The CASE Statement of Ethics begins . . . “Institutional advancement professionals, by virtue of their responsibilities within the academic community, represent their colleges, universities and schools to the larger society. They have, therefore, a special duty to exemplify the best qualities of their institutions and to observe the highest standards of personal and professional conduct.” We’ll consider a framework for making ethical decisions, the difference between real ethical dilemmas and perceived ethical dilemmas, and we’ll put to the test some real-life examples.

Leadership has many dimensions and can be defined in a range of ways, but what does it mean to be a leader? Many books have been written about how to turn yourself into a leader: stand taller, be more confident, be decisive, be collaborative, talk more, talk less. But at some point, can’t you just be yourself and also be an effective leader? This session will be a dynamic conversation about how you develop your own personal brand of leadership, adapt it to your team and environment, and remain authentic to who you are and your life experiences.

As your career advances you will face many opportunities and challenges…none so complex as learning how to effectively manage yourself in the various roles you play from day to day (or minute to minute!). This interactive conversation will focus on how to manage up, down, directly, through influence and through change management…all while sharpening your own working style and being part of a high functioning organization.

As a leadership annual fund or major gift professional, you are a detective or anthropologist, uncovering clues to your donor's philanthropic interests, motivations and values. And, like a good detective or anthropologist, you have many different tools for gaining the information you need. In this session we will identify some of the critical skills needed to be a strategic listener and observer as well as an active participant in relationship building.

Analyzing your prospect data is a critical component of campaign management before, during and after the campaign. Review analytics projects you can do to get ready, stay on track, and learn lessons to apply to your next campaign. Discuss setting campaign goals, gift table development, prospect pool maturity analysis, campaign revenue projection, identifying problem areas during the campaign, and reviewing your campaign when it’s over.  

Why do some fundraising & advancement professionals thrive where others struggle? What can we learn from individuals who arrive at the highest levels of performance? How might recent studies of expert performers inform our approach to our work? We will explore these questions and review techniques that are essential to our craft. Join us and discover why advancement stars are made and not born.

For more than 10,000 years humankind has been moved by great stories. Stories have changed the course of history, been used to right wrongs, and to educate new generations. In fact, at the Summer Institute, we devote an entire General Session to hearing stories from our faculty, revealing key lessons learned while they were in the field. Each of our educational institutions is bursting with powerful, meaningful stories. As advancement professionals, we have the opportunity and the challenge to capture this vital information and bring it to life. Many believe that the best fundraisers are also exceptional storytellers. This elective session will build upon some of the lessons learned in the General Session while diving into the techniques and approaches that will help anyone learn to tell a great story, including time to role play what you’ve learned with your classmates!

There’s no shortage of projects and priorities. How do you make sure you’re making the most of your limited resources and focusing on what matters most to your institution? In this presentation, Mike Barzacchini will share a planning process and tools for organizing your marketing, communication, and other advancement efforts to move your institution’s strategic priorities forward. The session will also include tools to help you share your story with internal stakeholders to gain buy-in and support.

So, you have a great idea but aren’t sure how to get the green light. Have been asked to take on developing a new program to engage alumni and donors, but don’t know where to start? In this session, we will cover the ins and outs of strategic planning not just at the organization-wide level, but also at the program or department level. We will cover the why, approaches for ensuring ROI, managing outcomes, aligning resources, and lead an interactive exercise to support the development of meaningful roadmaps.