How advancement draws on athletics to communicate with constituents, motivate alumni, and speak to a greater mission—even in an era when the sports environment has changed radically

When a university or college undergoes a name change or merger, becomes widely known for a new program, or has a changing student population, what steps do advancement shops take to communicate these changes to their constituents and pursue the advantages of the situation?

CASE Stellar Speakers are faculty members who earn average combined scores of 4.5 and above (on a 5-point scale) on their evaluations for a session at the conference listed. 

Stanford's Surgery Saturdays project shows doctors at work, Reddit can be a helpful tool for engagement, campus murals, tips for greener events, and more.

For members seeking information on a variety of advancement topics, the CASE Library’s Advancement Resource Catalog provides a central stop for resources on topics including campaign planning, engaging non-traditional alumni, and the latest research in the world of advancement.

A Shared Identity: Connecting alumni through affinity groups

Anniversary celebrations can dazzle at any budget. Scaling ideas to work at any institution, with any size staff, is a dance between dreaming big and drilling down to what’s doable. 

A good alumni engagement metrics system needs to be easy, efficient, and effective. 

Those of us in alumni relations believe.

We believe in the power of what we do, that our work helps create a community with a strong values system. We believe in lifelong education, in making the world a better place, in bringing people together. We believe in strengthening ties, creating connections, and opening doors of possibility.

Grinnell College alumni love talking about their alma mater, but that enthusiasm hasn't always translated into high reunion attendance. Advancement staff members at the Iowa college saw a way to increase alumni engagement by creating more opportunities to help out at reunion, beginning with revamped training for its 50th reunion volunteers. With better structure and more-detailed tasks, the program led to an overall higher level of engagement.