Registration 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

2:00 – 5:15 pm

Institute for New Professionals (Day 1)

*Pre-registration required.  Click here for more details.

Registration: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

8:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Institute for New Professionals (Day 2)

*Pre-registration required.  Click here for more details.

Pre-Conference Master Sessions

Dig deeper into an issue and attend one of our 3-hour pre-conference Master Sessions.

*Pre-Registration Required. Click here for more details.
 

Building Innovation Capacity: The Essential Toolkit to Engaging New Generations

Speaker(s): Felicity Meu, Director of Partner Success, GiveCampus; Ariene Willkom, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, University of St. Thomas; Jessica Etten, Senior Director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving, University of St. Thomas; Kestrel Linder, Co-founder and CEO, GiveCampus
 

CASE’s Advancement Analytics Initiative: VSE Insights, Alumni Engagement Metrics, and Presenting Comparative Data

Speaker(s): David Bass, Senior Director, Research, CASE
 

Developing a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Plan for your Advancement Program

Speaker(s): Charleon Jeffries; Director; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Pennsylvania State University

Don’t Hate Them Because They’re Beautiful:  Well-Designed Reports Make an Impact

Speaker(s): Ron Eisenstein, Partner, The Solas Group; Sara Acosta, Vice President for University Advancement, Dominican University

 

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Program Breakout Sessions 1

Making the most of your CASE V Experience
Personal Development Track

Looking for insight into making the most out of your CASE V Conference experience? Join us for insights and advice on how to make the most of your experience, directly from the CASE District V Conference Committee. Whether you're a newcomer to the field or just a newcomer to this conference, we guarantee you'll learn something new.

Speaker(s): Colton Withers, Attendee Engagement Chair, CASE V Conference

How Live Storytelling Changed Alumnae Engagement
Alumni Relations Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

In this fun interactive session, you will learn how St. Norbert College created a series dedicated to the talents of female graduates called Knight Lights. This fun, intimate and engaging concept was born out of networking events but adds the element of spotlighting the personal stories of alumnae where they work" all while providing a base for further/richer engagement with your institution and alumnae.

Speaker(s): Chris Betcher, Assistant Director of Alumni and Parent Relations, St. Norbert College; Amy B. Kundinger, Director of Business Engagement, St. Norbert College

Going Old School in New Ways:  Reinventing Magazines and Mailings to Engage Alumni of All Ages
Communications Track 

Twenty years ago, e-mail was a thrill and a trip to the mailbox was a mundane chore. Now, the abundance of electronic information makes it nearly impossible to stand out by using the same old direct mailings, email and social media alone. One solution? Go old school" snail mail is cool again! Learn some practical and innovative ways to engage alumni of all ages using less technology.

Speaker(s): Kate Ralston, Associate Director of Alumni & Family Engagement, Hope College; Ryan F. Clark, Senior Digital Content Strategist, Xavier University; Tim Talbert; Chanda Slenk

Identity Matters:  Alumni-Athlete Philanthropy at Selective Institutions
Development Track

Student-athletes at selective institutions (Division I, or often Division III or Liberal arts) not only represent a critical donor base for their alma maters' athletic departments, but existing research indicates they are high prospective donors and more likely to give than their nonathlete counterparts.  These student-athletes are unique in that they identity both as students and as athletes.  Come see how can athletic and institutional administrators work with development officers to cultivate both of these identities and increase giving from this important group.  Ideas for development offices are also presented.

Speaker(s): Jesse Meyer, PhD, Senior Regional Director of Development, University of Notre Dame

Solving Donor Financial and Estate Problems with Gift Planning
Development Track 

This session will demonstrate how creative adaptations and combinations of gift planning vehicles can solve donors financial and estate problems.  This session will utilize case studies, each beginning with a problem and then proposing a creative solution.  Participates will learn about gift planning vehicles through an interactive case study approach.

Speaker(s): Michael Degenhart, Assistant Vice President, Pennsylvania State University

Implementing an Incentive Program: Strategy, Challenges, and Lessons Learned
Executive Leadership Track

Looking for an innovative approach to encouraging and rewarding exceptional employee performance? Penn State has pursued these goals with a campaign-length incentive program, rewarding over 500 employees on team and individual performance. This session will walk you through our experience from inception to implementation, touching on the challenges and lessons learned. Use our program as a case study to consider new approaches to motivating and rewarding advancement professionals.

Speaker(s): McQuillin Murphy, Program Administrator, Pennsylvania State University

Are We Our Decisions? Understanding & Improving Your Own Decision-Making Process
Personal Development Track 

Good leaders are built on the quality of their decisions, but too often the decision-making processes we implement are flawed. Join this session to learn more about your own decision-making processes and to discuss practical tips for improving the quality of decisions across all levels of your organization. We’ll review common decision-making traps, heuristics that can improve your process, and dissect some higher education case studies to test our new knowledge of sound decision science.

Speaker(s): Jami Hougen Johnson, Director, Prospect Management, University of Chicago; Matt Hopkins, Senior Associate Director, University of Chicago

 

2:15 - 3:15 p.m.

Program Breakout Sessions II

 

Divine Inspiration: Where to Find Inspiring Ideas and How to Put Them to Work
Communications Track

Great work sprouts from a great idea, but when work is piling up and clients are complaining, who's got time to seek inspiration? In this session, a hard-core "recycler" confesses her sins. We'll track innovative and award-winning projects back to their sources of inspiration. You'll learn where to find inspiration, how to reshape and reinterpret a great idea, and how to rekindle the creative spark in yourself and your colleagues.

Speaker: Teresa Scalzo, Director of Creative Strategy, Carleton College

Alumni and Development: Rebuilding Alumni Boards with Purpose
Alumni Relations Track

Is your alumni board activity relevant to your institution? We will share details of the partnership and strategic alignment process where Alumni Engagement and Development staff collaborated to develop common goals, communications, meaningful engagement for volunteers, and stimulate a culture of philanthropy for the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University.  This session walks you through the strategies and tactics necessary to get boards and committees involved in appropriate activities to create a more cohesive and focused board operating with improved communication and transparency.

Speakers: Michael Rutkowski, Director of Alumni Engagement for New Brunswick Academic Units, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; Donna Reed Zaleski, Director of Development, Rutgers University

Re-Imagining Events to Give Them Fresh Life
Alumni Relations Track

In this session, attendees will learn innovative ways to revamp tired event experiences while keeping the best event practices in mind. Many event planners face the same challenges when looking to breathe new life into existing events on campus. The challenge for today's event professional is to be creative enough to innovate the experience, yet fiscally conservative enough to keep the event within budget. Join the presenters - a pair of new professionals in advancement and a more seasoned professional - for a session that will spark your imagination with exciting real-life examples, lessons learned on the fly, and a few tips and tricks that delivered Instagram worthy experiences at Purdue University and Eastern Michigan University.

Speakers: Matt Mortier, Director of Donor Relations, Eastern Michigan University Foundation; Celia K. Murkowski, Assistant Director of Engagement, Eastern Michigan University Foundation; Lance Connolly, Assistant Vice President for Special Events, Purdue University/Purdue Research Foundation

Rowing in unison: Aligning a team’s goals and roles, to collaborate as a whole
Executive Leadership Track

For marketing and communications teams, technology and competition keep pushing the expectations of performance. University of Michigan Engineering’s C&M team will share what they did to improve strategic awareness and cross-team collaboration to tackle new and complex challenges. Tips and ideas will include establishing mission, purpose and goals, and powering up meetings and project management. There is no utopian finish line, but engagement and impact indicate that we’re all rowing in the right direction.

Speakers: Ben Logan, Marketing and Production Manager, Communications and Marketing, University of Michigan College of Engineering; Jennifer Judge Hensel, Executive Director  Communications & Marketing, University of Michigan College of Engineering

Enhancing Gift Tables with Data Visualization and Increased Capabilities
Advancement Services Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

Collaborating across Prospect Development, IT, and the University of Minnesota Development Community, we have successfully enhanced and transformed our traditional gift tables into real-time campaign reporting, forecasting, and prospecting tools in Tableau. The innovative capabilities allow us to use our interactive gift tables for strategic campaign use while increasing efficiency and on-demand access, pushing the boundaries by allowing users to view real-time data, and providing interactive features to customize the visualizations. Our prospect development team is the primary user of these tools, which are used in collaboration with the greater development community and leadership.

Speakers: Divah Yap, Director, Data & Analytics, University of Minnesota Foundation; Mike McNaughton, IT Manager, Reporting and Data Analytics, University of Minnesota Foundation; Bethany Campbell, Senior Manager, Prospect Research University of Minnesota

Career Up! Growing within the Fundraising and Alumni-Relations Profession
Personal Development Track 

Having a hard time understanding how to work your way up as a fundraiser or alumni relations professional?  Get some tips and tricks from a panel of experts including talent management and senior advancement professionals who understand your frustration! 
This panel discussion will be geared towards early to mid-level professionals within the Development and Alumni Relations fields.  Upon completion, attendees will leave with increased knowledge of professional development resources available to them as well as new ideas for how they can better prepare for the next step in their career.

Speakers: Greg Bright, Recruiter, The Ohio State University; Sarah Salomon, Director of Recruitment and Human Resources, University of Michigan; Drew Kovacs, Associate Director of Talent Acquisition, Penn State University; Paul Clifford, CEO, Penn State Alumni Association; Mike Worley, Vice President for University Advancement and Executive Director of The Lander Foundation, Lander University

Stewardship: Keep Your Donors Happy and Inspired With Creative Technology!
Development Track

As major gift officers, we have found a fun and innovative way to communicate with our donors using video messaging. We will share how we have implemented unique video messages to our donors that have received amazing feedback. This new way of communicating has proven to be highly successful in the engagement of our major donors. From sharing broad donors messages from our President with hundreds of donors to sending individual donor messages from their scholarship recipient, we will provide can-did clips of videos that have stepped up the way we steward our donors.

Speakers: Christina Donsbach, Executive Director of College Advancement, Lake Land College; Randi Bohannon, Director of Development, Eastern Illinois University

Unlocking the Mysteries of Major Donor and Fundraiser Relationships
Development Track

Fundraisers interact with donors to create meaningful philanthropic relationships. We are guided by best practices, instinct, and advice. However, the inner workings of these relationships are relatively mysterious. How can we use research to inform our choices?
Join a conversation based on groundbreaking research with fundraiser and donor pairs from institutions across several states. What are the stages of relationship development? What information and experiences do fundraisers and donors share as relationships progress?
Consider your own donor experiences and leave with research-backed ideas for improving your work with major donors.

Speakers: Genevieve Shaker, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI; Deanna Nelson, MPA, Senior Director of Development - Major Gifts Advancement, Avila University

 

3:15 – 3:45 p.m.

Networking Break (Coffee/tea/water and food available)

3:45 – 4:45 p.m.

Welcome Session and Keynote Address

Emmy Award-nominated speaker Mark Brown, who helps organizations drive performance, speaks on “Be your best.” 

4:45 – 6:30 p.m.

Engagement Hall Opening Reception

 

5:30 p.m.

Second City Reception and Show

Pre-registration Required. Click here for more details.

 

7:00 p.m.

Networking Dinners

Registration: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Engagement Hall:  7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Refreshments Available.

7:00 – 8:00 a.m.

Yoga

 

7:45 – 8:45 a.m.

Benchmarking Breakfast

 

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Program Breakout Sessions III
 

Collaboration: Best Practices for Success
Alumni Relations Track

As multiple stakeholders often have shared priorities for alumni near and far from campus, it becomes increasingly inevitable to overlap and/or err in program planning, alumni outreach, and volunteer recruitment, resulting in conflicting events, a lack of awareness about strategies, a loss of trust and possibly, missed opportunities in development. How do we solve it so that everyone can win? Collaboration.

Speakers: Stephanie Duquenne; Tanya L. Hickson, Senior Associate Director, Reunions and Class Giving, The University of Chicago; Jamie Sennett, Director Alumni Engagement, Illinois State University
 

Get Ready for Takeoff: A Guide to Build, Launch, and Track your Volunteer Program
Alumni Relations Track

Alumni often express an interest in getting involved. Yet, this can be a difficult question to answer when alumni interests and expertise vary from one person to the next. Attend this session to learn what one alumni association did to find a way to consistently answer this question while ensuring a quality experience for both alumni and campus partners. Learn the art of building strong relationships, the impact of marketing, and how good data management will help you recruit, track, and retain volunteers, then set realistic goals for the future.

Speakers: Liz McKee, Director of Alumni Volunteer Engagement, Northern Illinois University

 

Social Media Content Creation To Disseminate Research And Inspire Giving
Communications Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

Taking an “old school” journalism approach, former broadcast journalist and advancement and research communications specialist Ryann Monahan will take you through a strategic step-by-step process of using your research to create new media content. This lecture will show you a variety of ways to engage donors, inspire and steward corporate partnerships, and promote advancement initiatives through social and digital media strategies. Learn how to strip down the details into a succinct and consumable format and get your audience to “stop their finger” on their newsfeed and want to know more.

Speaker: Ryann Monahan, MS Journalism, Communications Coordinator ECE ILLINOIS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

 

Developing Intercultural Agility
Personal Development Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

This program is designed to address the realities of living and working in an increasingly global society where understanding other cultures is often an essential component of organizational success. Participants are encouraged to explore their feelings and perceptions about non-U.S. cultures in an effort to develop effective strategies to promote intercultural awareness and acceptance. This session is the first in a series on developing intercultural competence and focuses on awareness of personal cultural lenses.

Speaker: Charleon Jeffries; Director; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Penn State University

 

Building a 5-Star College Foundation: WTCS Foundations and Colleges Collaborate
Advancement Services Track

In 2018, all sixteen Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Foundations gathered with the intent of taking their performance to the next level, while increasing engagement between the Foundations and their respective Colleges. Well-known author Steve Klingman, shared his expertise and facilitated the two-day conference that welcomed College Presidents, Foundation and College Board members, and staff. Topics included: partnerships between the college and foundation, board recruitment, development, and engagement, and future trends. Participants engaged in discussions to build capacity and understanding of each other’s roles in fundraising and building donor relationships.

Speakers: Vicki S. Jeppesen, Ed.D., Vice President College Advancement & Organizational Development; NTC Foundation Executive Director, Northcentral Technical College; Sheila M. Rossmiller, MSOD, Director of Annual Giving and Scholarships, Northcentral Technical College

 

Building and Sustaining High-Performing Advancement Teams
Executive Leadership Track

With increased expectations, one of the most important challenges confronting an advancement leader today is the recruitment and retention of a talented and hardworking staff. Dynamics such as a declining tenure of development officers related to their career path, costs to recruit, retain and onboard staff, and changing work expectations and environment sought by millennials, emphasize the importance of building and sustaining high performing teams.

This session will identify key issues and offer best practices to address this important need.

Speakers: Michael R. McGreevey, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Otterbein University; Floyd Akins, Senior Consultant, Aspen Leadership Group

 

Don't Let Your Pipeline "LAG": Building A Strong Leadership Annual Giving Program
Development Track

As higher education institutions continue to set increasingly aggressive yearly fundraising goals, it is important to keep your pipeline of major gift donors top of mind. Leadership annual giving efforts will help you start to engage your future major gift donors in meaningful, personal conversations about philanthropy.

Speaker: Katie Kuvin, MM, Assistant Director, Leadership Annual Giving, The Ohio State University College of Engineering

 

Developing a Shared Vision and the Plan to Make it a Reality
Development Track

Whether they report into you or not, development leaders are responsible for integrating fundraising, alumni relations, and communications efforts.  How do you get people on the same page, working toward the same goal while taking ownership" and pride" in their own work?  This hands-on session will discuss a framework that works and leave you with one of your own to build upon when you get back to the office.

Speaker: Jose Lugaro, Director of Development, Penn State University
 

10:15-11:15 a.m.

Program Breakout Sessions IV

Donors of Color are Not New and Emerging: The Past, Present, and Future of Black Generosity
Development Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

In the field, we’ve grown accustomed to calling donors of color “new and emerging.” In this session, we will use history to explore why this is not only false but may be impeding genuine efforts to connect and build relationships with our diverse constituents. By deepening our knowledge of the historical traditions and practices of philanthropy in communities of color, we can better understand the robust landscape of African American philanthropy today and be more equipped to cultivate meaningful and helpful donor relationships with people of color.

Speaker: Tyrone Freeman, Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies and Director of Undergraduate Programs at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

Streamlining Your Major Gift Efforts with Data: A College Case Study
Executive Leadership Track

Though personal visits are the best way to engage donors, they can be costly and labor-intensive if you are not seeing the right prospects. Explore how Wilmington College utilized data to maximize the impact of its gift officers, getting them in front of their best donor prospects sooner. Wilmington used a new data tool to forecast donor potential using behavioral characteristics to uncover prospects with both the passion and capacity to give. The new data led to more transparent conversations with the board and campus leadership around donor activity and potential, setting the stage for future investments to grow Wilmington’s advancement capacity.

Speakers: Andrew Canada, Senior Consultant, Johnson, Grossnickle & Associates; Matt Wahrhaftig, CFRE, Vice President for College Advancement, Wilmington College

 

Red Flags: Ethical and Legal Considerations in Donor Prospecting
Advancement Services Track

This session will cover ethical and legal due diligence best practices for domestic and international prospecting. Topics covered will include suspect sources of wealth, restricted industries, and politically exposed persons. Attendees will leave the session with an understanding of reputation risk and a framework on which to build their organization's strategy for reputation management related to fundraising activities.

Speaker: Mary Fanning, Prospect Research and Database Manager, Missouri Botanical Garden

 

Communicating & Fundraising Effectively Outside the United States
Communications Track

In 2016, as a part of “Ever True: The Campaign for Purdue University,” we embarked on our first international engagement campaign, which raised more than $52 million from alumni and friends in 113 countries across the globe. Join us as we share the lessons we learned from kick-off through the finale, including why we launched an “engagement” campaign. We’ll dig in on our pre-campaign planning, special event marketing, database enhancements, giving day achievements, social media successes, and more and, of course, the many challenges that we encountered along the way!

Speakers: Steve Schlenk, Senior Director for Philanthropic Communications, Purdue University; Tia Tracy, Director of Development for University Initiatives, Purdue University

 

Engaging Alumni Online – Webinars, Virtual Book Clubs, and More
Alumni Relations Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

Looking for innovative ways to engage alumni who no longer live near campus or those who have never been involved before? We will share how alumni offices of all sizes can cost-effectively engage alumni with online engagement strategies including webinars, live streams, virtual book clubs, podcasts and more. These programs can promote lifelong learning, align with institutional missions and be surprisingly easy to manage. Attendees will leave the presentation with a framework to understand where they can best invest in virtual programs that would make sense for their institution.

Speakers: Jeff Williams, Associate Executive Director Alumni Outreach and Engagement, University of Maryland; Zach Rubin, Co-Founder and CEO, Professional Book Club Guru

 

Actualizing The Power Of Annual Faculty and Staff Fundraising Campaigns
Development Track

Explore how Kettering University faculty and staff increased their participation in giving from 44% in 2013 to 89% in 2019. The annual Kettering FUNd Drive employs a blend of peer to peer outreach, multi-channel giving opportunities, and donuts from a local Flint establishment to put the FUN in fundraising and garner greater participation each year. This year, Kettering University celebrates its 100th Anniversary; the FUNd Drive team achieved its largest participation percentage this past spring ever-- we'll share both the triumphs and learning opportunities we've encountered along the way of building this program, and hopefully spark new innovative ideas that you can apply to garner greater participation at your institution.

Speakers: Starr Cornell, CFRE, Associate Vice President of University Advancement & Senior Director of Annual Giving, Kettering University; Susan L. Davies, Vice President of University Advancement and External Relations, Kettering University

 

Growing Our Own: A Model for Early Career Development Training
Personal Development Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

Many higher education advancement offices are encountering challenges in recruiting and retaining high-quality development professionals.  To solve this problem, the University of Minnesota hired associate development officers, an entry-level classification requiring minimal experience.  To strengthen their development knowledge, and to prepare them to advance, the UM Foundation created and implemented the Early Career Development Program, designed to train and inspire new development professionals. It also supports our talent pipeline to increase a multi-generational and diverse workforce. Hear about our experience after two cohorts have gone through the program.
Speakers: Lynn Slifer, Associate Vice President, Central Development Programs, University of Minnesota; Brikkelle Thompson, Director, Organizational Learning and Major Gift Talent Operations, University of Minnesota Foundation

 

Money in the Middle: Complete Guide to Mid-Tier Donor Cultivation
Development Track

While many universities focus campaign cultivation on top-level donors, the University of Illinois renewed a focus on mid-range donors, believing today’s engagement leads to tomorrow’s major gifts. Spoiler alert: it works. Their strategy boosted campaign event attendance and gift size per donor, setting Illinois up for future fundraising success. This presentation explores the thought process behind mid-range donor cultivation and proceeds step-by-step through Illinois’ pipeline of engagement. From clever marketing to program storytelling, participants will gain new perspectives on prospect engagement, acquiring tangible techniques to engage their own mid-range donors.

Speakers: Christy Moss, Executive Director of Strategic Engagement, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Michael McCauley, Executive VP, Creative, Level5 Events, The Expo Group

 

11:30 – 1:00 p.m.

Keynote Luncheon

*Pre-registration required.

Taking Charge of Change in Turbulent Times by Kathy Cleveland Bull
True success in life is not a static result but a dynamic, balanced approach to living with constant change and the ebb and flow of all the different aspects of life. What’s called for is the development of inner resources that provide the energy and motivation needed to stay fully engaged at work and in life during mind-numbing change. In this keynote presentation, Kathy will share powerful stories and proven models that reveal profound truths for developing inner strength, resiliency and a winning mindset in changing times.  

 

11:30 – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch and Learn

Join colleagues for facilitated or general topic roundtable discussions.

 

1:15-2:15 p.m.

Program Breakout Sessions V

Win. Win. Win. A Mentor Program That Supports Alumni, Students, and Advancement
Alumni Relations Track

Marquette Mentors, the mentor program of the Marquette University Alumni Association, provides a career platform for student mentees to learn from alumni mentors nationwide who provide time, talent and treasure in support of their alma mater.

Since 2013, the initiative matches student mentees with alumni mentors and has produced significant success for all participants while meeting alumni engagement and development goals, including 100 percent participant recommendation; 934 percent of mentors and mentees completing established goals; an annual mentor retention rate of 93 percent; and increased philanthropy (more than 80% of 130 mentors made gifts to Marquette in 2018-19) and leadership service. CASE has recognized this program as "the gold standard for mentoring initiatives" as well as the 2019 Circle of Excellence silver award recipient for student-alumni initiatives.

Speaker: Daniel DeWeerdt, Senior Director, Marquette Mentors and Engagement, Marquette University

 

7 Slides: Getting To Know Your Team Members As More Than A Metric
Personal Development Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

Do you ever find yourself reviewing your team's accomplishments only through the lens of performance metrics and their dashboard accomplishments? Research has proven that those who have a higher overall feeling of enjoyment at work have a  broader sense of connection to their team and their supervisors. Through the 7 Slides Presentation, participants will have the opportunity to define their seven slides- Background, Motivations, Accomplishments- and leave with the ability to have their team define their 7 Slides. These slides could be presented at 1:1, team, and Advancement meetings.

Speaker: Andrea Bowlin, Senior Director, Individual Philanthropic Strategy, The Ohio State University

 

How Insights From Online Conversations Inform Advancement Communications
Communications Track

Every day, alumni talk about their experiences, beliefs, achievements, and behaviors on social media. Social listening is a way to find and analyze that conversation; essentially turning social media into an always-on focus group for your institution. This session will introduce you to social listening and highlight ways institutions have used insights from online conversations to inform brand, engagement, and advancement strategy.

Speakers: Liz Gross, CEO, Campus Sonar; Martin Sickafoose, Vice President of Alumni Digital Strategy, Purdue University

 

Building Better Templates and Processes: Functional Steps to Improve Gift Agreements at Your Shop
Advancement Services Track

Improved gift agreement templates and processes can help you meet the customization and stewardship accountability expected by donors and ensure colleagues across the university are prepared to follow-through on those commitments. This session will explore the following topics:

• Retooling your templates: Practical tips and instructions to improve your gift agreement templates and create more clear, concise, and donor-friendly documents that accurately capture donor intent and disclose key advancement policies.
• Improving your processes:  Low-cost or “do-it-yourself” ways to more easily track and manage your gift agreement workflow.
• Educating your colleagues: Simple strategies to train and educate your gift officers about the importance and function of the gift agreement and talking points for donors on why we might push back on certain details.

Speakers: Jenny Carroll, Director of Gift Planning Administration, University of Illinois Foundation; Julie Hynes, Associate Director, Gift Acceptance and Fund Management, Northwestern University; Farheen Asif, Senior Associate Director, Northwestern University

 

Make Them Care – Maximizing the power of visual storytelling in marketing
Communications Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

Visuals and visual communication are increasingly important in today's hectic world. Our brains are said to process images a whopping 60,000 times faster than text. 71% of Generation Z watches more than three hours of online video daily. 91% of buyers have a preference for visual content as opposed to traditional text-based content. 
At the University of Michigan Engineering, we’ve embarked on a journey to align our visual storytelling with rapidly changing digital marketing and communications needs. We are doing this through the use of cutting edge digital marketing tools and data-driven design. At the same time, we’ve reaffirmed the power of authentic storytelling and creativity in our marketing and communications work.
In the presentation, we will discuss lessons learned on this journey and how you can apply what we’ve learned in your own office, whether you are on a small team or in a major communications unit.

Speakers: Marcin Szczepanski, Visual Communications Director, University of Michigan, College of Engineering; Joseph Xu, Senior Multimedia Producer, University of Michigan, College of Engineering; Evan Dougherty, Assistant Multimedia Editor, University of Michigan, College of Engineering

 

Students to Alumni: Building Awareness, Education, and Giving on Campus
Development Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session
As a development professional, you’ve likely heard a prospective donor say, “The first time I hear from your office is when you’re asking for money.” The goal of a student philanthropy program is to change the conversation about philanthropy while they are students. A student philanthropy program should encourage meaningful and varied interactions with current students while they are on campus. During this session, we will discuss how Northwestern established a comprehensive and integrated program that involves departmental awareness, educational interactions, and positive relationship building with current students.

Speakers: Julia Miller, Director, Annual Giving - Young Alumni, Student Philanthropy, and Online Giving, Northwestern University; Chelsea Mattson, Assistant Director, Annual Giving - Young Alumni, Student Philanthropy, and Online Giving, Northwestern University; Ashley McDonald, Assistant Director, Annual Giving, Student Philanthropy and Senior Class Giving, Northwestern University; Mairead McNamee King, Assistant Director, Annual Giving - Young Alumni, Student Philanthropy, and Online Giving, Northwestern University

 

Donor-Advised Storytelling for Advancement Success
Development Track

Storytelling for fundraising is a team sport. Organization leaders must work together to tell the non-profit's most compelling story via multiple platforms. However, most non-profits still say that their storytelling is not as effective as it should be for the purpose of raising funds. For greater success, Major Gift Officers must create an effective one-on-one solicitation strategy that puts the donor actively in the story as an advisor and co-narrator in creating the appropriate ask . Donor-Advised Storytelling is key to reaching fundraising goals.

Speaker: Deborah Miller, Senior Director of Advancement, University of Illinois; Krannert Center for the Performing Arts; Dance at Illinois; Illinois Theatre and founder, Lesson 206

 

Developing A Cultivation And Engagement Strategy For Your Board Of Trustees
Executive Leadership Track

If you’re currently engaging your trustees exclusively through regular board meetings, then you’re missing huge opportunities! Governance responsibilities (the fiduciary role of the trustees) are well known, but there is so much more. We’ll examine ways to move beyond governance, including specific strategies to build relationships across campus, engage trustees strategically in signature university events, and drive cultivation using unique stewardship strategies. Finally, we’ll review a program for emeriti trustees that helps keep them engaged and leverages their experience through new-member mentorship programs and involvement with strategic planning initiatives.

Speakers: Carol Wilkie, Director of Donor Relations, University of St. Thomas; Joe Plante, Associate Vice President of Principal and Leadership Gifts, University of St. Thomas

 

2:30 – 3:30 pm

Plenary Sessions

The Business Case for Diversity in Higher Education Advancement

Demographics for alumni and donor bases of American colleges and universities will continue to shift over the next quarter-century, which means advancement organizations face two critical related questions: Do we understand these changing/emerging markets? And are we equipped to engage with them effectively? This session’s attendees will hear a panel of higher education philanthropy leaders discuss this crucial topic and how the industry must prepare.

• Rich Bundy, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, The Pennsylvania State University
• Alyssia Coates, Director of Development for Academic Initiatives, Diversity and Inclusion, Brown University
• Tyrone Freeman, PhD, Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies, IUPUI Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
• Gia Gallimore, Director of Diverse Alumni Engagement, University of Wisconsin – Madison
• Justin M. Gibson, Sr., Chair, CASE District V Committee on Opportunity and Inclusion (Moderator)

 

Moving the Needle from Anxious to Eager in Our Everyday Work:  Proven Ways to Enhance Joy and Increase impact by Addressing Fear and Anxiety in our Work

As professionals, we are at our finest when we embrace the spirit of this work fully.  We got into this work to be soaked in meaning and purpose, and to advance the mission of our organizations. In this session, we will discuss the significant role of fear, anxiety, and scarcity in the world through the lens of philanthropy, and how it both affects and limits what is possible for all CASE V attendees. We will discuss changing our stance and our mindset that will inspire trust, increase joy and be more aspirational for your institution and more inspirational for benefactors, your audiences and your colleagues. Using a humor-filled presentation around the “Fly-Wheel of Fear,” we will discuss specific anxiety-reducing tactics you can employ back at your institutions.
Jim Hodge and Scott Arthur have over 50 years of combined experience co-creating visions between institutions and benefactors and building effective teams with alumni and communications colleagues. Participants will:

• Laugh and learn about the Fly-Wheel of Fear and specific ways to reduce anxiety in our profession and increase, joy, efficacy, and revenue for our institutions.
• Learn how radical transparency, absurd collaboration, and ideation sessions create bigger and more compelling ideas.

 

3:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Networking Break (coffee/tea/water and food available)

 

4:00-5:00 p.m.

Program Breakout Sessions VI

Hit Refresh: Collaboration, Competition, and Technology to Energize Giving Days
Development Track

Speakers: Chris Bogen, Campaign Coordinator, Augsburg University; Kaia Chambers, Communications Specialist, Augsburg University; Margo Abramson, Advancement Services Specialist; Meredith Howell, Executive Director of Participation, University of Illinois at Chicago; Ramona Maza, Director of Participation, Digital Philanthropy, University of Illinois at Chicago

 

CASE District V Business Meeting
Join us as we conduct the CASE District V annual business meeting.

Speaker: April Novotny, Chair, CASE V Board of Directors

 

Removing Implicit Bias from the Hiring Process
Advancement Services Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

The average hiring process can cost upwards of $5,000 per search, ultimately to end up with a failed search.  At every stage of the hiring process, it is possible that we could be limiting our ability to hire the best, most diverse workforce possible because of the influence of implicit or unconscious bias.  Making a few intentional changes can significantly shift the impact of your hiring process and create an opportunity for a more inclusive recruiting and hiring experience for employers and prospective employees alike.

Speaker: Charleon Jeffries, Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Pennsylvania State University

 

Recent Graduate Engagement: Hits, misses, dreams and strategy
Alumni Relations Track, Opportunity & Inclusion Endorsed Session

Engaging recent graduates has been a hot topic for the last few years, but you may be wondering where to start, what to do, or how to communicate with this audience. This candid session will introduce you to the our journey, what we have learned, and our current strategy and goals.

Speaker: Joy Usner, Assistant Director, Young Alumni & Students, Miami University

 

Maximizing recruitment efforts through digital marketing
Communications Track

Digital advertising and marketing have changed the way higher education does enrollment. Today, universities and colleges must utilize these powerful tools in their recruitment efforts. Learn how to maximize your recruitment efforts and strengthen brand awareness through digital advertising, marketing and media. Strategically deliver key messages to targeted markets through several tools. Discover more about DID, OTT, geofencing, personalized websites, geotargeting and more. Understand their capabilities. Be able to choose the right digital strategy for your campaigns and learn how your website, media and CRM can maximize results.

Speakers: Helene E. Sheets, Director of Marketing & Communications, Lourdes University; Briana Peters, Marketing & Communications Specialist, Lourdes University

 

From Brand Cops to Brand Collaborators: Successfully Enforcing Brand Governance
Communications Track 

Since 1987, a policy has existed relating to brand governance at Purdue University, but it was never effectively communicated to stakeholders. This led to an inconsistent brand identity. Everything changed in July 2017, when the university president issued a memo clarifying that Marketing & Media was the administrative unit tasked with the management and protection of the university’s brand as well as all trademarks. In this session, you’ll learn how we successfully navigated our renewed brand enforcement position through operational reorganization, stakeholder communications plan, and updated brand resources.

Speakers: Emily Blue, Manager Brand, Advertising and Sponsorships, Purdue University; Erika Austin, Manager Trademarks and Licensing, Purdue University

 

Know thyself: Developing your professional identity as a fundraiser
Personal Development Track

Fast-paced and ever-changing workplaces leave little time for introspection. Yet, the Ancient Greek aphorism "know thyself" reminds us that self-knowledge is at the core of success and well-being. Fundraisers, likewise, do their best for organizational missions when they have a strong sense of self and an established occupational identity.

Speakers: Genevieve Shaker, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philanthropic Studies, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI; Sarah Nathan, Associate Director, The Fund Raising School, Lilly Family School of Philanthropy

 

Big Shop Gift Planning Strategies for Small Shops
Development Track

Small and mid-level shops can implement some of the same sophisticated planned giving strategies that big shops do, at little or no extra cost. Whether you are looking to create or build your gift planning program, you can learn strategies for fundraising, data analysis, administration, and prospecting that will enhance your institution's overall development performance.

Speakers: Valerie Sherman, JD, Director of Gift Planning, Saint Mary's College; Ed Cable, CPA, CFP, Director of Gift Planning, Denison University

 

How to Leverage Strategic Collateral to Meet and Exceed Performance Metrics
Executive Leadership Track

By starting with gratitude and stewardship, strategic collateral materials show donors the impact of their past giving and ignite their passion for their next major gift. They also act as a living player in a donor visit, inviting donors to engage and take ownership in creating significant and meaningful impact through their philanthropy. Through the lens of an Associate Vice President of Development and two Major Gift Officers, this session will focus on how any institution can adopt these techniques to strengthen its major gifts program.

Speakers: Lori Williamson, Associate Vice President of Development, University of St. Thomas; Tierney Wilson, Major Gift Officer, University of St. Thomas; Lou Anne SextonMajor Gift OfficerUniversity of St. Thomas

 

5:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Opportunity and Inclusion Reception (COI)

 

7:00 p.m.

Networking Dinners

 

9:00 p.m.

CASE V After Dark

Registration: 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

7:00 – 8:00 a.m.

Yoga

 

7:45 – 8:45 a.m.

Benchmarking Breakfast

Join colleagues for facilitated or general topic roundtable discussions. Complimentary breakfast available.

 

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Program Breakout Sessions VII
 

Teaming-up: Models of Effective Collaboration Between Research and Advancement
Executive Leadership Track

Many institutions are recognizing the complementary roles that advancement and research functions play in forging holistic external relationships and securing funding for institutional priorities. Hear from a panel of advancement professionals who’ve helped their organizations navigate various aspects of collaboration in a way that embraces their institutional cultures. From uniting the work of externally-facing offices to revising policies and proposal workflows, participants will leave the session with models and lessons learned from a diverse set of institutions whose partnerships with research colleagues led to greater achievement in cultivating, securing, and stewarding private support.

Speaker: Eric M. Reinhard, Director of Campaign Imperatives, Principal Gifts, Penn State University; Tim Angell, Senior Associate Director of Corporate Engagement, Northwestern University;  Kelly Freidenfelds, Senior Associate Director of Foundation Relations, Princeton University; Jay Kahn, Executive Senior Associate Vice President for Advancement, Purdue Research Foundation

Using Action Plans for Short and Long Term Fundraising Success
Development Track 

We all have goals, but too many time the path to reaching them is unclear. And, when we're asked to chart our course, we often end up with a map that "looks good on paper," but leads us nowhere. This session will focus on best practices to building annual and multi-year actions plans that will guide individuals and teams.

Speaker: Jeffrey D. Liebermann, Assistant Vice President for Development, University of Iowa Center for Advancement

 

Best Practices for the Small Shop
Advancement Services Track

Join the Carl Sandburg College Foundation in a discussion around the best practices for the small shop foundation. Staff will share the policies and procedures put in place in this Foundation to best serve the students and connect donors for a more relevant and relational giving experience. Also in this session, attendees will learn about the impact the last payer programs, specifically, the Galesburg and Sampson Promise, and the other relevant giving opportunities the Foundation has crafted to give more students access to pathways of success.

Speaker: Emily Webel, Director of Advancement, Carl Sandburg College; Seamus Reilly, President, Carl Sandburg College

 

Shots fired: Lessons learned from CMU's campus shooting
Communications Track

A Central Michigan University student shot and killed his parents in his residence hall room on campus. He then led police on a 14-hour manhunt that had Central's campus" and surrounding communities" on high alert. Working closely with police and many others, CMU’s University Communications team led the communication efforts that kept their communities safe during the event, and in the days following to protect the reputation of the institution and help campus and beyond recover. This session will cover five communication lessons learned from this tragic event.

Speakers: Heather Smith, Interim Associate Vice President, Central Michigan University; Sherry Knight, Co-Founder, Paladin Communications, and former Associate Vice President, University Communications, Central Michigan University.

 

Prioritizing Professional Development: A Case Study for the Venture Fund
Personal Development Track

Professional development dollars are hard to come by. So, too, are the time and resources needed to coordinate meaningful growth opportunities for you and your team.
In this session, we’ll introduce the Michigan Alumni Professionals Conference and demonstrate how this initiative can be replicated to fit your professional development needs.  In addition, we’ll explain the CASE V Venture Fund and showcase how the use of this grant has expanded the conference even further" without taxing the budget.

Speakers: Haley Briggs, Alumni Relations Officer, Law School, Wayne State University; Erin Sudrovech, Director of Alumni Engagement, Oakland University

 

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Days of Service
Alumni Relations Track

UWSP Days of Service were born out of our alumni chapters and morphed from our annual Day of Giving. As our Advancement unit began working more on collaborative strategies, we saw opportunities to leverage programs across platforms to engage more alumni, more deeply and effectively.
In looking at our annual Day of Giving, we saw an opportunity to engage our chapters with another way of giving that would honor our annual event while demonstrating all the ways #UWSPGIVESBACK.

Speakers: Laura Gehrman Rottier, Director of Alumni Relations, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point; Nicole Pare, Communications Manager for Advancement, University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

 

Work/Life Balance for the Busy Advancement Professional
Personal Development Track

Amazing, ambitious professional! Do you wonder if there is such a thing as work/life balance? At work, you’re constantly bouncing from meeting to meeting, planning the next project, the next donor meeting, the next event, the next campaign. Because you’re ambitious, you’re striving for the next promotion. All the while, you’ve got a partner who misses you, family that needs you, and friends that can’t wait to plan the next get-together. After 25 years in higher ed advancement, we’ve got tips, tools & strategies to remove guilt and unapologetically balance work and life. Come prepared to share in this highly interactive session.

Speakers: Jenna Goodman, Founding Partner, Generous Change; Nancy Jackson, Co-Founder, Generous Change; Kim Schmelz, Director of Alumni Development and External Relations, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College

 

Engaging Parents and Families as Major Donors: Big Results on a Small Budget
Development Track

Based on my own experience in launching a major gifts program geared to Parents and Families at American University as a one-person (and part-time) shop, this presentation explores how parents and families are different from other major gift prospects, how to engage them meaningfully without losing focus on major gifts, the parent/family cultivation timeline,  critical internal partners for success, donor motivation and giving for the right reasons-how to steer clear of conflicts of interest, assigning and managing high net worth parent.family prospects- how and when.

Speaker: Leslie Palmieri, Campaign Strategist, Lions Eye Institute at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Minnesota

Lessons in Building a High-Growth, Sustainable Fundraising Team
Executive Leadership Track

Hear how the Ohio University Foundation is taking on the challenge of reversing donor decline and effectively building leadership and major gift pipeline.
By generating meaningful engagement and offering new opportunities for alumni connection and volunteerism, Ohio is driving more leads to its fundraisers. They’re then delivering highly targeted appeals to bring in and retain more donors, building relationships in key regions by embedding gift officers, and generating pipeline at the top of the pyramid, too.
Join this conversation about taking a giving funnel-driven approach at your own organization.

Speakers: Nico Karagosian, MBA, CFRE, President and CEO, The Ohio University Foundation; Brent Grinna, MBA, Founder & CEO, EverTrue

 

10:15-11:15 a.m.

Program Breakout Sessions VIII

Resilient Fundraisers: How Gift Officers Find Balance & How Managers Can Help Them
Personal Development Track

Gift officers face pressure to meet increasingly high metrics, balancing donor interests with institutional priorities. Yet, how well are gift officers finding balance between institutional goals and their personal interests? Understanding that "resilience" is more than mental toughness or overcoming adversity, we will discuss how success can stem from gift officers building their individual capacities to handle stress. Taking it further, we will discuss how managers and institutions can encourage (or discourage) personal wellbeing for front line fundraisers.

Speaker: Robyn Rost, Development Officer, University of Minnesota

 

Overcoming the Gap: How to Bridge Millennial and GenZ Messaging
Communications Track

Each successive generation creates its own characteristics in response to its predecessor generation. This results in a shift in motivators, platforms, and tactics every few years.
We’re currently in a shifting period where prospective, current and recently graduated undergraduates behave in diametrically opposite ways to our masters and Ph.D. students. What worked last year in graduate recruiting won’t work next year.
In this session, you’ll learn how to bridge that gap in an effort not to alienate one group, change your office’s mindset, and find out what GenZ cares about.

Speakers: Alison L. Wells, Digital Marketing Manager, University of Michigan College of Engineering; Cara Gonzalez, Digital Marketing Strategist, University of Michigan - College of Engineering

 

Alumni Workplace Engagement - Bridging Alumni, Workplace and your Institution
Alumni Relations Track

This presentation will focus on developing strategies to identify and open doors for increased engagement within organizations that employ large numbers of alumni.  Through these best practices, we'll discuss how this increased engagement can identify “new” alumni leaders for involvement with your institution.  We will discuss an array of partnership opportunities between your institution and these organizations.  Through utilizing a consultative approach you will be able to build that bridge between companies and your institution for increased individual and corporate engagement/philanthropy while driving home the importance of true collaboration.

Speakers: John Borgese, Director, Alumni Workplace Engagement, Rutgers University Foundation; Lisa English, Associate Vice President for Advancement Services, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers University Foundation

 

The Story of Utilizing Unique Ways to Leverage Faculty Connections to Alumni
Alumni Relations Track

An interactive storytelling session about a unique, cross country tour where faculty visited alumni from their program in partnership with alumni relations. Learn how to utilize your faculty as ambassadors to engage alumni at a national level and target specific goal areas with alumni regionally. A great case study to demonstrate how alumni relations, faculty and alumni themselves can benefit from this new way to view collaboration and engagement.

Speakers: Marcie Otteman, M.Ed., Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Development Strategies, Central Michigan University; Tim Otteman, E.d.D Higher Education 2008, Associate Professor of Recreation Parks and Leisure Services Administration, Central Michigan University; Katie Neu, M.A. Higher Education, Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement, Central Michigan University

 

Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance Issues in Fundraising
Executive Leadership Track

Ever wondered if your advancement department has all the compliance bases covered?  Looking to solve a complex gift acceptance or governance issue?  Are your financial management practices actually best practices, or are you receiving repeat audit findings?  Learn the essentials of financial, governance, financial management and compliance for fundraising non-profits. Topics covered will include governing documents, financial best practices, getting to a clean audit, tax implications for your donors, and ways to steer clear of compliance problems.

Speaker: Theresa M. Law, JD, CFRE, Vice President, Advancement, New Mexico Highlands University

 

External Factors That Influence Higher Education Philanthropy
Development Track

Fundraising is often called an "art," but what about the science? This presentation uses data from IPEDS and the Council for Aid to Education's Voluntary Support of Education survey to look scientifically at how external factors (the transition from grants to loans, changes to the highest income tax bracket, and the decline in state appropriations) have influenced private support to higher education philanthropy and how advancement professionals can advocate for the work that we do to university leadership, state officials, and federal legislatures.

Speaker: Jessica Storm Steele, Executive Director of Development, Major Giving, Ohio University

 

Creating Student Support Opportunities Beyond Scholarship
Development Track

Scholarship support has always been the number one way for donors to support students. But what happens when donors want to support students but don't want to fund a scholarship?  The McKelvey School of Engineering created the Engineering Student Project Fund, an opportunity for donors to support its engineering student organizations. In it's first year, the fund exceeded it's fundraising goals and donors were able to directly support student activities. Learn how they identified donor prospects, marketed the fund, collaborated with students, and how they steward donors.

Speaker: Jill Lewin, Senior Associate Director of Development, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis

 

Turn philanthropy and strategic priority topics into stories your audience loves
Communications Track

Many essential topics your school has to share with your audiences - campaigns, donor stories, strategic initiatives - are the hardest to execute. Sometimes there's no "there" there. Sometimes you feel like you're doing the same stories again and again (and again).
We'll share some of the exact strategies award-winning institutions use to create compelling stories. We'll also consider approaches used by institutions and publications outside of higher ed to see how you can adapt their playbooks. You'll leave with a robust toolkit you can use in your own work.

Speakers: Erin Peterson, Owner, Capstone Communications; Kim Kiser, Editor, Legacy magazine, University of Minnesota Foundation

 

11:30 – 1:00 p.m.

Pride of CASE Awards Luncheon

Come celebrate the best of CASE District V and participate in a raffle to win prizes.