The average tenure for an advancement professional today is just five years. To keep staff on board, our workplaces need to be flexible, empathetic, inclusive, and transparent. Here, two researchers share what they’ve discovered about human-centered talent management and the key steps to retain staff: align talent to mission and values; engage the whole person; and recognize colleagues’ impact.  

Combining data and storytelling in meaningful ways can be a challenge in advancement. Let the following key concepts of data-driven storytelling be your guide—and see how other teams have applied them to reach their donors, alumni, and other key stakeholders.  

CASE’s 50th anniversary is also a time to look to the future. Five advancement leaders share thoughts on the challenges ahead, along with what makes them optimistic in this roundtable discussion.

The pandemic changed the worldwide workforce dramatically and swiftly, like nothing seen in modern times. Employees (those who can do their jobs remotely) went home to work and found they could be just as effective in their jobs while better managing their personal lives. Now, as the workplace returns to its new normal, employees are demanding flexibility—fueling workforce recruitment and retention challenges. Advancement and HR leaders share thoughts on the challenges and rewards of flexible work options as they lead through changing times.

The pandemic and the Great Resignation (on top of years of financial pressures and change) have created new levels of stress and mental health challenges for higher education staffs around the world. Here’s a snapshot of mental health in today’s advancement workplaces—including what institutions, leaders, and individuals can do to address burnout and support well-being.

With the Great Resignation, many professionals find themselves leading as middle managers for the first time. They got there because they excelled in previous roles; however, many have not had the appropriate training to help them reach their potential as team leaders. Several newer managers share how they’ve navigated the transition to leadership, along with their best advice for those new in such roles.

Spurred by the pandemic, millions of people have quit or changed jobs in 2020 and 2021. How has the “Great Resignation” impacted higher education? It’s led many advancement professionals to consider work-life balance, workplace flexibility, pay, and stability. Now, institutions are realizing the pre-pandemic status quo needs a serious overhaul if they are going to stem the tide of people leaving the sector.

A strong relationship between school revenue leaders—directors of advancement, enrollment, and finance—is essential for a school’s financial health. Termed “The Golden Triangle,” these three offices need to have meaningful and long-term conversations about budgets and revenues.  

Communications professionals are increasingly finding themselves charged with leading change processes for new initiatives or projects. Here's a look inside change management and how it can help institutions thrive.