Leading advancement teams today, amid change and hefty expectations, is like “constantly being in quicksand,” says Jhumar Johnson. That’s why cultivating resilience is crucial. Here, Johnson—who spent 11 years at the U.K.’s Open University—shares how resilience is built on consistency and trust, but also failure and joy.

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.

For marcomm leaders, it’s key to articulate where you want your team’s work to go—but then bridging the gap between intention and transformation takes a structured approach. That’s where a gap analysis framework comes in. It allows leaders to identify barriers to growth and develop clear, actionable paths to overcome them.

Higher education’s top leadership role has evolved and expanded—and today’s advancement leaders are finding partners in their presidents, chancellors, vice-chancellors, and rectors. Here, five pairs of leaders share how they work together with mutual trust and shared commitment to their institutions.

This collection links to articles and resources about scholarship best practices and administration. Topics covered include scholarship criteria and donor control, general scholarship management, and benchmarking.

The CASE Library has gathered these resources to help members develop crisis management plans and communications strategies. This collection links to toolkits, books, articles, and webinars that share advice and recommended practices on how to respond to natural disasters, tragedies, scandals, and other crisis incidents. We also link to sample plans and policies.

The CASE Library has created this collection to support advancement professionals who work with volunteers. It includes information on recruiting, hiring, managing, evaluating, and stewarding volunteers. It also offers resources on volunteers working in specific functions, such as admissions, alumni relations, fundraising, and government relations.

This report is possible thanks to the 2024 Federal Funding Task Force. FFTF members are community college grant professionals who meet with federal program officers each year.

Leaders of higher education institutions and independent K-12 schools have seen their fundraising responsibilities grow over time. To help members meet these challenges, the CASE Library has created this resource collection on how presidents and heads of school can develop their fundraising skills and collaborate with advancement staff. 

Good onboarding welcomes new colleagues into a team—like a welcome mat for the organization. That philosophy helps the University of California, Davis, U.S., start its newcomers in advancement off on the right foot. In 2021, the development and alumni relations division there launched The Learning DO–Development Officer Boot Camp. It’s a comprehensive, centralized, nine-week academy for fundraisers.