A hallmark event for the College of Science at Virginia Tech is our annual March 14 Pi Day celebration. On Pi Day every year, the College of Science embraces its inner Geek (ok, we do that all year) to celebrate the mathematical constant, Pi. Nearly every year, our Alumni Relations Director buys 2,000 small pies and we pass them out all over campus -- from tables where students can stop by to dropping one off for the President and Provost. We couldn't do it that way in March 2021, yet we were determined to achieve two things: 1) a Pi Day event that let us connect with alumni, particularly younger ones 2) Bolster our alumni participation, as part of Virginia Tech's overall goal to get participation to 22 percent by next year. Working hand in hand -- from the brainstorming sessions forward -- our Alumni Relations Director and our Communications and Marketing team (four people total) conceived of holding a (virtual) Pi Day 5k. This session will tell the story of how we put this campaign together. Our team is four people: we developed a design, a race packet to be shipped on time for race day that included a long-sleeve t-shirt, keychain, and stickier, promoted it via email and postcard, drummed up support via social media, and developed two promotional videos in house, with a remarkable end result. Our initial goal was 314 alumni registrants (one Pi, as it were). We raced past that, blew past 2 Pi (628 registrants) and went over 700. This session would be helpful, in my opinion, for both Alumni Relations professional and Marketing and Communications ones. Truly, teamwork was our superpower.

Partnering with Campus leadership on Advancement initiatives can be challenging. From managing institutional fundraising priorities, to data sharing, strategy development and implementation, calendaring and accountability, the different areas of engagement are hard to synthesize. By utilizing an internal Google-based website model and Blackbaud Raiser's Edge processes and data, we are providing timely and accurate information for campus leadership (College Deans and the Athletic Director) for all of the functional areas of Advancement. Join us we share how we started, the process of implementation and information on how it going, six months into the process.

Too many universities are indistinguishable from one another—and too often, it’s because the messages they put into the world are lackluster, ordinary, and riddled with cliche. But words matter! The wrong words—or worse, the forgettable words—will cost you students, money, opportunities, and engagement. The right words, on the other hand, can nudge students to enroll, alumni to donate, and faculty and staff to become even stronger advocates for your school. Which are you going to pick? Note: This presentation can include an educational speaking partner upon request.

Crowdfunding is an engaging, peer-amplified and low friction giving opportunity that’s transforming our donor engagement. Join three successful universities as they share their experience with crowdfunding, including establishing a platform, recruiting projects, working with volunteers and campus leaders. We’ll talk about how you can use this flexible giving option for both your campaigns and to support key campus and community initiatives. And, get insights and benchmarks from a database of over $500M in campaigns to help you plan for your program’s success. Whether you’re new to crowdfunding or just want to amplify your platform, this panel session will provide valuable insights and action steps to boost your success.

Conference speakers provide several useful concepts, projects and ideas. This is wonderful! Which one (or few) should we explore? Which one should we implement on top of the other things we do? Do we have time to do it all? Am I overwhelmed? Attend this session to make the time to share what you've learned, categorize and timeline ideas and even brainstorm a project plan of an initiative within a group or individually. Participants will engage and interact in participatory exercises while reviewing their experiences and highlighting learned concepts. Each participant will takeaway at least one brainstormed project plan by the end of the session!

Florida International University's annual faculty and staff campaign has regularly been recognized by CASE for its success. However, in the wake of the pandemic, the operational model that yielded this success could not be actualized. In this session, I will detail how the fundamental principles upon which Ignite was founded provided the structural support needed to sustain the Campaign's momentum in our most challenging year. The session will conclude with a description of SIS (Strategic Intensive Stewardship), our redesigned approach to stewarding our donor base, and a presentation of the results supporting this improved operational model. This has not been achieved by pursuing a set amount per donor; rather, by both educating and connecting our faculty and staff to university initiatives that they are passionate about and celebrating participation instead of the amount. The campaign has removed the separation of donor and fundraiser, allowing for an authentic peer-to-peer approach that consistently outperforms the limitations of having a defined audience.

Innovation is not something that happens by chance. It’s the result of building an environment in which it can thrive. Duncan Wardle knows a thing or two about fostering an environment of innovation. During his time as the Head of Innovation for a company known for redefining pretty much every industry they touch – The Walt Disney Company – Duncan’s decades of success weren’t merely a matter of luck or chance. No, his results were a direct reflection of his ability to create an innovative culture, and ensure that everyone on his teams were put in a position to let their inner creativity run wild.

In his Embedding Innovation Into Everyone’s DNA keynote, Duncan will share the exact steps and strategies used to create such an environment. Your team will learn how to create safe spaces for taking creative risks, ensure everyone on your team is empowered and thinking like an entrepreneur, and transition from the ideation stage into action. He’ll also share a creative problem-solving tool called “What Else,” which will prime your organization to discover innovative ideas each and every time you set out to tackle a challenge.

In the end, your team will walk away from this keynote with a fresh outlook on their day to day tasks, and be ready to approach them with new levels of creative thinking, allowing innovation to flourish.