Collaboration across level in a university can already be in formal structures or you may need to develop the format our self. In this campfire session we will share best practices for how to organize the structure for the division of responsibility for task/activities between university, faculty and department levels.

Do we need CRM systems when we work with alumni and external relations? If we work with a CRM system we need a god practice to handle all the data. How do we handle GDPR? How do we structure data about alumni and external relations? How do we work with fundraising processes?. How do we integrate to student service systems and other systems? During the discussion we will look answers to all these and other related questions. We will share our experience and reporting good practices.

Are you navigating alumni relations and fundraising with a small team? Do you have creative strategies or challenges to share? Join this interactive campfire discussion where we’ll explore AI as your team member, micro-communities, crowdsourcing engagement, gamification, subscription-based giving, alumni as influencers, reverse fundraising, guerrilla marketing, and corporate collaborations on a budget—all through a Nordic perspective. If you have experiences or insights on these topics, we’d love to hear from you! If you’re looking for inspiration, come listen, learn, and take away practical ideas to apply in your own work.

Development Offices usually work with limited resources and we have to prioritise daily. We often have to choose between handling stewardship to existing donors and to spend important time approaching new donors. Both tasks takes time, and we have to balance our efforts to have a good portfolio of donors in the long time perspective. In this Camp Fire session we will discuss how we can work more efficiently by partnering with stakeholders, for example Advisory Boards. We look forward to listen to your experiences and to have a discussion with a great learning and sharing moment!

Over the past decade, the importance of individual giving and donations has significantly increased in the Nordic university sector. Understanding the motivations and experiences of individual donors is becoming increasingly crucial. In this breakout session, we will present two case studies that shed light on this topic. In 2024, Nora Rahnasto explored ways to enhance the engagement and donor experience of major individual donors in higher education as part of her MBA thesis in Service Innovation and Design. The study identified four donor behavior archetypes and the different motivations of major individual donors, with Aalto University serving as the case study. Birgitta Rorsman from Chalmers will provide concrete and inspiring examples of Chalmers' alumni giving program and fundraising for international scholarships, illustrating successful strategies and practices in engaging alumni as donors. Join us to gain valuable insights into effectively designing donor experiences and fostering stronger relationships with private individuals.

Higher education rankings have become a fixture of the academic calendar. They help sell newspapers, promote consulting services and provide great PR for the institutions that do well in them, but do they add value to your institution or encourage distortions to game the system?

Social media empowers higher education institutions to achieve broad visibility, even with limited budgets. By sharing meaningful, authentic content, institutions can foster engagement and trust. Practical examples include student ambassador programs, social media takeovers, and influencer collaborations. New experiments on platforms like TikTok highlight innovative ways to connect with younger, digitally native audiences.

Due Diligence and related data have been one of the focus points in higher education area during the last years. High-quality data and the ability to use it analytically to support this is crucial for successful fundraising and agile alumni relations. The importance of centralized and structured process and CRM Master Data is also at the core. In this session, I'll share hands-on how this has unfolded in Aalto University and invite you to bring your insights and questions to the discussion.

Are you navigating alumni relations and fundraising with a small team? Do you have creative strategies or challenges to share? Join this interactive campfire discussion where we’ll explore AI as your team member, micro-communities, crowdsourcing engagement, gamification, subscription-based giving, alumni as influencers, reverse fundraising, guerrilla marketing, and corporate collaborations on a budget—all through a Nordic perspective. If you have experiences or insights on these topics, we’d love to hear from you! If you’re looking for inspiration, come listen, learn, and take away practical ideas to apply in your own work.