Have you been in organizations where values are everywhere and nowhere? They are painted on the walls, but hard to see in action. This session, led by Harvard Alumni Affairs and Development, will help make organizational values the heartbeat of your advancement team. We will share experiences and outcomes from culture-building programs, operational infrastructure, intentional communications, recognition, and accountability. Facilitated by COO and Associate VP, Siovhan O’Connor; Talent Management Director, Brittany Wilhelm; and Associate Director, Manager & Employee Effectiveness, Melisa Holzman, this session sits at the intersection of leadership, coordination, execution, and iteration necessary to live organizational values out loud.

The state of diversity, equity, and inclusion is increasingly coming under attack as numerous individuals, state legislative bills, and well-funded thinktanks work feverishly to dismantle and invoke fear toward any progress. Institutions in some states are being directed to remove the language of diversity within their recruitment materials, and others are experiencing the call for removal of senior level diversity administrators after decades of student advocacy and intentional university commitment. What does this brewing anti-DEIB storm mean for the profession of advancement; how can advancement organizations build capacity to be agile during a contentious time? This session will expose strategic talent management professionals to topics targeting DEIB that may challenge their progress forward. In addition, this session will assist professionals in processing their internal strategy and position while identifying opportunities to stay the course on their DEIB strategic plans and initiatives.

Onboarding is a team sport in which managers and non-managers alike have an important role in contributing to a new staff member’s onboarding experience. An organized, thorough, and positive onboarding experience is critical for a new hire’s success and retention – but while an exciting time, it can also be overwhelming for both them and the existing team. This interactive session will provide strategies, tips, and templates for developing a standardized onboarding plan specific to your organization and team, no matter your role.

Recruiting excellent talent during the Great Resignation and Quiet Quitting era has left even the most experienced recruiters and leaders on a roller coaster ride. Candidates have the upper hand and we oftentimes find ourselves vying for that Final Rose! Flexibility, higher pay, and a dynamic culture are just a few of the demands. Come join Caltech’s talent management team and AVP of Advancement Services to learn some tricks we have learned along the way including how to market a role, attract a diverse candidate pool, and develop the candidate experience...to take home the Final Rose!

It is an industry trend for institutions of higher education to experience turnover among development officers at the end of a campaign. As the University of Florida ends their historic Go Greater campaign, we will discuss creative strategies for engaging and retaining high-performing employees as a campaign ends.

The global pandemic transformed the way people work. You have watched your team do their best to meet the demands of the fast-changing times and recognize they are overwhelmed and burning out. As a compassionate and forward thinker, you recognize that engaged team members are essential to the advancement of a healthy organization. The task of refueling and preparing your teams to adapt has fallen to you. Learn how the UCLA Alumni Association introduced a coach-based leadership program for staff designed to develop self-empowered leaders and teams that move forward with confidence and ownership of their growth, and are ready to embrace the future.

In July 2021, UVA's University Advancement team began operating in a remote-first, hybrid work environment, allowing employees to choose where they worked. Fast-forward to today - 20% of our staff lives remotely (as far away as Hawaii!), and only 15% of staff work from the office daily. Is the future of work hybrid? It is at UVA. At this session, you'll learn about the challenges we've faced and the opportunities we were able to take advantage of. Gain insight into our lessons learned and how we've had to adjust our strategies for staff success.

Employee job satisfaction and feelings of belonging positively contribute to employee retention. Supportive supervisors can increase employees' feelings of belonging and job satisfaction, but in "lean" organizations, bandwidth for supervisor trainings is often limited. This session will explore how a VP of Advancement (and doctoral candidate in organizational leadership) partnered with colleagues across campus to implement leadership trainings for the university's supervisory staff that focused on building skills and community through small-group cohort discussions. The training led to increased job satisfaction for supervisors. It also increased belonging and satisfaction in their direct reports, as evidenced in post-workshop surveys and interviews in the presenter's doctoral research.