Get the day started with this engaging session that offers an approachable introduction to the essential components of the advancement field. From alumni engagement and donor relations to communications and fundraising, you'll gain a foundational understanding of how advancement professionals foster connections and drive support for institutions. Learn key terminology, explore practical examples, and discover how your role fits into the broader mission of advancing your school, college, or university. Join us to build your confidence, expand your network, and embark on an exciting journey in university advancement! *Separate registration required

We have too many things to do, and there's no end in sight. As fundraisers in higher education, we are all navigating complex issues every day. The daily stream of news, events, and pressure related to resource development in higher education is a lot to manage. Finding and staying in a productive zone can be daunting, and burnout is often nipping at our heels. This will be an interactive session that creates space for sharing best practices for laser focus in a complex and over-scheduled world. *Separate registration required

Step into the world of university advancement with insights from those who’ve walked the path before you. In this panel session, seasoned advancement leaders will share the lessons they’ve learned, the surprises they encountered, and the advice they wish they’d had when starting their careers. From navigating challenges to celebrating wins, you’ll gain candid perspectives on what it takes to succeed in this dynamic field. Bring your questions, soak in their wisdom, and leave with actionable tips to guide your journey in university advancement. *Separate registration required

As we wrap up the newcomers preconference, this time together will empower you to make the most of the days ahead. Reflect on key insights from today, connect the dots to your own professional journey, and gain tips on how to engage fully with the conference experience. From navigating sessions and meeting industry peers to identifying opportunities for growth, we’ll set the stage for you to dive into university advancement with purpose and excitement. Leave this session feeling inspired, connected, and ready to take advantage of everything this conference has to offer! *Separate registration required

Welcome to the 2025 CASE District VIII Annual Conference! Join Conference Chair Chantal Beaver for an overview of the next three days, and an official welcome to Bellevue.

In this high-energy keynote, Health and Productivity Expert Michelle Cederberg shares research from her latest book The Success-Energy Equation. After years of studying top-in-class professionals she’s uncovered obvious, though rarely recognized, or exercised ways to streamline success, reduce stress and eliminate exhaustion. From fail-proofing your routines, to clarifying your goals, and finally breaking free from the traps of distraction, Michelle uncovers a powerful combination of scientific facts, health truths, and laughable human behaviors that when implemented, will set you apart from the average ambitious individual and help you solve your own personal formula for success in profound ways.

In today’s diverse higher education environment, inclusive communication is not just an option but a necessity. This session aims to equip higher education professionals with the knowledge and strategies to better understand, identify, engage on and communicate observances important to diverse communities. From religious holidays to cultural heritage months, recognizing these events helps build an inclusive campus environment in which diverse community members can see themselves reflected in, promotes mutual respect, and enhances student, staff and faculty understanding of and engagement with equity and anti-racism. We’ll explore emerging practices to consult and collaborate with communities on communication initiatives, develop tools and mechanisms to better cooordinate amongst institutional communication partners (particularly of relevance to those in large, decentralized organizations), and assess and develop appropriate communication and engagement approaches – including social media, programming considerations and leadership messaging. We’ll share experiences and invite a participatory discussion on promising practices and ways to navigate expectations, manage reactive situations and take on proactive approaches. Participants will better understand how these efforts help cultivate knowledge and inspire behaviour change to build a more inclusive university community. Delve into essential components: understanding the rich tapestry of observances, crafting dynamic communication strategies for diverse audiences, embedding observances into the fabric of institutional communications, and measuring outcomes. Walk away with actionable insights and strategies to cultivate inclusivity, elevate awareness of equity and anti-racism, and ignite community engagement through vibrant observance communication initiatives at your institution. This session is tailored for professionals looking to optimize the celebration of key observances crucial to our diverse student, faculty, and staff communities. Leave equipped with actionable insights to drive inclusivity, elevate cultural awareness, and enhance community engagement through impactful observance initiatives at your institution. University of British Columbia campuses are situated within the traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh, and in the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation and their peoples.

Are you always looking for a more efficient way to fundraise? Join Capilano University as we share our successes in transforming the traditional fundraising model into an impactful and intimate experience. In this session, you'll discover the power of just one hour in maximizing engagement and donor potential by utilizing a small number of table hosts rather than relying on securing large event attendance. Learn from our Marketing & Digital Communication team as they use brand storytelling to strengthen connection, reputation, and impact, while reflecting the values of your institution. Gain tips on how to craft a compelling impact story video that resonates deeply with your audience, making your cause irresistible. Plus, build a sponsorship strategy to offset 100% of the event’s expense. Leave with actionable insights and practical tips to elevate your fundraising efforts. ‘We Believe’ our unique breakfast event model will inspire ideas and unlock new opportunities for your organization. CapU was recognized with a CASE Grand Gold Circle of Excellence Award for their We Believe fundraising video.

Prospect research is quickly evolving away from traditional research due to advancement in data, technology, and AI and moving towards proactive analytics that delivers actionable, data-informed insights that directly impact fundraising decision making. To keep ahead of these trends, the Oregon State University (OSU) Foundation embarked on a three-year initiative to redefine its research approach by creating a dynamic, proactive, data-informed program prioritizing close partnerships with Development and emphasizing strategic conversations grounded in analytics. This new approach resulted in the formation of the newly branded Relationship Insights team at the OSU Foundation. Recognized with a 2024 Silver CASE Circle of Excellence award, this presentation tells the story of how the OSU Foundation went from Research to Relationship Insights. We will share how other organizations can adopt similar approaches to enhance their organization's research and fundraising efforts by providing more proactive value to their development officers, and what the future holds for the Relationship Insights team.

For years, alumni engagement leaders have been feeling the burn of quantifying the results of our work. Never as easy to quantify as dollars in the door and other frontline fundraiser metrics, we find ourselves trying to justify funding and support for our work without being able to show the ROI as easily as frontline fundraisers. Have we been making it too complicated? In this session, Ellen Whitlock Baker and Aaron Clarry will outline how we have created an efficient way to measure and report alumni engagement metrics at Seattle University because of the strong partnership we’ve developed between our two shops. We will show how you can simply collect and report out on some of the CASE AEM data, even if you can’t track it all. We’ll also show examples of key reports to leaders and team members to keep alumni engagement metrics accurate and top of mind. This session is great for alumni engagement professionals as well as those who work in advancement services roles; it’s with our power combined that we are able to more effectively report on engagement KPIs.

Have you ever had a great idea to Advance the Mission of your School, only to have it limited by inaccessible resources? The best ideas in academic programming, athletic offerings, residential life experiences, issues around DEI, educational technology, risk-management, and student support often come with price tags that put them out of reach. Explore how to deepen your impact as a leader through practical approaches to securing the human and financial resources needed, "one conversation at a time".

In the ever-evolving landscape of higher education fundraising, the role of academic leaders, particularly Deans, is critical in driving successful comprehensive campaigns. This session will delve into best practices and case study-style examples from the University of Idaho’s $500M "Brave. Bold. Unstoppable." campaign, highlighting the series of workshops conducted to empower Deans. These workshops focused on casting a vision, developing a case for support for each academic unit, creating individual donor strategies, and activating and utilizing volunteers for campaign fundraising at the unit level.

Mentorship is not a numbers game, it is an opportunity to connect your alumni community in a tangible way to the institution and future alumni. By creating an interconnected, fulsome mentorship platform that encourages connection worldwide, you expand the ability of alumni and students to achieve greater success in their careers and personal development, while enhancing the reputation of your institution.

Join us for an exciting dive into Willamette University's ambitious website project—a transformative journey that redefined our digital presence and strategic focus. We'll cover how we secured grant funding from the Murdoch Foundation, teamed up with the national website firm Simpson Scarborough, and built an SEO-focused team to boost our online visibility. Discover how we navigated the post-merger visual identities after merging with PNCA, managed a complex 50,000-page website (and reduced our digital footprint), and ensured accessibility compliance for all users. We'll also share our strategies for bifurcating internal and external content, focusing exclusively on prospective students, and updating brand guidelines to reflect our new identity. Plus, we'll talk about creating a new content policy and setting up a website governance oversight committee. Reflect on the lessons we've learned and get a peek into our future plans to keep our digital presence strong and effective. Don't miss out on the valuable insights and strategies you can take back to your institution!