Archives

A Masterclass in Discovery Work

Learn what to say and how best to say it by exploring the practices of inquiry and authentic curiosity. Overview Discovery work is an essential part of the fundraising process because it’s your first access point to learning how to optimize a potential donor’s philanthropic interest. Refreshing your approach and strategy, especially considering the digital environment, is a great way to continue to gain confidence in your ability to be conversational as a fundraiser. The ability to ask insightful questions that keep prospects and donors talking and sharing will ultimately lead you to align your donor with the best possible opportunity for their philanthropy goals.   Join us in this online training to deepen your skills around discovery work and improve upon your first impression as a representative of your organization. Gain confidence as you go into conversations with donors; you’ll walk away with the right questions to ask to build trust and get to know your donors more intimately.   Who Should Attend This training will be beneficial for:  New gift officers beginning to work with donors.  Seasoned gift officers who want to refine and hone skills in discovery.  Development professionals who either want to build their donor pipeline or would like to explore a career in frontline fundraising.  […]

How to Use an Inclusive ROI Approach for Program Prioritization

Position your college for future program growth and financial sustainability while also engaging faculty. Overview Currently, academic leaders are rethinking their programs to meet the realities of student demands in a post-Covid environment. Some universities have sunset entire departments and programs, while others have taken programs hybrid or fully online. What is right for your division? And how do you gain faculty buy-in for the tough decisions you need to make? It is important to remember that programs are not solely measured by their monetary value; this makes program prioritization a challenging task that requires an inclusive, holistic approach tailored to the realities of each institution. Join us online to learn how to standardize the process of assessing the return on investment (ROI) of your programs across your division. Hear from our expert, Kelly Ball, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, as she demonstrates how to develop an inclusive ROI approach that accounts for mission, margin, and market. Participants will learn how to lead faculty and other stakeholders through this complex and necessary process, resulting in academic prioritization plans that create a resilient curriculum.   Who Should Attend This training is designed for deans, department chairs, academic leaders, as well as […]

Exploring Different Pathways to Deanship

Gain insight on how you can grow your experience and develop the necessary skills to position yourself for an Academic Dean role. Overview In your role as Assistant or Associate Dean, you might be questioning what comes next in your career path. For many, becoming an Academic Dean is an exciting prospect and the clear path forward. But how do you acquire the right skills and experience to prepare you to do the job successfully? And how do you position yourself and prepare to interview for a Deanship, so that you stand out from the rest? Join us online and hear from two leaders – one Dean and one Interim Dean – as they share their insights and lessons learned on how to prepare for the role of an Academic Dean. You’ll learn about the day-to-day responsibilities that took them by surprise, and you’ll receive tips and strategies for how you can gain the experience, skills, and confidence necessary to effectively navigate those challenges. If you’re interested in learning how to prepare yourself for the following responsibilities, this training is for you! Budgeting and Financial Management Fundraising and Donor Relations Overseeing Promotion and Tenure Navigating Shared Governance Building Your Leadership […]

Effectively Manage Matching and Challenge Gift Campaigns

Prepare your shop for its next challenge or matching gift opportunity. Overview Many educational institutions benefit from large matching or challenge gifts (not to be confused with corporate matching gift programs). A donor makes a gift or pledge with the expectation that the advancement shop will raise the same amount of funds from other donors.  For example, a donor may pledge $50M to a new building project if the development staff can raise an additional $50M from other donors. These are exciting opportunities because they show your biggest donors that you care about growing the impact of their giving, but you also know they require a lot of hard work and careful management, often on a tight timeline. You probably have more questions than answers on how to manage these campaigns.    Join us online to learn how to show your biggest donors that you care about growing the impact of their giving. You will hear from two experts who can answer your questions and provide best practices on how to successfully approach match and challenge gift campaigns. In this training, you’ll learn how to:   Secure and cultivate donors who wish to provide a challenge gift as well as matching gifts.  Structure a matching gift campaign that meets the development goals for both the donors and your shop.  Execute and assess your campaign in a way that allows you to steward your […]

Engaging Deans and Academic Leaders in Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving

Strategically integrate deans and academic leaders in annual giving as a way to build your donor pipeline. Overview Collaborating with academic leaders is a strategic priority for many of us, and by connecting with deans and academic leaders in intentional ways early in the fundraising cycle, you help your academic colleagues see themselves within philanthropy. Perhaps more importantly, you also provide alumni and donors the opportunity to realize the impact of their investment.    Join us online to learn how partnering with academic colleagues through meaningful engagement can support your work in building your pipeline and lead to greater alumni and donor engagement. This may feel challenging at your institution, but our expert’s proven strategies and best practices will offer support in identifying the best course of action for you.    Who Should Attend This training will benefit annual giving and alumni engagement professionals looking for ways to strategically involve academic leaders and add value to the academic enterprise. This training is also for academic based development officers focused on building their pipeline, regardless of their staffing structure, to illustrate the important role alumni engagement and annual giving should have in the advancement priorities of an academic unit.  AGENDA August 25, 2021 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern   In this hour-long webcast, our expert instructor will cover the following:  Understanding Your Institutional Culture and Context   Before you can establish meaningful partnerships with academic leaders, you […]

Diversify your Alumni Board

Imagine the impact a diverse alumni board could do for your alumni engagement efforts. Overview Your alumni board is the foundation of your efforts to engage alumni and donors successfully. However, to expand beyond traditional engagement strategies that intentionally connect with your diverse alumni population more effectively, you need to have an alumni board that reflects the current diversity of your student and alumni body. How you construct and implement a new nomination process for your board can contribute to building diversity and representation. In this webcast, you will hear from our expert, Durice White Galloway, Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving Strategies at Arcadia University, about how a diverse alumni board is critical to institutional strategy and university advancement work. Join us online to learn how to identify, adjust, and avoid nomination processes that aren’t equitable in practice so that your nominations enable the diversification of nominees and future board members. By also practicing proactive inclusivity and partnering with existing cultural affinity networks and campus centers, you can better market your board and lead towards a more diverse pool of candidates. We will work through how you can: Reform your nominating process to be more inclusive. […]

Fostering Mutual Goodwill Across Your Team: A Step Beyond Servant Leadership

Create a culture within your team where positive communication improves relationships, trust and equity and inclusion efforts. Overview As higher ed moves into a new post-COVID era and your team is tasked with solving new problems, it is more important than ever to focus on building – and perhaps even rebuilding – a team culture that elicits high levels of trust, collaboration, transparency and equity.    Join us online and learn how Mutual Goodwill can foster an environment of positivity and respect and build a more cohesive and productive team.  As an extension of servant leadership, the practice of Mutual Goodwill assumes that in all communications, whether it is a difficult conversation or asking questions, those involved are genuine, positive and helpful in spirit.  The practice requires that you not assume an underlying agenda or take on the emotional tone of others, especially if past interactions have been negative or harmful.  Each interaction is experienced as a new one with the assumption that the interaction will lead to positive outcomes.   During this interactive training, we will:    Define the concept of Mutual Goodwill and how it works  Hear success stories and examples that illustrate how Mutual Goodwill can be implemented within a team  Assess the readiness of you and your team in adopting this practice  Discuss your leadership […]

Beyond Heritage Month: Supporting and Empowering Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Communities as Campuses Reopen

Strive to end anti-Asian hate crimes through consistent and meaningful support for your APIDA community. Overview Institutions across the United States host a variety of programs and events throughout the month of May in recognition of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month. This month-long recognition serves to honor and celebrate the rich histories, achievements, and contributions of APIDA communities while also providing an opportunity to shine light on the very real hardships they are facing today. According to a recent study from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State University San Bernardino, the number of reported anti-Asian hate crimes in the nation’s largest cities and counties has increased by 164% since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Many fear that these numbers will continue to rise as more campuses and businesses reopen in the coming months. This begs the question: How can we reach beyond heritage month to actively support and empower APIDA communities at our institutions year-round? Join us for a two and a half-hour collaborative session during which we will explore this question together. Through a combination of panel discussion, individual reflection, and collaborative activities, you will leave this […]

Transitioning Advancement toward a Hybrid Workforce Model

Benchmark against peer institutions as your shop transitions toward a hybrid workforce. Overview Advancement shops were forced to rapidly transition to a fully remote workforce last year due to COVID-19. As institutions plan to reopen in the Fall, we are now preparing for yet another transition to what for many shops will be a hybrid workforce that balances in-person and remote. This moment in time represents an opportunity for advancement shops to think about the transition strategically and to make decisions around it that allow for greater flexibility without any loss of productivity. In this virtual training, you will hear from our expert—Len Contardo, Senior Director of Human Resources & Professional Development at the Georgia Tech Alumni Association—about how organizational culture has shaped and continues to shape their transition to a hybrid workforce. You will then have the opportunity to benchmark and hear from peers across the industry about important questions like: How will the previous year of remote work impact future office logistics? What steps can you take to intentionally shape your culture in a hybrid workforce organization? How can you best manage expectations through the next workforce model transition?   Who Should Attend Leaders of advancement teams from […]