New fundraisers, whether new to the profession entirely, new to your organization, or new to a discipline or role, can feel like they don't receive enough guidance, direction, and onboarding from their supervisors, mentors, and peers. This session provides practical, clearly defined suggestions for setting up your new fundraisers for success from Day 1! Learn the most important elements of onboarding a new staff member to ensure that they understand your organization and their role.

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.

It’s been almost nine months since the world’s first fully autonomous fundraiser interacted with its first assigned donor. During that time, 11 higher educational institutions joined together as a cohort to engage donors with an AI-powerered Virtual Engagement Officer (and a second cohort is now live), but more importantly research, develop, and accelerate the deployment of autonomous fundraising for our entire industry.

All higher education institutions can relate to the fact that they have more donors and alumni than they have fundraisers with capacity to build relationships. This is precisely where autonomous fundraising changes what’s possible.

In this session, Susan Lewers, Associate Vice President, Major and Planned Gifts, of Illinois Institute of Technology will present the results her and her team have seen from autonomous fundraising – donors engaged, dollars raised, and pipeline built, in addition to their experience being the first organizations in the world to deploy a Virtual Engagement Officer to a portfolio of their donors.

We’ll present what we learned, what we got right, where course corrections were needed, and how we navigated AI in a field defined by relationships. We’ll share all of our findings including portfolios for autonomous fundraisers, sourcing engagement content independently, accuracy, transparency, ethics, and more.

Finally, we’ll conclude by looking at where we are going, how we can continue to further personalize donor journeys, push the outer limits of technology, and more.

Alumni Engagement and Community Partners share common values and goals when it comes to building lasting and life-long relationships with their stakeholders not only on campus but also in the surrounding community. Targeted events that foster a sense of "togetherness" and "community" are imperative to smaller towns that thrive on the impact that the students provide during their time at our university.
Finding our niche and standing out with admissions and recruitment visits has been instrumental since the development of these new community centered events. Come listen to how we have been ranked #1 in the state of Minnesota for the Best Game Day Atmosphere the past few years.
Through this presentation, you will hear how one institution takes a new approach to community centered events, has grown them into highly anticipated events for the entire community, and the economic impact that it has brought to the city, along with the excitement and buzz that started in 2017 and continues to grow each year.

This presentation will delve into the critical roles of the Wisconsin Alumni Student Board (WASB) and the Wisconsin Recent Grad Council (RGC) in influencing signature programs and initiatives at the Wisconsin Alumni Association (WAA). Both groups play a pivotal role in ensuring that current students and recent graduates are actively engaged in programs designed to strengthen their connections with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A core theme of the presentation highlights how diverse perspectives of both groups enhance the effectiveness of engagement strategies.

During the University of Chicago's Alumni Weekend in May 2024 there were at least 13 unique incidents of student, community, and alumni protest. Actions ranged from chalking, handing out pamphlets, disrupting events, occupying buildings, and damaging equipment.

Our campus, as so many others, had been home to an encampment on the main quads, just weeks before 2,500 attendees arrived for Alumni Weekend and Reunion events. The University of Chicago's commitment to free expression required the UChicago Alumni office to create a contingency plan that accounted for anticipated disruption, while abiding by the Chicago Principles.

Join us to review the Chicago Principles of Free Expression and the components of the Alumni Weekend contingency plan, constructed to include stakeholders across the University and beyond. Materials reviewed will include scripts to aid staff during events which are being disrupted, large scale protest plans, training materials for all staff volunteers, and the code of conduct for alumni participants. Session will review case studies using actual protests from the weekend and lessons learned.

This session will focus on strategies for building and sustaining affinity networks that foster community, amplify alumni voices, and increase engagement across diverse demographics. Participants will explore how to align affinity networks with the institution's goals while ensuring they foster a culture of inclusion and belonging.

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.

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.

Since the pandemic, more fundraisers do their work remotely. What is the impact on our bottom line? Can anyone work from anywhere? What are best practices based on recent research?