Submit Proposal for 2010 District Conference 


The CASE 2010 Conference Planning Committee is accepting proposals for the CASE District VI 2010 conference, January 10-12 in St. Louis. The official call for proposals has closed, but we will review proposals that are submitted.

More information for Educational Partners.

Sessions last one hour and should be on a topic of interest to advancement professionals. The three primary tracks for the conference are alumni relations, communication/marketing, and philanthropy; areas of special emphasis will include diversity, career/professional development, management and independent schools.

Presenters will be selected from District VI participants and from outside the district. A list of suggested topics is included below.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Program Chair Andrea Mostyn at andreamostyn@missouristate.edu or (417) 836-4120.

Alumni Relations Track

  • Young alumni – programming, communicating with, YA giving programs, panel of young alums
  • Reunions and Homecoming – best practices, success stories
  • Student Alumni Groups/Student Alumni Associations – successful groups, how to start, panel of students
  • Best Practices for Alumni Relations
  • Marketing – creative pieces, working with a small budget, successful magazines
  • Benchmarks/Metrics for success – CASE standards, best practices, measuring engagement
  • Alumni and Development Hybrid – best practices, working together, using development mission in alumni events
  • Unique events – beyond receptions, event “experiences”
  • Giving value to alumni – more than just events, additional services
  • Volunteers – training, management, recognition
  • Getting alumni involved
  • Smaller schools – Community Colleges, Graduate Schools, successful fundraising and alumni projects
  • Campus partnerships/collaborations – Admissions, Parent and Family Programs, etc.

Communications Track

  • Working with admissions
  • Direct mail vs. electronic
  • Reaching out-of-state and out-of-country constituents
  • Transitioning from print and direct mail to electronic channels
  • Marketing campaign ideas
  • Creativity and originality today
  • Media relations
  • Making the pitch
  • The shrinking media world
  • Online communications
  • Connecting social networks to college/university Web sites
  • Social networks for fund-raising and communications
  • E-newsletters and online portals in higher ed
  • Social media strategies and best practices
  • Social networking and new media (a primer for baby boomers?)
  • Writing for the Web
  • News releases
  • Enhancing writing skills
  • The small-shop — staffing and strategy

Development/Fundraising Track

  • How to fundraise in a recession
  • Budget issues: How to do more with fewer resources
  • Solicitation techniques to acquire large individual gifts
  • Fundraising career tracks and mentoring programs
  • Dealing with the economy in planned giving
  • Best practices for phone and mail
  • Measuring success: How to evaluate and reward your best officers
  • How to engage a development committee
  • Donor-centered fundraising
  • Student philanthropy/senior gift fundraising programs

Career/Personal Development

  • How to get promoted
  • Managing up
  • Technology to save us time
  • Tips on professional networking
  • Stress management
  • Time management
  • Effective Communications – A Leadership Competency

Advancing Diversity (Across all advancement fields)

  • Effective strategies for engaging women in advancement
  • Increasing participation and involvement from communities of color in our volunteer, philanthropy and professional staff
  • Funding diversity programs
  • Bringing African Americans into institutional giving
  • Discussion of changing demographics
  • Fundraising from emerging constituencies