In a time of unprecedented change in the advancement landscape, higher education institutions are innovating to respond in this ever-shifting environment.  In this session, we will review trends from 2020 and discuss how Blackbaud customers and the industry are developing new strategies for fundraising success. ​

Learn how higher ed institutions are realizing a new era of collaboration and alignment with a cross-campus cloud ecosystem.  Join Derek Clark of University of South Carolina, Lori Shockey of University of Saskatchewan, and Alan Bowden of Baylor University with Bill Walsh of Blackbaud as they discuss their cloud transformation experiences, including managing the data lifecycle, lessons learned along the way, and the technology and change management behind the data transformation. ​

The typical vision of the student journey is a single, seamless trajectory, beginning at admission and ending with graduation. In reality, it is more like a highway full of roadblocks and traffic jams. Unfortunately, the cost of adopting the typical view can be high for many schools, blinding them to problems students face in their institutional interactions and how these problems impact enrollment, persistence, or the student experience. In this session, we will explore how institutions should leverage technology to support the student journey and how they can ensure that students along their journeys have a strong sense of belonging from student to alumni to donor. ​

Open forum for attendees to share how they have successfully altered their technology and/or business processes in the current climate. Suggested discussion questions include:

• What new technologies or business practices have you adopted to support the current COVID-19 climate?
• What is the most significant change you have had to implement at your institution in response to COVID-19?
• How have you expanded or enhanced your institution's use of existing solutions to meet these challenges?
• What technologies and/or tools are you exploring to help with alumni engagement?

Two years ago, CASE acquired the Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) survey and launched a new division, AMAtlas, with a strategic focus to become the global resource for advancement metrics, benchmarks and analytics. Cara Giacomini, Chief Research and Data Officer, and Jenny Cooke Smith, Senior Strategic Consultant, will discuss some of the key initiatives of AMAtlas, such as establishing a universal framework for measuring engagement and launching a Global Core Metrics initiative, which takes a holistic approach to collecting measurements across philanthropy, alumni relations, and marketing/communications. Additionally, Cara and Jenny will share results from several timely studies conducted by CASE which examine institutional growth following the past recession and virtual engagement in the time of COVID. 

Open discussion for attendees to share successful fundraising and engagement programs in the current climate and the technology supporting those initiatives. Suggested discussion questions include:

• What new programs have you started to maintain momentum in alumni engagement?
• How have you adapted fundraising strategies to be successful in 2020?
• What technology adaptations were needed to support these new initiatives?
• What new actions or initiatives are you considering to support fundraising and engagement going forward?

Adopting any new technology starts you on a journey of readiness and planning to go-live and optimization. Chris Cannon of Zuri Group will lead a panel of Higher Ed executives through a review of their current states, sharing insights, best practices, and recommendations from the recently started, recently live, longer-term user, and early adopter stages. Following the 60-minute discussion with be a 30-minute "overtime" Q&A session where panelists will answer questions from the session attendees. 

Learn how Blackbaud CRM customers are transforming data and relationship management across athletics and fundraising. Sara Anne Bennett, Manager of Professional Services at Blackbaud, will lead a review of customer insights and share the vision, strategy, technology, and partnerships powering this new era of collaboration. 

Using data to drive strategy is a common goal for nearly every institution.  In this session Missy Egelhoff and Todd McMahon from Marquette University will join Bill Walsh and Alison Madrigal from Blackbaud to share strategies, best practices, and a close look at how Marquette implemented data visualization tools to power fundraiser success and inform strategy across the institution.  ​

Scott Roberts will deliver the closing, keynote address discussing the implementation of technology and innovation at the UConn Foundation.