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

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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 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.