CCAeNews

Enhance your major gift & alumni relations programs

National Partners

Advancement for Academics

Thursday, November 16, 2017

St. Andrew's Club & Conference Centre 
Toronto, ON

Sponsor:

Led by Lorna Somers (McMaster University) and Jeff Todd (UBC), Advancement for Academics will galvanize both your advancement team and academic leaders to enhance your major gifts and alumni engagement programs.

Special Guest – CCAE Friend of Education, Lynton R. (Red) Wilson, O.C., will join the group during lunch and speak about his motivations and experiences as a leading volunteer and donor.

Review the schedule, workshop faculty and sessions here.

Registration fee:

CCAE member: $329
Non-member: $429

Register here.



Lorna Somers of McMaster University - Facilitator, Advancement for Academics

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2017 - 18 CCAE Professional Learning Schedule

Review upcoming events, mark your calendar and sign on for the best of Canadian advancement networking and knowledge sharing: CCAE professional learning.

What can you learn?

Participants in the September 28 CCAeLearning webinar, “Successfully updating your ‘traditional’ event,” gathered a wealth of tips on why, when and how to reinvigorate existing events from John Grant (Director, Alumni Relations, Simon Fraser University).

John Grant’s top 10 tips:

1. Assess when and how to transform an event and strategize timing of the revitalized event’s launch. Choose a significant occasion such as a school or alumni association anniversary.
2. Analyze current / recent attendees at your event versus target audience. “We were spending a lot of time and money organizing a party for ourselves,” observes John about SFU’s 34-year-old Outstanding Alumni Awards event - which attracted mainly internal attendees, many of whom are SFU alumni.
3. Gather data about the purpose, value, goals and target audiences of the event through analytics plus surveys of current stakeholders.
4. Set realistic yet ambitious new goals for participation (through attendance, sponsorship, social media and other vehicles) versus past numbers.
5. Seek champions of change among your constituents and engage in “fierce conversations” about the event to guide both transformation and continuity.
6. Solicit sponsorships to maximize reach and value of the event while providing “win - win” benefits for your school and sponsor(s).
7. Change a staid sit-down dinner (with a hefty price tag) to a lower-cost, stand-up event and reception to attract a wider, younger audience.
8. Shake up the format from “grip and grin” or talking head to glitz, glamour and novelty. SFU transformed its traditional dinner to a TED Talks-style evening that featured bold graphics and brisk pacing.
9. Match recognition to your target audience demographics. SFU added a “Rising Star” award in its Outstanding Alumni categories to include younger alumni awardees who bring fresh voices.
10. Include young alumni and students (at SFU, termed “future alumni”) in your target audience, and price the event accordingly.
11. Bonus tip: Assess, measure, analyze and adjust yearly. Be nimble and results oriented.

For more details, visit SFU’s Outstanding Alumni Awards page.

Don’t miss the next CCAeLearning webinar on Thursday, October 19 at 1 p.m. Eastern:

Developing an effective Chair reporting program - presented by Cort Egan, Stewardship Accountability Manager, University of Guelph.

Register here - Free to all CCAE members with unlimited advancement staff participation.

The 2017-18 CCAeLearning Series is sponsored by:

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Submit your 2018 CCAE National Conference Presentation Proposal by October 20, 2017

This is your chance to claim bragging rights for your advancement innovations at #ccaenc2018 from June 5 - 7 in Halifax. Review the guidelines to prepare your proposal, and the selection procedure for presentations.

Time is short! Presentation Proposals are due by October 20, 2017.

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Build your advancement team:
Plan your TD Insurance Fellowship program before the December holidays

Now is the time to plan your TD Fellowships in Advancement program, find the ideal candidate and complete the application. 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the TDI Fellowships. You could celebrate with one of two Fellowships that will bring new insights and bench strength to your advancement shop.

Review the resources on the CCAE website. Completed applications are due on Friday, January 12, 2018.

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