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

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!

Are you feeling the need for a big change but have no idea how to get started? Maybe it’s that you’re burned out of your current role, wanting more (or less!) responsibility, needing to take charge of your work/life balance. The massive disruption in our way of life brought by the pandemic has shaken loose many folks' desire to make big changes - in life, in careers, or both. The way we work changed forever, and with everything that came with the pandemic many now see with clarity that we want to do things differently…but have no idea how to start. In this session, Ellen Whitlock Baker will lead you through methods to start to explore big changes, whether they be in your work or life. Using the “Immunity to Change” model, we’ll walk through how to assess your current state, identify what you want to change, and explore what’s holding you back. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to begin to make those changes you’ve been thinking about...and the first steps to take to get started.

In this lightning-fast session, we’ll condense 25 years of higher ed print communications experience into 60 ideas that you can use TODAY to make your print publications more read, more loved, and more valuable. From optimizing your print publications for the coffee table to techniques that can 8x the effectiveness of your headlines, to “engagement engineering” to make stories as feedback-friendly as possible, participants will come away with concrete ideas that they can implement immediately and make a real difference for their publications and communications.

In this session, we will explore a real-world case study that demonstrates how collaboration, strategic planning, and effective stakeholder engagement can drive revenue growth and transform an organization. Imagine starting at a new organization raising just $600,000 a year and transforming it to a consistent $3 million a year in revenue after just 18 months. We’ll explore the practical strategies that fueled our growth and how to create a collaborative relationship with Faculty and Advancement leadership. Join us to learn more about this journey where people power and relationships led to dramatic financial transformation!

In this multi-disciplinary approach, learn how Oregon State University crafted its most comprehensive discovery program to date. This presentation will showcase how we blend traditional marketing and analytics with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify and connect with potential donors. Learn about our newly formed team of development officers dedicated exclusively to this critical work, and discover how this program is also driving our volunteer engagement efforts. In an industry facing a challenging donor landscape, this program represents a forward-thinking solution to rejuvenate and expand OSU's donor base, ensuring a sustainable and thriving future for the organization.

In 2022, the Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) engaged an alumni volunteer committee as the Alumni Recognition Focus Group (ARFG) to re-design alumni recognition and awards programming at Mount Royal University (MRU). The revamped program that emerged in 2023, the Outstanding Alumni Awards, integrated direct feedback from these alumni volunteers and aligned alumni recognition directly to Mount Royal’s vision and values while supporting the strategic goals from both the Alumni Relations strategic plan and the overall University Advancement strategic plan. This shift has created the opportunity to celebrate alumni who may not have received recognition under the previous, achievement-focused format and provides the opportunity for deeper relationship building with a wider alumni audience. The Outstanding Alumni Awards (OAA) is a year-round program engaging alumni, priority campus stakeholders and friends of the university actively in volunteer roles and content creation. This evolution process and subsequent awards program recently received a Silver Medal at the CCAE (Canadian Council for Advancement in Education) Prix d'Excellence awards.

Join us as we explore the evolution of principal gift (PG) impact reporting at the University of Calgary. This session will provide insights into our phased approach to improving donor communication, enhancing financial transparency, and strengthening bespoke reporting. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how strategic changes in stewardship practices can lead to more meaningful donor engagement and operational efficiencies.

Take your annual giving day to the next level by enhancing the ways you follow up with your generous donors. Show them their impact and build those relationships with meaningful stewardship. In this session, you’ll receive examples for creating a comprehensive stewardship plan, audit your giving day thank yous, streamline your stewardship process, report back on your giving day success and gain templates you can adapt for your institution. This session will also highlight fun events to build connections with donors as well as your giving day partners.

This session will explore effective strategies for engaging student-athlete alumni. Attendees will learn about the unique challenges of maintaining strong alumni relations with former student-athletes, including time constraints, career transitions, and differing experiences from non-athletes. Participants will discuss successful approaches, such as career networking programs, tailored alumni events, and mentoring opportunities that foster long-term engagement. The session will also address the emotional and psychological challenges student-athletes face when transitioning from sports to professional careers. Attendees will leave with practical tools to create impactful engagement initiatives and strengthen alumni relations with former athletes, ensuring they remain valuable members of the institutional community. Ideal for professionals in alumni relations, athletics, and development, this session will provide strategies to enhance student-athlete alumni involvement and build lasting connections.

Come join UVic’s Leadership Giving Team to learn how, with minimal resources and a team of three, they secured a 50% response rate to their invitation to meet, and over 20% positive responses, including major gifts and new student awards. With a comprehensive campaign on the horizon, all hands are on deck to help identify new prospects to support UVic’s ambitious goals. Through a multi-channel, personalized qualification strategy, the newly established Leadership Giving team (raising gifts in the 1k-25k/year range) launched a personalized invitation to meet -- and in the process, developed a scalable qualification model on a shoestring budget. Learn about their DIY approach and leave with ideas, and a solid plan to uncover prospects in your own database.

In an era dominated by the attention economy, the digital landscape is rife with cynicism, misinformation, and disengagement. Yet, as fundraisers, optimism is in our DNA. So, what would happen if we decided to lean into that optimism? And what if it were contagious? In this “net-positive” session, we’ll explore how joy and hope are not only core to who we are but something we’re uniquely capable of spreading. Discover how to create authentic and thoughtfully designed online experiences for your community that capture attention—and then effectively channel that attention towards meaningful and impactful philanthropic initiatives. We’ve got examples!

Learn how advancement services at the University of Manitoba became the catalyst for a data-driven transformation and a hub of innovation. This journey began with a bold statement: "to become a data-driven organization." By implementing direct changes, advancement services evolved from a small service unit into a dynamic solutions provider. This transformation rapidly expanded to adjacent business units and, within just four years, reached central departments and faculties. Discover the best practices and strategies that fueled this rapid evolution, and learn how to apply these principles to foster innovation and data-driven decision-making in your own organization. Join us for an inspiring session filled with actionable insights and proven success stories.

Are you fundraising to create resources specifically for Indigenous students? Effective campaign preparation must prioritize engagement within the framework of Indigenous reconciliation.  This session is intended to be a respectful dialogue that promotes understanding and collaboration with Indigenous communities. This discussion is led by a non-Indigenous public engagement professional dedicated to learning and fostering meaningful engagement. They are eager to share their experiences and encourage the conversation while acknowledging how far they, too, still have to go.

Join four fundraisers from the University of Oregon for an exciting conversation about working the mid-level! Topics covered will include donor cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship strategies; moving donors along the pipeline from annual giving to major gifts; and navigating career growth as a frontline fundraiser. Bring your questions and be ready for some real talk!

Here’s the edited version of your copy, incorporating the idea that these lessons apply beyond traditional creative roles: As creatives, we often aspire to secure a seat at “the table”—seeking recognition, influence, and the opportunity to shape key decisions. But here's the truth: we already have a table of our own, brimming with unique insights, diverse experiences, and the ability to make a real impact. The challenge lies in recognizing and leveraging it. This session is designed for in-house creative professionals looking to grow their careers, expand creative opportunities, and develop leadership skills. However, the lessons shared go beyond traditional creative roles. No matter where you work or what your role is, creativity isn’t confined to a title or department—it’s a mindset. Together, we’ll explore how to identify and unlock opportunities for authentic connections and influence within your organization, empowering you to make an impact without waiting for an invitation.

With career pivots and side hustles becoming the norm, the alumni community’s appetite for ongoing career support is stronger than ever. The University of Calgary has successfully implemented a comprehensive suite of alumni career development initiatives designed to support professional growth and cultivate lifelong relationships. This session explains our multi-faceted approach, highlighting key career development offerings that have significantly increased alumni engagement and improved the lives of thousands of our alumni. These offerings are highly replicable and can be initiated by other institutions to improve engagement, all while providing life-changing support that positively impacts their alumni and greater community. The success of our innovative alumni programming is evidenced by increased participation rates, positive feedback, and the strengthened sense of community among our alumni. By sharing our strategies and outcomes, we aim to inspire other institutions to adopt similar approaches, ultimately enhancing alumni engagement and their lifelong career development.

Discover how Portland State University, an urban campus with a non-traditional student body, has created a vibrant and successful Day of Giving campaign with nearly 100 participating funds. This session will reveal the unique strategies used to garner widespread support and brand recognition among campus partners, alumni, faculty/staff, and students. Attendees will learn how to leverage challenges, foster effective partner communication and training, boost student involvement, and execute a comprehensive communications strategy. Join us to gain actionable insights and proven methods to elevate your institution’s Day of Giving.

What is it about “the little engine that could” that allowed it to successfully pull the train over the mountain when larger engines refused to even try? Why is it that California pistachio farmers so often become millionaires when the trees take years to mature and bear fruit? What can we learn from the little engine that exclaimed “I think I can…I think I can” as it huffed and puffed to the mountain top? Can universities and colleges embarking on a major comprehensive campaign learn from these examples? Yes, when one considers the common characteristics or ingredients in a successful campaign: patience, persistence, and a healthy culture of philanthropy. It is almost universal that comprehensive campaigns, especially multi-year, first time efforts, are a mixture of challenges and opportunities. But with patience, persistence and a keen understanding of your culture of philanthropy, the challenges can be met, and the opportunities can bear fruit. Join us for an in-depth look at these issues and obstacles and get tips on how patience and persistence can lead to success: • How do you go about setting meaningful priorities and goals? How do you respond to shifting priorities? • Explore strategies when changes in leadership occur. • Join our discussion on successful techniques to grow or enhance your prospect pool. • It takes money to raise money. Explore with colleagues the multiple methods for aquiring resources that will put you on a path to a successful campaign. • What do you do when when campaign fatigue sets in? • Identifying and growing your culture of philanthropy is essential to campaign success. Explore with us the four key pillars of a robust culture and how you can improve them as your campaign unfolds.

As workplaces evolve, talent management strategies must adapt to address new challenges and opportunities. This panel explores the critical aspects of recruiting and retaining diverse talent, integrating emerging professionals into a multigenerational workforce, and fostering a cohesive, inclusive workplace culture within the advancement profession. Panelists will discuss practical approaches to bridging generational gaps, aligning varying work styles and expectations, and creating environments where employees from all backgrounds can thrive. Join us to gain insights, share experiences, and explore innovative solutions for building dynamic, future-ready teams in the field of advancement.