
Experience Level: All Levels
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM CT
An Experiment in Prospecting: How to Increase the Response Rate of Your Outreach
Prospecting often marks the beginning of each relationship we hope to form with a donor. Despite this, fundraisers tend to focus their energy learning more about gift closure conversations than how to reach their donors in the first place. Through the lessons learned during an experiment in prospecting you will learn how you can connect to your intended donor base with ease!
In this session you will gain insights from a study conducted using real prospects. We will talk about how to approach prospecting, what you might expect your results to be and what actually happened in the study. As well as how all of this can inform your work in the future. Additionally, the session will be full of opportunities for you to ask questions and share your experiences in prospecting.
At the end of this session you will be able to identify your target audience, create an outreach plan to increase the responses you receive from your audience and utilize these prospecting tools as an asset that aids the work you do with donors throughout the rest of the gift cycle. Let us help you make the most of the time you spend prospecting so that you can get back to closing more gifts!
In this session you will gain insights from a study conducted using real prospects. We will talk about how to approach prospecting, what you might expect your results to be and what actually happened in the study. As well as how all of this can inform your work in the future. Additionally, the session will be full of opportunities for you to ask questions and share your experiences in prospecting.
At the end of this session you will be able to identify your target audience, create an outreach plan to increase the responses you receive from your audience and utilize these prospecting tools as an asset that aids the work you do with donors throughout the rest of the gift cycle. Let us help you make the most of the time you spend prospecting so that you can get back to closing more gifts!
Speakers: Victor Senn, Major Gift Officer, University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Competencies: Strategic ThinkingRelationship Building
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM CT
Communities of Practice: Communication Excellence Via Respect & Empowerment
Since 2022, the University of Michigan Medical School Communications Community of Practice (CoP) has been successfully navigating the collaboration and support of more than 90 unit-embedded communicators to develop partnerships, ensure access to resources, and embolden a unified voice, brand, and message across the Michigan Medicine landscape. In this presentation, we will use this case study to define a CoP, discuss the challenges of start-up, and walk through the steps toward implementation, success, and lessons learned. Participants will take away practical steps and resources for building a Community of Practice, methodology for connecting your community to the larger centralized communications core, and ideas for scaling communities to all sizes of teams.
Speakers: Megan Vanstratt, Marketing & Communications Director, University of Michigan, Erin LaRowe, Communications Director, Medical School, Michigan Medicine
Competencies: Integrity and ProfessionalismStrategic Thinking
Experience Level: All LevelsAll Levels
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM CT
Imposter Syndrome and Impossible Standards: Will I Ever Be Good Enough?
Imposter syndrome is the buzziest of buzzwords. From seasoned professionals with 30+ years in the advancement field to new grads, we often find ourselves struggling to find true confidence and certainty in who we show up to be in the workplace. Targeted towards those new to the field or new to post-grad life, this session will dive into what imposter syndrome is, how it is extraordinarily prevalent AND relevant in the advancement field, and what we can do to navigate the ebbs and flows of feeling "good enough". This session is structured to be a vulnerable conversation about self-worth and value as a professional; while also discussing ways we can find confidence in who we are, even if we don't completely have it figured out.
Speakers: Cassandra Bocchieri, Alumni Relations Manager, University of Wisconsin Madison
Competencies: Emotional IntelligenceIntegrity and Professionalism
Experience Level: All LevelsLevel 1