Archives: Courses

Planning Your Hybrid Homecoming

Homecoming is every institution’s largest event bringing together current students, alumni, and donors. Last year, many institutions canceled or postponed homecoming due to COVID-19. This year, many institutions are not only planning on having them, but for the first time, they will be hybrid. Join us online to learn, discuss, and share best practices for planning and executing a hybrid homecoming so that your events this year are the most inclusive yet.  During this training, you’ll get tips for how to: Identify the technical and personnel requirements needed for a successful hybrid homecoming Identify resources and best practices you already have in place Prepare your staff and volunteers Pivot your plans in the moment to be responsive to any change in plans

Improving Promotion and Tenure Reviews by Using a Deliberative Decision-Making Model

By participating in promotion and tenure reviews, faculty make the most consequential decisions they will ever have to engage in on behalf of their colleagues. Without adequate training and preparation, departments often have a reputation of unfair decisions, power dynamics, and lack of transparency that taint the process going forward and impact culture and morale. Among the many challenges in re-envisioning what this process could look like is that expectations are often vague. Women and people of color tend to go up for P&T less and at slower rates than their white, male colleagues, and what is considered “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” in one unit could mean something different in another. As part of a broader largescale initiative aimed at improving department culture and climate, The University of Denver sought to change how they deliberated on key decisions, and in doing so, had the opportunity to influence climate, perception of colleagues, and overall satisfaction. Their approach was to utilize deliberative decision making (DDM) as a tool by which to train their faculty at large on their role as reviewers to ensure that everyone had an equal opportunity to influence a decision and that everyone believed that the decision that was made […]

Growing Women’s Engagement and Philanthropic Interest

Over 100 researched data points show gender matters in giving; a key one is that women are now influencing or making over 75% of all household charitable decisions. With women’s education, leadership, and wealth rising, it is natural that they are more actively engaged in philanthropy too. Are you preparing for this next decade of giving when women will become even more powerful philanthropists in our society?  It might be time to join the dramatically increasing number of fundraising teams who understand this demographic shift and are now paying more attention to women. Join us online to hear success stories from institutions of all sizes that have gained significant results by changing their approach to resonate more deeply with women.  Led by expert Kathleen Loehr, author of Gender Matters: A Guide to Growing Women’s Philanthropy, this training will focus on actions you can take to drive your individual and team strategic planning processes to more appropriately – and successfully – engage donors who identify as women.  You will walk away with ideas for translating research about women’s philanthropy and your own donor data into practical fundraising behaviors that will help you grow your support of women donors.

Effective Approaches to Digital Frontline Fundraising

Effective Approaches to Digital Frontline Fundraising November 17 – 18, 2021 Gain confidence in your digital fundraising practices. EVENT INFORMATION Check back soon for links! ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully: Audio & Visual Needs

A Cohort-Based Series for Academic Leaders: Faculty Affairs Roundtable

A Cohort-Based Series for Academic Leaders: Faculty Affairs Roundtable Engage with a cohort of other Faculty Affairs leaders to build your network, explore common issues you face, share current practices, and build your leadership capacity. JOIN ZOOM MEETING Full Event Information VIEW EVENT PAGE Including: Agenda Overview Speaker Bios Prepare for the Workshop This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully:

Leading from a First-generation or Immigrant Background in Higher Ed: A Discussion Forum

All too often, first-generation and immigrant leaders in higher education feel they must assimilate to “standard” forms of leadership, which are historically grounded in white, heteronormative, male-centric experiences and stereotypes. But leading from a first-generation or immigrant background carries with it unique insights and perspectives that are advantages to be celebrated and leveraged in leadership. Join us online for a conversation about the interplay between cultural heritage and leadership. Our subject matter expert, a first-generation Asian-American woman leader currently serving as a community college President, will share some of the barriers she has come up against in her journey and how she eventually came to embrace them as advantages in her leadership. You’ll be given intentional space to discuss your own experiences and self-perceptions with others who identify as first-generation or immigrant leaders and will come away with specific strategies for how you can in turn leverage your unique cultural heritage to lead more authentically and effectively.

Recruit & Retain Diverse Faculty through Cluster Hiring and Mutual Mentorship

Many institutions have expressed a commitment to addressing social inequity in its multiple forms as part of their strategic plans. One way this commitment is being implemented at many colleges and universities is through efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse faculty. Cluster hiring is one powerful strategy that can help with these efforts. But institutional transformation is a long-term commitment, and a cluster-hiring initiative must be supported to be successful and sustainable. This training will unpack how cluster hiring is a point of entry to recruiting and retaining a more diverse faculty and how mutual mentorship is a path to sustainable institutional and individual success. Join us online to learn how Dr. Elizabeth Chilton, Provost and Executive Vice President for the Washington State University system, led three successful faculty cluster-hiring initiatives and supported them with a mutual mentorship model. Her leadership set the stage for a long-term impact on faculty diversity and retention, along with the broader climate and culture of the unit and, ultimately, the institution.

Measuring Alumni Engagement

Measuring Alumni Engagement December 7 – 8, 2021 Learn how to use data to demonstrate the ROI of your alumni engagement efforts. EVENT INFORMATION Check back soon for links! ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully: Audio & Visual Needs

Writing Workshop for Advancement

Writing Workshop for Advancement October 26 – 27, 2021 Strengthen the voice and consistency of your communications to donors and alumni. EVENT INFORMATION Check back soon for links! ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully: Audio & Visual Needs

Advanced Gift Officers: Enhancing Your Donor and Portfolio Strategy

Advanced Gift Officers: Enhancing Your Donor and Portfolio Strategy THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED Important Links Welcome Fundraisers!   We have designed this intensive online advancement-specific bootcamp to provide you with a comprehensive, robust, and practical training to fuel your fundraising strategy and engagement.  This bootcamp experience is specifically designed to support folks with tenure within fundraising and we look forward to being in community and to working through trends and best practices together.  We look forward to meeting you all at the first of six sessions on Wednesday, November 3, 2021, from 2:30-4:00pm EST.  If you have any questions you can email me, Britt Iwaszkiw, at any time.  Mark Your Calendars  Module 1: Current Fundraising Trends  November 3, 2021 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET In this session, we will use our “new normal” digital environment to give you the latest information on:  Donor-advised funds  Women as philanthropic decision makers  Interdisciplinary gifts  Transformational gifts  Looking at the current landscape face to face and virtual, as well as navigating consistent changes and perceptions    Module 2: The Five-Meeting Model  November 10, 2021 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET Here, we will walk you through using the five-meeting model to fast track your ask and you will have the opportunity to apply it […]

DEI Foundations: Socioeconomic Status (SES) and Class in Higher Education

As faculty and staff, it’s essential to be aware of the dynamics that we create on our campuses and how that impacts our students across different socioeconomic backgrounds. Oftentimes, students with diverse SES or class backgrounds are not considered when developing programs, norms, or other collegiate experiences, which then perpetuate inequitable experiences for them.  If we can shift the conditions and climate for our students so there are not any assumptions about class status, then we can allow our students to access any experience similarly regardless of their social capital.  This course will take a foundational approach to help you:  Define SES/Class and intersectionality,  Understand SES/Class in the context of higher education,  Understand implications for not considering SES/Class in your work, Debunk myths about SES/Class,  Shift your thinking about SES/Class and,  Reflect on your own SES/Class identities.  This course is designed for anyone interested in learning about socioeconomic/class status within a higher education setting.  This course is most beneficial to anyone unfamiliar with the impact that SES/class status has within the context of higher education.  This course is part of our foundational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion series––an intentional collection of personal development and skill building trainings––which provide education and awareness-building, self-reflection, and next steps. 

Developing a Comprehensive System of Support for First-Generation Students

Developing a Comprehensive System of Support for First-Generation Students September 29 – October 1, 2021 Learn about tried-and-true strategies for first-generation student success and new work being done during the pandemic and its aftermath to support first-generation student success. EVENT INFORMATION Check back soon for links! ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully: Audio & Visual Needs

Leading with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mindset: A Bootcamp for Department Chairs

Leading With a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Mindset: A Bootcamp for Department Chairs January 14 – April 1, 2022 Individual Dates: January 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11, 18, 25, April 1 Important Links Welcome! This is your “one-stop shop” for all course materials and instructions you will need to guide you through the bootcamp.   A couple important notes to get you started:  All course materials can be found in the “Access Course Materials” tab to the left.    Any/all course materials you will need to prepare for the live sessions will be made available before the live session.  You will also be alerted by email when they are available.    Additional materials generated during the live sessions or intended as reflection after the live session will be added after the live session.  Your Course Syllabus will be updated and posted weekly as you progress through the program.  The Syllabus will contain specific instructions for what needs to be completed before and after each session.  Please review the syllabus at the beginning and end of every week to ensure you are completing all required work at the right time.  You can find your syllabus under “Access Course Materials.”  If you need any further guidance to ensure your success in this program, please […]

Reimagining Relationship Building for Major Gift Officers

During the pandemic, many institutions had a banner fiscal year because of an unanticipated amount of major gifts. This has proven to advancement leaders that the major gift officer role can be done successfully remotely. As a result, now that institutions are returning to in-person work, albeit with greater flexibility than before, it is time to apply the best of what was learned from virtual engagement work and incorporate it into the traditional model – redefining the role of the major gift officer. Join us online to discuss how to make smart choices related to how you build relationships with your major donors using a combination of traditional and virtual strategies. This training will be led by Rebekkah Brown, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at Muhlenberg College and P. Kevin Williamson, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Major Gifts and Constituent Giving at North Carolina A&T. You will engage in conversations with your peers on how: Discovery work has changed by becoming more efficient Closing and documenting gifts are being done electronically Travel schedules can be made more strategic

DEI Foundations: Allyship in Higher Education

Allyship is an opportunity to elevate the voices and perspectives of historically marginalized people to level power dynamics and ensure that their perspectives are heard and accounted for in every interaction.  If you’re interested in learning more about what allyship is and how it can benefit your organization, this video course is a great place to get started.  This course will take a foundational approach to help you:   Define allyship and understand what it is and what it is not.   Reflect on considerations for becoming an ally,   Understand common mistakes made by allies, and  Reflect on your own social identities to become an ally for others.  This course is designed for anyone interested in learning about allyship within a higher education setting.  This course is most beneficial to anyone unfamiliar with what it means to be an ally or interested in exploring allyship within the context of higher education.  This course is part of our foundational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion series––an intentional collection of personal development and skill building trainings––which provide education and awareness-building, self-reflection, and next steps.  

Building Your Advancement Team for the Future

Building Your Advancement Team for the Future October 6 – 7, 2021 Reimagine how you create and build your advancement team. EVENT INFORMATION Check back soon for links! ENSURE YOUR TECHNOLOGY IS READY This workshop is intentionally designed to allow for maximum learning, connections, and engagement. We advise the following in order to participate fully: Audio & Visual Needs

DEI Foundations: Implicit Bias in Higher Education

Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. It encompasses both favorable and unfavorable assessments, which are activated involuntarily and operate on autopilot. We all have implicit biases that show up every day in our actions and interactions with others. A great start to understanding how implicit bias shows up in your life is through self-reflection, which will help you move towards deeply considering your own preferences to people.    This course will take a foundational approach to help you:  Define implicit bias and understand the research behind implicit bias,  Understand how implicit bias shows up in the context of higher education,   Hear examples of implicit bias,  Learn how to respond to someone’s implicit bias, and  Identify multiple techniques to increase awareness and interpret your own implicit biases.  This course is designed for anyone interested in learning about implicit bias within a higher education setting. This course is most beneficial to anyone unfamiliar with implicit bias or interested in exploring the application of implicit bias within the context of higher education.  This course is part of our foundational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion series––an intentional collection of personal development and skill building trainings––which provide education and awareness-building, self-reflection, […]