Program
The Young Alumni and Student Engagement conference is scheduled for June 8-10, 2022. Registration opens at Noon on June 8 and the conference will adjourn at Noon on June 10.
Day 1: Wednesday, June 8
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Conference Registration
Welcome New Orleans! Stop by the registration desk beginning at 12:00 p.m. to check in and pick up your conference materials.
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Conference Welcome, Overview, and Big Picture
Join conference chair, Skylar Beaver to meet the faculty and learn how to get the most out of your time at the conference while getting a framework on Annual Giving and Engagement Trends for Young Alumni and Students!
2:00 PM – 3:15 PM
Small Group Discussions
Meet colleagues from similar institutions and discuss some of the reasons why you’re attending. We’ll also use this time to explore some hot topics/challenges facing young alumni and students and work as a team at your tables to develop strategies to meet them.
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Refreshment Break
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
Elective Sessions (choose one):
- Attracting Next Gen Volunteers and Professionals
Not many people decide to grow up to be advancement professionals or alumni volunteers. Yet the talent, time and energy of motivated students and alumni can evolve to volunteer and professional roles that support and advance our universities. Jemika Ferguson will highlight Talent Pipeline strategies designed to attract students to the profession, and Ayanna will provide an overview of the new Alumni Volunteer initiative that is putting the power of volunteerism at the fingertips of alumni.
Speakers: Jemika Ferguson, Assistant Director, Talent Pipeline Programs, University of Michigan and Ayanna McConnell, Vice President, University Relations, Alumni Association of the University of Michigan - Recruitment and Retention Practices for Young Alumni Councils
Creating a foundation is the first step in having a successful Young Alumni Council. In this session, you will learn best practices to recruit young alumni and learn new ways to engage and train your young alumni ambassadors. These strategies will include tips on leadership training, creative recruitment campaigns, volunteer management, and professional development. Session attendees will be able to share and give feedback on successful strategies for recruiting and retaining Young Alumni Council members.
Speaker: Chauncey Walker, Assistant Director, Constituent Relations, Georgia State University - 'Hey Bears!’: Student Influencers as Champions of a Culture of Giving
Attendees will leave this session with a renewed understanding of how to embrace new social media tools like Instagram Reels to advance their institution's culture of giving amongst students and the greater alumni community; guidance on how to create relevant, social media content that delivers philanthropic messaging; and models to utilize student volunteers for both fundraising campaigns and social media.
Speaker: Alex Rodriguez, Assistant Director, Digital Student Giving, University of California, Berkeley
4:45 PM – 5:45 PM
Networking Reception
Join conference speakers and your colleagues to network and socialize after the first day of the conference. Drink tickets and hors d'oeuvres will be provided. Don't forget your business cards!
5:45 PM
Conference Adjourns for the Day
Dinner on your own OR optional small group dinners; sign-up required
Day 2: Thursday, June 9
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Continental Breakfast, Faculty Office Hours and Roundtable Discussions
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Designing DEI Strategies for Long Term Impact
Has your organization’s new (or renewed) commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion lost momentum? Are you struggling to know how your programs and offerings can be more diverse and inclusive without tokenizing alumni or students? Join Ayanna for an interactive session to uncover: 5 Common pitfalls of DEI strategies; 4 ways to include students and young alumni in prioritizing DEI initiatives; how to leverage existing resources for long term commitment and accountability; and one goal for your personal DEI journey.
Speaker: Ayanna McConnell, Vice President, University Relations, Alumni Association of the University of Michigan
10:45 AM – 11:00 AM
Coffee Break
11:00 AM – Noon
Elective Sessions (choose one):
- Leveraging Special Campaigns and Challenges to Boost Participation among Students and Young Alumni!
Successfully soliciting our students and young alumni requires a creative approach. Not sure where to begin? Want to take your solicitations to the next level? Walk away from this session with an understanding of best practices surrounding soliciting our next generation of donors through special campaigns, challenges, by leveraging volunteers and face-to face visits. You’ll leave this session with a handful of ideas to take back to your institution to put into action!
Speaker: Skylar Beaver, Assistant Director of Advancement, Director of the Lawrenceville Fund and Alumni and Family Engagement, The Lawrenceville School - Empower Engage Elevate: Using Entrepreneurship to Engage Alumni and Students
Gen Z is rapidly becoming known as the most entrepreneurial generation ever, with 62 percent of Gen Zers indicating they have started—or intend to start—their own business. In this session, you will learn how the Georgia State Student Alumni Association (SAA) has used entrepreneurship programming to empower student entrepreneurs, increase engagement with our corporate partners, and create a pipeline for students to become involved alumni. SAA used multiple channels such as web-based programming, social media, and alumni affinity networks to increase the offerings to this community of students. Session attendees will be able to identify which entrepreneurship programs may work on their campus, how to activate and utilize alumni to serve as mentors, and how to turn student engagement into alumni participation.
Speaker: Chauncey Walker, Assistant Director, Constituent Relations, Georgia State University - Building a Student Philanthropy Program from the Ground Up
Cultivating loyal, young alumni donors is predicated by building trust and awareness among students from the moment they step onto campus. In 2020, the Yale Alumni Fund launched the Yale Alumni Fund Student Ambassador (YAFSA) program with the goal of building affinity for philanthropy to Yale through communication of the impact of gifts from alumni on their student experience. From student-led events to social media posts and peer-to-peer communications, members of the Yale Alumni Fund's Young Alumni and Student Team will highlight major takeaways and early results of YAFSA. By attending this session, attendees will learn how to recruit enthusiastic student volunteers, create an effective student-facing social media strategy and coordinate impactful student events.
Speakers: Amanda Baker, Deputy Director, Young Alumni & Students, Yale Alumni Fund, Yale University and Devyn Evans, Assistant Director, Young Alumni & Students, Yale Alumni Fund, Yale University
Noon – 1:30 PM
Lunch on your own
1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Young Alumni Engagement Idea Swap
Come engage in a rapid-fire session of great ideas you can put to use in your own shops immediately. In this highly participatory session, participants will have 60 seconds to present their idea big or small that can be applied to Young Alumni Engagement programs. You’ll be exposed to a dynamic network of colleagues with whom to share and further develop the ideas presented, plus a recording summarizing the ideas will be shared following the conference.
Moderator: Skylar Beaver, Assistant Director of Advancement, Director of the Lawrenceville Fund and Alumni and Family Engagement, The Lawrenceville School
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Refreshment Break
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Elective Sessions (choose one):
- Engaging and Soliciting Gen Z
We're all sick of hearing about Gen Z...but let's be real- they are our future! The dollars might not add up now, but the long-term impact is enormous. What do they care about? Why do they care about it? And how the heck do we communicate (and get them to listen) to what we have to say about philanthropy? Join the conversation about our next generation of donors- the good, the bad...and the opportunity!
Speaker: Skylar Beaver, Assistant Director of Advancement, Director of the Lawrenceville Fund and Alumni and Family Engagement, The Lawrenceville School - Self-Stewardship for Alumni and Advancement Professionals
Engaging young alumni, students and donors often means our work happens beyond "traditional" work hours, which became more blurred during the pandemic. This interactive workshop will help you identify areas for self investment with an eye towards thriving, and not just surviving, as an advancement professional.
Speaker: Ayanna McConnell, Vice President, University Relations, Alumni Association of the University of Michigan - The Life After Series
The Life After Series (established at Vanderbilt in 2014 and at Rice in 2018) was created with the intent of providing undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to gain real-world advice from alumni on various topics and industries. While both the series at Vanderbilt and the series at Rice have similar names, the programs are slightly different in their approach. Our presentation will seek to share the main objectives of each of these series and each program's evolution: create a seamless transition from students to engaged alumni; help them navigate their next steps successfully (i.e. new city, graduate school, first job)’ educate seniors that they are part of a global alumni community; help them plug into the alumni network in their new city via Alumni Chapters; and stay connected (social media, updating info to receive invites and news). By attending this session, attendees will learn about an innovative program and how it has shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic, gain insight into the marketing, recruitment and promotion process, and learn tips and tricks for implementing a similar program at their institution.
Speakers: Raeanna Mowl, Assistant Director, Student Alumni Engagement, Vanderbilt University and Alexa Schwartz, Assistant Director, Alumni Programs, Rice University
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM
Stretch Break
4:15 PM – 5:15 PM
How to Engage Underrepresented Groups While Being Authentic and Inclusive
With the continued rise of racial injustices along with the changing in the demographics of students in higher education, it is important to create inclusive opportunities for engaging and celebrating diverse alumni groups. In this session, attendees will learn ways to implement programming opportunities for diverse groups, build a pipeline of diverse leaders and volunteers, and collaborate with on-campus partners and cultural centers to increase engagement with underrepresented groups.
Speaker: Chauncey Walker, Assistant Director, Constituent Relations, Georgia State University
5:15 PM
Conference Adjourns for the Day
Dinner on your own OR optional small group dinners; sign-up required
Day 3: Friday, June 10
8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
Continental Breakfast, Faculty Office Hours and Roundtable Discussions
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Closing Plenary
The Next Generation of Giving: The Good, the Bad, and the Opportunity!
Join Felicity Meu, Senior Director, Partner Success at GiveCampus and Conference Chair, Skylar Beaver at The Lawrenceville School for a closing keynote to bring it all together! Felicity and Skylar will share what they've learned about Millennials and Gen Z. - from what motivates them to give to how they are giving (think Venmo, PayPal and cryptocurrency). They'll leave you all headed home from our time in New Orleans with lots to think about and ideas to put into action immediately!
Speakers: Skylar Beaver, Assistant Director of Advancement, Director of the Lawrenceville Fund and Alumni and Family Engagement, The Lawrenceville School and Felicity Meu, Senior Director, Partner Success, GiveCampus
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Coffee Break
10:45 AM – Noon
Student Giving and Engagement Idea Swap
We’re back again with a rapid-fire session of great ideas you can put to use in your own shops immediately. In this highly participatory session, participants will have 60 seconds to present their idea big or small that can be applied to Student Giving and Engagement programs. You’ll be exposed to a dynamic network of colleagues with whom to share and further develop the ideas presented, plus a recording summarizing the ideas will be shared following the conference.
Moderator: Skylar Beaver, Assistant Director of Advancement, Director of the Lawrenceville Fund and Alumni and Family Engagement, The Lawrenceville School
Noon – 12:30 PM
Faculty Q&A and Closing Remarks
Final questions, faculty perspectives and next steps as you go back to your institutions.
12:30 PM
Conference Adjourns