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Sherry Booth

Becoming Strategic Partners with our Academic Leaders

Sherry Booth, Associate Vice President, Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement, Trent University

Our philanthropic work relies on the vision and inspiration of our institutional leaders. Through an interactive round table experience, learn ways to engage with our academic partners for mutually beneficial impacts. We will discuss common pitfalls and ways to overcome challenges of the academic world. Finally, we will explore success stories of best-case scenarios.

Richard Longtin

Session Sponsor: Global Philanthropic Canada Inc.

Stronger Together. Formalizing town-gown relations for the betterment of community

Richard Longtin, Associate Vice President, External Relations, Red Deer Polytechnic

Research shows that partnerships between post-secondary institutions and municipalities can have positive outcomes on the surrounding area and benefits for local citizens. These relationships can help to facilitate regional innovation, opportunities for research collaboration, local student recruitment and key partnerships. Municipal and postsecondary partnerships help create an open flow for knowledge, research, capacity building, for post-secondary institutions and communities. Formal and informal partnerships between institutions and municipalities have frequently been termed “town-gown relationships”. As partnerships between post-secondary institutions and municipalities have become more common in recent years, it is worth examining the key aspects of these relationships from an advancement, alumni, communications and marketing lens.

Lorna Somers

Ron McKerlie

Session Sponsor: Honeywell

Kirk & Spock: Lessons in Leadership

Lorna Somers, Executive Director, Mohawk College Foundation
Ron McKerlie, President, Mohawk College

Do you aspire to be #1 to your institutional or Faculty leader – even if you’re not yet on the Bridge? Our ability to effectively build and nurture partnerships is more critical than ever to successful Advancement.  It requires time, effort and expert relationship-building skills and at the same time offers an exceptional R.O.I. when it comes to results, job satisfaction and career opportunities.  Partnerships are complex, however, and are not without challenges.  When they work, it’s a win for all concerned and a model for others because our work is most effective when it is collaborative, with shared aspirations and shared successes. Even if it feels we’re from different planets, we share the “Prime Directive” of our organization.  Let’s talk about how to build these partnerships and share what works and not so much!

Ruth Dunley

A Mile in Their Shoes: Truth, Empathy, and Reconciliation

Ruth Dunley, Associate Director, Editorial Strategy, Queen’s University 

In the wake of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission reports, Queen’s alumni called on us to help them chart a path toward Reconciliation. But how? How could we organize something with impact, and that would spur alumni to action? We learned that in order to get action, you have to create action – through experiential opportunities, collaboration, and storytelling. Working together, the Office of Advancement and the Office of Indigenous Initiatives collaborated with Ry Moran of the University of Victoria to create a one-of-a-kind experiential five-month journey for our alumni. Filled with emotion and empathy, it was a learning journey like nothing we’d ever done before, but that we know we’ll do again.

Christoph Clodius

Jane Potentier

Session Sponsor: Grenzebach Glier + Associates

A new normal?

Lessons learned from recruiting, retaining, and engaging staff in a pandemic era

Christoph Clodius, Vice President, The Discovery Group
Jane Potentier, Associate Vice-President, Alumni & Development, University of Victoria

The pandemic has upended and challenged conventional thinking about how to best recruit and retain staff.  The “great resignation”, work from home, travel, family scheduling, and an evolving notion of donor and alumni engagement have all been profoundly affected, with wide-ranging implications for advancement staff and leaders’ teams. While some best practices remain, other new, novel, or unexpected practices in recruitment have resulted. 

This interactive discussion session will cover these new trends, and position advancement leaders to better understand and leverage their candidates’ and teams’ needs.

Lori Guenther Reesor

Irshad Osman

Ann Rosenfield

Session Sponsor: Global Philanthropic Canada Inc.

Faith & Fundraising: Three Interconnected Philanthropy Traditions

Lori Guenther Reesor, Principal, Joyful Fundraising
Irshad Osman, Senior Development Officer, University of Toronto
Ann Rosenfield, Director of Development, Temple Sinai

Our presentation includes quizzes and humour. Ann might bring kosher snacks or play Klezmer music. Three very different speakers, all comfortable talking about faith to people from beyond their own communities.  

20 minutes for questions because people have LOTS of questions. Whom could you ask about faith and fundraising? You don’t want to ask your donor.   

Bring your questions to this safe space to talk about faith and money and to get answers from three experienced fundraisers who have been on an inclusive philanthropy mission to shine the light on donor motivations at a deeper level.

Deborah Trumble

Demystifying Alumni Engagement Metrics

Deborah Trumble, Senior Director, Research, CASE

Four years after the inception of CASE’s Alumni Engagement Metrics (now CASE Insights on Alumni Engagement), practitioners across the globe are beginning to employ the data as they strategically plan next steps. By collecting counts of alumni engaged philanthropically, as volunteers, experientially, and through communication, the survey provides a framework for measuring engagement. In this session, we will share key findings from the most recent survey and highlight real examples of how your program can implement small changes, based on the data, to demonstrate real impact.

Karen Benner

Michael Forbes

Johanna VanderMaas

Session Sponsor: Honeywell

A journey toward reconciliation – renaming TMU

Karen Benner, Associate Director, University Communications, Toronto Metropolitan University
Michael Forbes, Chief of Staff, Executive Director Communications, Toronto Metropolitan University
Johanna VanderMaas, Associate Director, Leadership Communications, Toronto Metropolitan University

In April 2022, Ryerson University was the first PSE institution in North America to write a new chapter and launch a brand new name.

Public institutions around the world are dealing with challenges associated with historical names and commemoration (statues, buildings, etc.) In November 2020, the President of Toronto Metropolitan University Mohamed Lachemi convened the Standing Strong Task Force to examine and provide recommendations to address the legacy, and commemoration of, the university’s namesake, Egerton Ryerson. In August 2021, the Task Force presented a report with 22 recommendations, including to rename the university, which the university’s Board of Directors approved unanimously.

In this session, whether you are dealing with the name of a scholarship, a statue, public, art or a larger name change – we will share the strategies, tactics, and lessons learned as the MarComm team helped to lead and manage the transition to a new name – Toronto Metropolitan University.

Community of Practice breakout discussion session

The best part of a Conference program is having a chance to connect with colleagues and discuss common challenges, goals. There is NEVER enough time in a Conference program, to do that, which is why, breakout rooms are back!

Last seen in 2019, CCAE will be hosting concurrent spaces for folks to get together and discuss all things related to job. Over the course of 75 mins, each space will be choregraphed by a Moderator. CCAE and the Moderator will provide some ideas for conversation, but the direction and conversation are in the hands of the attendees.

Bring your pressing issues, your burning questions and make the most out of connecting with your colleagues.

Sharing by Career Stage:

Patricia Falzon

Guy Mallabone

Michelle Stevenson

Michelle Fuko

Mark Hazlett

Preston Aitken

Michael Awmack

Christy Nair

Session Sponsor: Honeywell

Reimagining Regional Alumni Engagement: alumni UBC’s pandemic pilots

Michael Awmack, Associate Director, Communications, alumni UBC, University of British-Columbia
Christy Nair, Associate Director, Alumni Engagement, alumni UBC, University of British-Columbia

alumni UBC piloted a number of initiatives throughout the pandemic to engage regionally based alumni in the absence of staff travel and in person events. From their unique Around the World virtual event series, to a new magazine section featuring alumni living around the world, to the launch of My Town Meetups where regional alumni can host casual gatherings in their location, alumni UBC has been busy connecting their global alumni community in creative ways through the most challenging of times. This presentation will provide specifics about each of these programs, what the team has learned, and what’s next.

Ellen Doty

Tanya Hannah Rumble

Session Sponsor: Grenzebach Glier + Associates

Follow The Money: Gift acceptance policies and practices at Canadian universities

Ellen Dotty, Assistant Dean, Development, Faculty of Law, VER Development and Alumni Relations, University of Alberta
Tanya Hannah Rumble, Director, Development, Faculty of Arts, Toronto Metropolitan University

Universities in Canada welcome gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations to help achieve their academic mission and to enhance their programs and services for students. Federal and provincial governments incentivize this voluntary gift support of charitable organizations, including universities, by providing substantial tax relief to donors. Some of the largest philanthropic gifts in Canadian history have been made to public universities. In considering whether or not to accept a gift, or to solicit one, advancement professionals have a number of policies and protocols to consider, most significantly the written gift acceptance policy. Our research examined the current principles that inform gift acceptance policies at Canadian universities and how adequately existing gift acceptance policies account for the nuanced considerations related to: ethics; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); and reconciliation, decolonization and Indigenization when working with donors or potential donors.

Christy Miller

Tasneem Rahim

Session Sponsor: Global Philanthropic Canada Inc.

What women want: Bringing female philanthropy to the forefront of your institution

Christy Miller, Senior Consultant, Global Philanthropic Canada
Tasneem Rahim, Director, Fund Development and Alumni Engagement, Bow Valley College

More than half of your graduates are female and in the next decade Canadian women will be the beneficiaries of an estimated $900 billion as they outlive their parents and partners. They are also more charitable than men. But make no mistake, women donors don’t give the same way as men do. What’s the difference? And how can you start engaging more women today? Christy and Tas will share with you the unique characteristics of women donors and using the real-life example of Bow Valley College’s “1000 Women Rising” program, inspire you to give women donors what they want from your school.

Alex Campomanes

Stephanie Levene

Session Sponsor: Grenzebach Glier + Associates

Building a Data Driven Culture

Alex Campomanes, Executive Director, Advancement Services, University of Manitoba
Stephanie Levene, Associate Vice-President, Donor Relations, University of Manitoba

The University of Manitoba Donor Relations department has undergone a major transformation in the past 2 years. Becoming a data driven organization required a significant shift in culture, fundamental values, and expectations from the business.

Executive sponsorship and buy in from the business stakeholders was essential in the implementation of this huge initiative. This presentation will discuss the roadmap taken to achieve this in a short period of time. From the initial sponsorship at the executive level to the redefining of roles and responsibilities throughout the units. Advancement Services changed from a service driven department to an IT solutions provider. Enabling the business to quickly change the relationship they had with data and the ability to access it.

Paul Lacap

Moderator

Sonia Dupte

Sandra Harris

Andrea Morris

Panel Discussion: Connecting the day-to-day with the headlines: how advancement work impacts institutional strategic goals

A high-level plan will guide overall strategy and objectives at an Institution. Its success will be contingent on achieving its objectives.

Moderator:
Paul Lacap, Associate Vice President, Marketing at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
Panelists:
Sonia Dupte, Executive Director, Development & Alumni Relations, Brock University
Sandra Harris, Executive Director, Office of Development, Centennial College
Andrea Morris, Chief Development Officer, Associate Vice-President, Office of Advancement, University of Calgary

Amazing ‘headlining’ things are being done every single day on every single campus across Canada, but for those tucked into advancement shops on those campus’, it can be quite easy to forget how they impact the headlines when they are bogged down in spreadsheets, red tape, social media posts and homecoming emails.

Build new buildings! Raise lots of money! Engage lots of people! Connect to lots of communities! Further Educational Priorities! Build Dreams by growing scholarships! The list is endless.

How does it connect? The day to day and the headlines?

CCAE is thrilled to bring together a panel to discuss how all pieces are part of a larger whole and recognize the value in the work being done every single day, by every single person

This panel will look to provide examples on how to discover an institutions’ culture and brand, when starting out or starting over.

Christine Nash

Strategic Planning: Best (and Worst) Practices

Christie Nash, Co-Founder, Arising Collective

Strategic planning should be an exciting time for organizations. It’s a chance to rise above the daily distractions, scan the horizon, and refocus on the principles and objectives that will guide you into the future. When done right, the process of developing a strat-plan can be just as powerful as the plan itself. Yet strategic planning often falls well short of what it could be, leading to feelings of frustration,
and a sense of wasted time and resources. Instead of something to be dreaded, a great process has the potential to invigorate organizations and build stronger relationships, affirm purpose and values, align goals and strategies, and renew energy and momentum. In this session, we’ll look at some of the proven elements that make a strategic planning process successful, and some of the common pitfalls that can lead the process astray. We all could use some practical real-world tips to make sure your strategic plan stays alive and not stuck on a shelf.

Stephanie Savage

Ask not what they can do for us, but what we can do for them: an alternative approach to alumni engagement

Stephanie Savage, Manager, Alumni & Engagement, Lethbridge College

For 65 years, Lethbridge College has been uniquely positioned as a trusted source of career-ready graduates that support and enhance southern Alberta and beyond. Our alumni are incredible people with stories to tell, aspirations to fulfill and careers to nurture. They are our industry partners, prospective students, parents, staff, advocates and, historically, donors.   

A series of surveys and candid discussions made one thing clear. We have prioritized fundraising over relationships, and as a result, the affinity to the institution had diminished. We asked what they wanted us to do differently, and they told us: they want to be part of a community, not just a fundraising entity. So, in 2022, Lethbridge College adopted a new alumni engagement strategy with one bold change – No alumni fundraising. 

This session will cover why we made this decision, how we got the buy-in, what the team has learned, and explore what happens next.

Cynthia Foo

Annette Paul

Session Sponsor: Global Philanthropic Canada Inc.

Facilitating Belonging: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Advancement in Higher-Ed

Cynthia Foo, Associate Director, Advancement – Strategic Initiatives, York University
Annette Paul, Executive Director, Advancement, Havergal College

Join Annette Paul, CFRE and Cynthia Foo, CFRE, in this thought-provoking, highly interactive session which asks, “what creates belonging?”. Cynthia will share her experiences as York University Advancement’s first EDI Chair while Annette will share her experiences co-Chairing EDI strategies for the University of Toronto’s first ever Advancement EDI committee. Annette will also share her experiences with advancement and EDI in her current role as Executive Director, Advancement at Havergal College, an independent girls school. All experiences provide a backdrop for unpacking.

With decades of fundraising experience as racialized fundraisers who have worked in a variety of settings, join Annette and Cynthia in this thought-provoking, meaningful and sometimes hilarious conversation.

Lindsey Fair

Session Sponsor: Honeywell

Their words not ours

Lindsey Fair, MBA, PhD (she/her), Associate Vice President, University Communications and Marketing, University of Victoria

People love to see themselves in the spotlight and respond almost 10x more when they hear their words reflected back at them. This session will walk through how one email newsletter had a 97% open rate (even when industry standards are less 60%) and how it led to greater success than anticipated. Can you guess the topic? Well, I can’t give it all away, but this session isn’t for the birds 😉

Penny Manners

Stacey Ruller

Session Sponsor: Global Philanthropic Canada Inc.

Putting Students in the lead of Donor Engagement

Penny Manners, Stewardship & Annual Giving Officer, Lakeland College
Stacey Ruller, Manager of Donor Relations, Lakeland College

At Lakeland College, we challenge every student to go beyond the classroom and be part of student-led, and student-managed experiences. This approach to learning ensures our students become highly capable thinkers and doers with the knowledge to become great collaborators and the power to make an immediate impact after graduation. Lakeland has recently focused on a student-led donor engagement model that supports our donor relations team and has seen tremendous success. The combined efforts of donor relations, faculty and students has ensured that donors are connected to students often, and students understand the value of the donors supporting their learning.

Josh Adler

Session Sponsor: Grenzebach Glier + Associates

Testing is Winning, optimizing digital marketing and fundraising

Josh Adler, Associate Director, Digital Engagement, Queen’s University

This session explores how a culture of testing, trial & error, and pilot programs can help teams easily optimize their work and make data-informed decisions. Testing can enhance the performance of digital marketing and digital fundraising, and even improve relationships and engagement with alumni, donors, and internal employees. Even tests that ‘fail’, yield meaningful insights. In this session, examples of real pilots will be shared; from the initial question a team set out to explore, the test (and creative) the team ran, and the results and learnings. This session will inspire all teams to win through testing.

Ryan Kelly

Session Sponsor: Honeywell

The 5 pillars of building a winning social media alumni engagement strategy

Ryan Kelly, Alumni Coordinator, Engagement, Sheridan College

This session will focus on the core fundamentals of developing a social media strategy for alumni departments that have their own accounts or who are developing content to be shared on institution-specific accounts.

The 5 pillars broadly speaking are: 

1. Have a plan that is connected to organizational goals 
2. Know when to change course 
3. Focus more on strong content as opposed to platform-specific content 
4. Resist the urge to jump on new platforms if you don’t have the resources to manage them 
5. Measure effectiveness using both qualitative and quantitative analytics

Lindsey Meredith

Can’t stop won’t stop: Reinforcing the Rebrand

Lindsey Meredith, Director of Communications, Calgary Academy

In 2015, Calgary Academy unveiled the first formal rebrand since the school’s inception in 1981. After over a year of research, engagement, and planning, the school shifted logos, language, and colours. While extensive engagement took place during the rebrand, deep connection to the old colours and materials lingered. Years later, the community has fully adopted the new brand, which continues to evolve over time. This session will share honest reflections on what has helped the community fully adopt the updated branding, and the work still underway.

James Allan

Eleanor Finger

Conference Reflection: Advancement: Today, Tomorrow and Into the Future

Facilitated by National Conference Co-Chairs:
James Allan, Vice-President, Advancement, University of Calgary
Eleanor Finger, Director, Alumni Relations, Mount Royal University

Conferences are incredible opportunities to meet people and learn more about the state of our industry. But then what?

In this plenary session, we will open the floor to our colleagues to discuss what we have learned and what we will take away from this session about our work today, tomorrow and into the future. This will be a chance to translate what you have learned into action by identifying key themes and have a group discussion about important takeaways and action.

Christina Vroom

Stephanie Wereley

Planned Giving for the 21st Century: How to Run a Successful Legacy Challenge

Christina Vroom, Associate Director, Bequests & Planned Gifts, McGill University
Stephanie Wereley, Communications Officer, McGill University

The 200 for 200 Legacy Challenge was McGill University’s first ever fundraising challenge dedicated to planned giving. Launched as part of the University’s Bicentennial celebrations, it aimed to secure 200 planned gifts for the 200th anniversary. This session will share the Legacy Challenge’s strategies and learnings and describe how it effectively met multiple fundraising goals – including revitalizing a legacy giving program, galvanizing donor participation, increasing the average number of annual legacy gift commitments, unearthing existing legacy donors, and more.

James Allan, PhD
Vice-President (Advancement), University of Calgary
Committee Co-Chair

Eleanor Finger (she/her)
Director, Alumni Relations, Mount Royal University
Committee Co-Chair

Lindsey Meredith
Director, Communications, Calgary Academy
Special Event Co-Chair

Sandra Harris
Executive Director, Office of Development, Centennial College
Special Event Co-Chair

Michelle Fuko
AVP, Development, Queen’s University
Program Co-chair

Paul Lacap
Associate Vice President, Marketing, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)
Program Co-Chair

Rachel Castellano
Associate Director, Toronto Strategy,
Queen’s University
Inclusion Co-Chair