A Conversation in Fundraising We Need to Have

We asked Jason McNeal to share the philosophy behind his unique handbook and why he feels that training on effective contact reports can be – in the long term – a game-changer for development shops. An interview with Jason McNeal (Gonser Gerber LLP), author of  Writing Meaningful Contact Reports: A Handbook for Fundraisers. AI.Jason, thanks for this […]

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 101: Members

MEMBER EXCLUSIVE Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 101: A 10-Day Foundational Program Join our program to receive bite-sized diversity, equity & inclusion lessons daily for 2 weeks. Complete the program to get a certificate! The next cohort starts Monday. Diversity, equity, and inclusion work has never been more important in higher education. Sign up for our […]

Rethink Campaign Leadership: A Workshop for Senior Fundraising Executives 

Rethink Campaign Leadership: A Workshop for Senior Fundraising Executives Check back for new dates soon! SEE SIMILAR TRAININGS Elevate your leadership, spark new ideas, and connect with peers who share your challenges and aspirations. Overview Running a successful fundraising campaign is about more than strategies and best practices—it’s about purposeful leadership, team alignment, and building […]

Four Stats That Will Impact Higher Ed in 2017

2017 has the potential to be a volatile year in higher education, and that was the case even before Donald Trump took office. Regulatory uncertainty, continued economic and demographic headwinds, and shifts in both domestic and international student enrollment trends are just a few of the rapids that higher-ed leaders will need to navigate. At […]

“No One Ever Told Me”: How Advisors Can Maximize Service and Minimize Risk through Effective Documentation

This article is an excerpt from Sue Ohrablo’s acclaimed book High-Impact Advising: A Guide for Academic Advisors, which you can find here. Electronic documentation has become an integral part of an academic advisor’s daily life. Student records and notes are often maintained electronically, and email has been established as a preferred method of communication among students, […]

Student Affairs: Trends to Watch in 2017-19

What will student affairs look like, 3 years from now? Looking ahead, what concerns you most? What do we most need to do this year? Recently, we held vigorous discussions of the future of student affairs with a panel of experts that included two vice presidents of student affairs (Les Cook and Paul Marthers), a […]

Adjusting Housing and Dining Operations for the Fall: Ideas from Your Peers

Every campus with plans to re-open in the fall is scrambling to adjust campus housing and dining services – but often, we are moving so fast and feeling so isolated that we lose the opportunity to compare notes and brainstorm solutions with our peers, or to learn from what other institutions are trying. That’s why […]

A Tool for Increasing Application and Retention Rates for At-Risk Students

SPOTLIGHT ON INNOVATION SERIES The US Department of Education has awarded multi-million dollar “First in the World” grants to 18 colleges, universities, and organizations that are innovating to solve critical challenges with access, recruitment, retention, and student success. At AI, we have interviewed each of the recipients to learn more about the projects these institutions are […]

How 3 Institutions Have Taken More Effective Approaches to Corporate Engagement

As federal funding dollars for research dry up and proposal acceptance rates drop, colleges and universities are increasingly looking to partner with private companies for research funding and other financial support. Private companies, in turn, are looking to develop more mutually beneficial partnerships with institutions, tapping institutional resources and expertise in a wider variety of […]

Managing Your Institution’s Social Media Channels

Many of the institutions seeing the greatest success in leveraging social media communications to help boost strategic efforts in marketing and communications, student recruitment, and alumni engagement have actually invested relatively little budget and few staff to the effort. Instead, these institutions’ marketing and communications offices have focused on identifying and leveraging those social media […]