Alumni participation has steadily declined across institutions of higher education in the United States for several decades. And increasingly, donors are taking their philanthropic inclinations to organizations where they can give to specific purposes with targeted outcomes. The most successful deans and academic leaders are attuned to this reality and work in concert with their advancement colleagues to help alumni and donors see how the institution’s capabilities align with alumni and donor passions to make a significant, sustainable difference in society together. Understanding how to facilitate philanthropic engagement from alumni and donors by providing them with portals of purpose to give through your institution, rather than to it, can restore and sustain your student experience and alumni affinity for years to come.

Join us for a five-week certificate program designed to teach you how leadership, collaboration, and philanthropic vital signs can combine into a larger strategy to strengthen donor engagement with your unit. Specifically, you’ll learn:

• Leadership: What your leadership style looks like in both normal and stressful situations, as well as how you can adapt your style while interacting with alumni and donors.
• Collaboration: How to strengthen relationships with colleagues to foster a culture of philanthropy.
• Philanthropic Vital Signs: The four elements of a healthy fundraising operation—appreciation, affiliation, agency, and accountability—and how to use them to make alumni and donors feel valued.

As a culminating activity, you will create an action plan for the year ahead focused on improving collaboration and the health of your philanthropic vital signs, and you’ll discuss with your peers how to overcome any barriers you may face to implement it.

This certificate program is designed to complement and serve as a primer for our in-person conference, Fundraising for Deans and Academic Leaders. At this conference, the knowledge you gain in the certificate program will be expanded upon and practiced through dialogue and interactive activities with academic leader and development peers from across the country.

Register for the March 2025 session of this conference soon, as space is limited to 30 participants!