Meet Our Experts: Kai Yi Ong
As a science graduate with a major in chemistry, being in a membership role at a nonprofit organization seems to bear no link to my studies. However, spending hours in the laboratory during my university days, I was craving human connection. Upon graduation, I jumped into a role in the higher education sector working with diverse groups of stakeholders both internally and externally, applying my training in data analysis, report writing, and reasoning—first in back-end operations and finance, and then as an international programmes manager. Both experiences combined led me to where I am today—in membership operations, engagement, and outreach, with an understanding of cultural nuances.
In my role as Head, Membership (Asia-Pacific), I am privileged to be able to link up with our members across Asia-Pacific in different countries, enhancing our understanding of the advancement and education sector across the region, and helping to connect the dots by giving targeted feedback.
Being able to support our members in their work to transform lives and society is deeply rewarding. In addition, as part of the CASE global membership team, I have the opportunity to share best practices, discuss ideas, and pick the brains of our amazing membership staff.
I remember hearing this comment from an ex-colleague when I was managing and developing international programmes for students: “You might feel that what you are doing at work is repetitive and routine, but to the receiving party it could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” This keeps me motivated to do the best I can for our community and stakeholders, even when the going gets tough.
One of the tasks that brings me the most joy is helping members better understand the treasure trove of resources and opportunities available within CASE. This includes benchmarking surveys and reports, webinars, subject guides, white papers, samples, professional development trainings, scholarships, awards, and much more.
Are you focusing on alumni engagement? Perhaps start with the CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement to measure and benchmark your current engagement levels before strategizing. New to the world of advancement? We have subject guides and webinars to get you started. Would you like your Head of School to better understand advancement? We can link them up with our volunteer leaders.
In these couple of years since I joined CASE, I have enjoyed witnessing members apply their knowledge and soft skills to different sectors and job functions, from higher education to nonprofits, to philanthropy to business development, reflecting the versatility of advancement professionals.
This year marks CASE’s 50th anniversary and we are excited to celebrate with our community. CASE is here because of all of you, and we look forward to continuously improving our member benefits for you. Our greatest responsibility is to enhance membership experiences and ensure that what we offer has relevance and impact to help you build stronger relationships with your stakeholders.
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Article appears in:
May-June 2024 Issue of Currents
FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS: Best practices for responding in high-stakes situations. Also, how to diversify your donor pipeline, why mentoring matters, and harnessing the narrative with the seven basic plots of storytelling.