The Notre Dame University Alumni Association in Indiana, U.S., hosted its first Global Day of Service in 2023—drawing more than 3,500 volunteers for projects in 26 countries.

“There are so many juicy and amazing things we can tease out of data,” says analytics enthusiast and CASE volunteer Amanda Jarmon. She is an advocate for people with neurodivergence, calling her own experience with it her “superpower’ that enhances her ability to deeply analyze data for her clients. 

Auburn University's advancement marketing department requires teams to collect metrics—but until recently, the numbers weren’t very useful to the marketing and communications team. Then Director of Content Todd Deery had an idea.

Rates of mental health issues among college students have been rising for a nearly a decade—made worse by the pandemic. Now, more colleges and universities are discussing, focusing on, and prioritizing mental health initiatives. Here’s how advancement teams are working to support students’ mental health today, by raising awareness and sharing information, mobilizing donor and alumni support, and promoting wellness campuswide.

In August 2020, the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, launched ChangeMakers, a strategy to encourage UQ’s alumni across 190 countries to engage with the university and fellow alumni from anywhere in the world. The ChangeMakers alumni community hosts events, fosters mentorship relationships, and encourages volunteerism. More than 70 alumni have become ambassadors to help spread the word.

Advice on anniversary planning and popular institutional swag items. 

CQUni launched its 30 Minutes a Month program in 2018 and the goal is to get recent graduates to complete a small task—something that takes approximately 30 minutes—each month from March to November.

What is race equity as it applies to education institutions? How are advancement teams approaching this work, which experts say involves a wholesale transformation of organizational cultures? How are institutions and individuals moving forward in the name of equity? 

Advancement shops across the globe thrive off volunteer energy.

In comparison to their university brethren, community college alumni relations programs remain at an early stage. But advancement professionals at Austin Community College District and Collin College are building a greater understanding of former students’ passion and dedication for the institutions.