Bob Dylan was not singing about higher education when he sang “the times they are a changin’,” but indeed many universities nationwide are experiencing an era of challenge and change. Our relatively small school at the flagship university in Colorado has experienced significant change over the past year-plus — from deanship transitions to sweeping budget and organizational change. These changes have led us to pivot and evaluate our communications strategies in real time while we attempt to remain true to our mission and center community-building among faculty, staff, students, and supporters. We don’t have all the answers, but we know we are not the only ones interested in exploring inclusive and transparent communications strategies during times of change and processing our emotions as staff leaders. In this interactive session, we will work through lessons learned around change management in our school as we explore case studies together about budget constraints, political scrutiny, leadership transitions, humanizing change management, and more.

Time is valuable, and that is what makes volunteering such an impactful component of alumni engagement. Creating volunteer opportunities for alumni to connect with students, the university, and each other is the ultimate win-win proposition. Over the past year, the Colorado School of Mines (Mines) has grown participation in its volunteer program by more than 70%. This growth in volunteerism can be attributed to increased access to opportunities, establishing expectations, tracking participation, and consistent stewardship. Mines is a mid-sized university with around 8,000 students and 40,000 alumni. The Mines Foundation and Alumni Engagement shop align with the university in both size and budget. To optimize for our size and staff bandwidth, we have developed techniques that increase our impact while maintaining a small to mid-sized team. Developing a robust volunteer offering has improved our collaboration with university partners and elevated the Mines signature student experience. Volunteerism has cultivated stronger alumni connections with the university and advanced individuals through the donor continuum.

Let’s be honest – managing and reporting on donor funds is no small feat and advancement teams cannot do it alone. We rely heavily on our systems, processes, and organization partners to help us create the best donor experiences we possibly can. But if you ask yourself: Are our donor funds being utilized? Are they being used correctly and timely? Should we be worried when we send out our annual donor fund reports? And if you've shared some of these concerns, you're not alone. In recent years, many organizations have grappled with similar questions, finding little guidance on this vital aspect of any advancement operation. Join us in this session as we look at several case studies on how organizations like yours built the case for support to create and grow a fund management program. It's time to bring the discussion on funds management challenges out of closed-door conversations and begin an industry dialogue to identify what tools, resources, and standards need to be in place to successfully manage and steward donor funds. Whether you are new to funds management or seasoned in the field, come prepared to share your experiences and glean insights from others in this collaborative space.

The NDSU Foundation strives to create to the pinnacle volunteer experience for their Trustees. That is no easy task with over 70 Trustees. Learn how they have implemented personas and metrics to measure and personalize the volunteer experience.

Warren Buffett once said, “You only get one mind and one body...it’s what you do right now, today, that determines how your mind and body will operate 10, 20, and 30 years from now.” This session invites participants to pause and assess their current approach to wellness, both personally and professionally. Co-led by two longtime Advancement professionals, the session will start with a brief awareness exercise to reflect on your available time and an interactive poll on wellness habits. Then, through a guided discussion of the Gallup Engagement Pyramid, we’ll explore practical strategies for:
• Advocating for clear goals, resources, and boundaries to achieve professional success.
• Leveraging your strengths and prioritizing self-care to fulfill individual needs.
• Building meaningful workplace relationships and fostering psychological safety within teams.
• Pursuing opportunities for growth and development in your role. The session will conclude with a wellness planning exercise, empowering you to recharge intentionally and sustain your well-being over time. Join us to take control of your wellness journey and thrive both inside and outside of work.

In an era where donor count is trending down and questions about the value of higher education are trending up, how can communications and marketing professionals keep audiences engaged and ready to give? With the help of some killer sticker incentives and a little ingenuity, Kansas State University Foundation is daring to ask donors what they care about and then creating personalized content strategies that hit the engagement mark.

In today's rapidly changing landscape of alumni relations and advancement, graduate-level academic units face the challenge of effectively engaging alumni through central programming, particularly when it is assumed that graduate-level alumni will not want to engage in centralized programs. This presentation will showcase innovative strategies and best practices for utilizing centralized programming to achieve graduate-level engagement and philanthropic goals.

As higher education institutions face increasingly complex fundraising landscapes, the role of campaign leaders has evolved significantly. Today’s campaign leaders must balance strategic vision, data-driven decision-making, and collaborative leadership to drive successful fundraising efforts. This session will explore how the role of campaign leaders is changing and what skills and strategies are essential for success in modern fundraising campaigns.

In this session, we will examine the following key areas:

• The shift from traditional to strategic campaign leadership
• The importance of data and analytics in campaign planning and execution
• Building and leading cross-functional teams
• Engaging stakeholders and fostering a culture of philanthropy

Many organizations are hesitant to accept more complex gifts like real estate, cryptocurrency, charitable gift annuities, or various other gifts of assets that seem to be outside of their grasp. There are many valid reasons for this. The organization may not want to take on the risk of accepting a highly complex gift. Their gift acceptance policies may not even allow them to accept complex assets. Or they may simply not know whom to turn to for help. This session will explore the ways in which even fundraising shops of all sizes can accept large, complex gifts that have the power to transform their organization.

In a world of ever-evolving multichannel engagement strategies, finding the perfect game plan for donor connection can seem like a daunting task. Many of us, particularly small to mid-level Foundations and Fundraisers with tight budgets, often find expensive one-size-fits-all programs out of reach. We're here to offer an alternative approach and share our resources with other institutes and programs facing the same challenges. Discover how to master the art of donor engagement in-house, make the most of the resources you already have at your disposal, and find ways to create the perfect donor engagement plan for your organization.