Geared towards early-career advancement professionals, this pre-conference session promises a vibrant session filled with rich content, collaborative ventures, and interactive problem-solving. Participants will delve into crucial CASE competencies such as relationship building and leadership, as well as explore the emotional intelligence essential for thriving in the workplace. Attendees will walk away with valuable skills to successfully navigate the early phases of their careers. *Separate Registration Required

On March 8, 1901, California Governor Henry Gage signed legislation establishing Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. This exciting announcement came after a group of local citizens led by journalist Myron Angel had been lobbying for a state school in San Luis Obispo since 1894. The idea of hosting a Founder's Day celebration stemmed from the desire to engage as many alumni as possible across all our Alumni communities in the United States; with the goal to commemorate this special day in Cal Poly's history. There were 17 Alumni communities that hosted gatherings across the United States on March 8, 2024. Our Alumni Engagement team worked with many volunteers to facilitate the planning, timing, marketing, pricing, food & beverage and all other details to pull off one night of celebrations across the Country. Learn what it took to collaborate with volunteers, other campus partners, Board of Directors and colleges to pull off this successful engagement event!

Are gift clubs dead? Not if you ask their members! But Starbucks, Target, and Amazon have changed what people expect from loyalty programs, and fundraising needs to follow suit. See how the annual giving team at Caltech put personalization over perks and stewardship over rewards to build a leadership annual giving program that accounts for nearly 90% of their annual gift revenue and is growing at a rate of 10% each year.

Most development professionals have experienced an uncomfortable, offensive, or harmful donor-constituent interaction. This cannot just be seen as “part of the job” rather something that is addressed to create a culture and systems that build brave spaces and policies and procedures that result in greater safety and professional satisfaction.

Explore the future of public relations as AI reshapes the way press releases are crafted and distributed. This session will cover the latest AI technologies that PR professionals can use to enhance their writing, personalize messaging, and increase the reach and effectiveness of their press releases. Gain insights into how AI can help you stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

Why is it that there is sometimes a tension between frontline staff and Advancement Services? Is it because we don't speak the same language? Join us in a lively interactive session with Dhiraj Chand, Principal Gifts and Paul Majnik, from the University of Utah along with Clay Buck, Kindsight Fundraising Coach and Caroline Chang, VP Product Evangelism, as they dive into why there is a communication gap and what we can do to bridge that gap to speak the same (love) language.

In the dynamic world of advancement for education, effective management and support of volunteers is crucial for organizational success. This session, "Advancing Board Management," delves into the volunteer component of advancement, exploring how to optimize work with a variety of volunteer groups including alumni boards, advisory boards, foundation boards, governing boards, task forces, and committees.
We will begin by examining the best practices of high-functioning boards, highlighting key strategies that drive efficiency and impact. Learn about proven techniques to cultivate a productive board culture, establish clear roles and responsibilities, and implement robust governance structures.
Next, we’ll explore effective engagement strategies for board members that enhance participation and commitment. We’ll share innovative approaches to involving board members in meaningful ways, ensuring they are both motivated and empowered to contribute their best.
Finally, we’ll discuss ways to leverage communities of practice to increase collaboration among colleagues doing similar work, helping to provide for a more cohesive and coordinated approach towards effective board management.

In today's evolving philanthropic landscape, digital engagement officers are proving to be indispensable in enhancing fundraising strategies and cultivating robust donor pipelines. This session explores how digital tools—such as video, texting, email, virtual meetings, and even traditional phone calls—can transform donor interactions and drive substantial results.

Gain insights from a successful program that developed a digital engagement strategy from the ground up, now generating over $1M annually. Learn actionable tips for streamlining your digital outreach efforts, discover valuable resources, and receive practical samples to implement in your own organization. Benefit from the experiences of seasoned development officers who have navigated this digital frontier, and leave equipped with the knowledge to elevate your donor engagement and fundraising success.

Universities across the country deploy regional development teams to engage and cultivate alums who are far from campus. While cultivation opportunities have become more accessible virtually, remote alumni still crave in-person engagement with campus leadership for an impactful experience. The UC Berkeley East Coast Major Gifts team developed a program to efficiently and effectively bring campus leadership, from Deans and Vice Chancellors to the University Chancellor, across the country specifically for development work and donor meetings. This system, tailored over years of iteration, has resulted in historic fundraising revenue from the region, contributing over $373M to the recently completed Light the Way Campaign. Brown University deployed a similar strategy on the West Coast, including a bespoke events program focused on campaign priorities and key donors. In this session, we will outline the strategy and implementation plan to collaborate with campus fundraisers, build a sustainable regional donor pipeline, and use qualitative and quantitative data-informed strategies to bring campus leaders to regions in which their time will be used effectively to drive forward major gift conversations.

Each and every message we send and receive over the course of the day is coded by the
sender and decoded by the receiver. This leaves room for misinterpretation and confusion
if we aren’t careful. Using Schramm’s Communication Model, this interaction session will
demonstrate the power and impact of coding and decoding of messages and attendees will
leave with a new perspective on the intentionality we should consider with every
communication we send (or receive).

Want to maximize your Gala ROI? Discover the transformative power of volunteer engagement. In this presentation, we will delve into innovative strategies to enhance your return on investment (ROI) by empowering your volunteers. Learn how the Chinese American International School (PS-8), leverages our volunteer's unique skills and passions to create a more dynamic and efficient event that not only meets but exceeds our fundraising goals.