Alumless

Join us for a special edition of Alumless, where we delve into the world of alumni and donor engagement metrics. Our esteemed guests, Jenny Cooke Smith, Senior Director, CASE Insights Solutions, and Melissa Schipke, Founder and CEO of Tassl, bring their extensive expertise to the table. On the show, we’ll explore what the CASE Insights survey on Alumni engagement has taught us about the field and what we've learned about metrics. We’ll also chat with Melissa and Jenny about the challenges schools face in tracking and scoring engagement activity and what to do about it. We have a special announcement for this show! Be sure to tune-in or listen to the end of the first half hour. Thanks to Protopia for supporting Alumless! We strongly encourage all alumni engagement professionals to put exploring Protopia’s AI-based technology on their FY24-25 to-do list. Visit protopia.co/alumless

On this episode of Alumless, we're featuring special guest Sallie Sistare, Executive Director for Alumni and Family Engagement at Denison University. We chat with Sallie about the school's unique value proposition and how they've worked to develop and strengthen approaches to providing students and alumni involvement opportunities in the career space. We also chat with Sallie about her 20-year alumni engagement career and some of the lessons learned along the way. Join us for these topics and more on the next edition of Alumless. Thanks to Protopia for sponsoring the show! Denison is a Protopia partner, and we asked Sallie for details on what they've done in their first year that's resulted in such success. Visit protopia.co/alumless for details and to schedule a demo.

This episode of Alumless we're featuring special guest Andrew Gossen, Executive Director for Communications, Marketing, and Participation in the Office of Alumni Affairs & Development at Cornell University. We discuss with Andrew how digital advancement strategies have evolved over the last decade and the essential techniques, tools, and tactics for today's high-performing advancement shop. We also take a deep dive with Andrew on social media, email marketing, and what makes great content. Join us for this discussion and more! If you still need to check out Protopia's AI-powered technology for scaling digital engagement and activating volunteers, you're missing out! Visit protopia.co/alumless for details and to arrange a demo.

On the next Alumless, we're going to tackle organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, and talent management with special guest Sue Ballard from Rensselaer Polytechnic University (RPI). We've got a great conversation planned for listeners, where we'll discuss the nuances of ensuring our advancement organizations are high-performing.  We'll discuss with Sue where things are situated in the hunt for hiring and retaining the best fundraisers and engagement pros in the business. Join us for these topics and more on the next Alumless. Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Protopia, for supporting Alumless. Visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more about their unique AI-powered technology that makes scaling engagement simple and accessible.

This week, our special guest on Alumless is our colleague Nicole Kempton. Nicole joined CMAC in November as Vice President and Senior Consultant. We chat with Nicole about her experiences working for her alma mater, Duke University, as the Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Alumni Affairs and development. During the show, we focus on the idea of becoming more constituent-centered, what it means, and what the characteristics of organizations doing it well are. We also ask Nicole about her global travels. Nicole is based in the U.K., just outside of London, after a recent move from South Korea.  If you still haven't checked out Protopia, you're missing out! We've partnered with Protopia because they have the most innovative technology in our space. Visit protopia.co/alumless.

On this edition of Alumless, we're featuring special guest Cheryl Harrelson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni, Annual Giving, & Pipeline Development. We asked Cheryl about her remarkable tenure at UCSD, leading a unique combined engagement model that includes career services. We also chat with Cheryl about what she thinks about the transition to Vice President of University Advancement at Georgia State University beginning May 1. We spend time with Cheryl on DEIB and why the "B" for belonging has been a north star while developing accessible engagement programs at UC San Diego. Thanks to Protopia for supporting the show! Visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more about their AI-powered technology.

This week we're chatting with engagement strategist extraordinaire Sarah Schutt, Chief Alumni Officer at the Wisconsin Alumni Association and Foundation. We'll ask Sarah about the challenges of merging two independent organizations that become one. Chris and Ryan will also explore with Sarah what makes leading constituent engagement at the University of Wisconsin unique and how she works to keep programs fresh over time.   Here's the recipe for Baileys Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies that Sarah mentioned during the show.  Also, if you still need to check out Protopia's AI-powered technology designed to scale engagement and activate volunteers, you're missing out! Visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more.

Join us for our conversation with special guest Laurence Bolotin, Assistant Vice President for Constituent Engagement at Loyola University Chicago. We discuss with Laurence the opportunities to intertwine faith-based narratives into engagement strategies. Chris and Ryan will explore with Laurence how his prior experiences working with different types of association organizations have informed his approach at Loyola University Chicago. Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Protopia! Check out their unique AI-powered technology for scaling engagement and activating volunteers. Protopia.co/alumless

This week on Alumless, we're excited to feature a conversation with special guest JT Forbes, President and CEO of the Indiana University Foundation. Before taking over the reins at the IUF, JT led the Indiana University Alumni Association as the CEO for almost 12 years. During that time, JT established himself as one of the top leaders in the field. We'll discuss his work at the IUF with JT, whether his philosophy around alumni engagement has changed, and how he's worked to help bring together two separate organizations and create a united approach to philanthropy. We'll discuss these topics and more, including JT's thoughts on how the field has changed over recent years and what we should look for next. Thank you to Protopia for being our presenting sponsor! Visit protopia.co/alumless for more information about Protopia's AI-powered technology designed to scale engagement like never before.

We're psyched to bring you a great Alumless as we kick off 2024. We chat with special guest Scott Mory, Vice President for University Advancement at Carnegie Mellon University and discuss how Scott's background leading alumni engagement teams informs his approach at Carnegie Mellon. We also chat about the field's progress in measuring alumni engagement and assessing ROI. Thanks to Protopia for being our presenting sponsor. Visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more about their AI-based technology designed to scale engagement and activate more volunteers.

Happy holidays, Alumless community. We've got a great episode to kick off the winter break. Join us for our conversation with special guest Monica Keith, Vice President for Advancement at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois. Monica brings over 20 years of experience leading advancement operations teams to the VP role. We chat with Monica about how her experience leading "back of the house" teams has helped inform her approach to fundraising and how she's tackled the challenges of leading frontline fundraisers and engagement professionals in her role as VP. Our presenting sponsor is Protopia! Be sure to visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more about their AI-powered solution to driving scalable engagement.

Hey, Alumless listeners! We've got a great show for you with special guest Rod Grabowski, Senior Vice President for Advancement & Partnerships at the University of Central Florida. We chat with Rod about the nuances of building successful engagement and fundraising strategies at huge, complex universities. We spent some time with Rod chatting about his leadership style and how to develop the proper dynamic working with college deans. We also discuss creating the right balance between centralized vs. decentralized approaches. Join us for this wide-ranging conversation. Thanks also to our sponsoring partner, Protopia, for supporting the show.

We've got a BONUS episode this week! Join us for a conversation with the incomparable Kim Infanti, Executive Director for Digital Engagement in the Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving at Syracuse University. On the show, we get into the weeds on all things digital and make predictions for the future.  During our conversation, we dive into how digital plays a crucial role in bringing together the work of alumni and annual giving teams while activating and retaining donors. We discuss how teams should think about tools like social media email and what the future looks like regarding AI.  Join us at our regular time this Friday at 11:30 a.m. EDT. Subscribe to the podcast edition of Alumless for our bonus segment with Kim.  Thanks to Max Leisten and the team at Protopia for being our presenting sponsor. Visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more about their AI-driven technology designed to scale engagement like never before.

In this week's episode of Alumless, we sat down with Carla Willis, Principal at Washburn & McGoldrick LLC. We discussed with Carla what it takes to be successful at consulting in educational advancement. Carla also shared her thoughts on campaigns and why it feels like colleges and universities are always in campaign mode. Carla detailed her perspective on HBCUs and how their history has shaped approaches to advancement. Enjoy this wide-ranging convo and more with our colleague, Carla Willis. Thanks to our sponsoring partner, Protopia, for their support. Listeners should check out their AI-driven solution to scaling engagement at protopia.co/alumless.

Hey, Alumless community, we have a great show for you this week. Join us for our conversation with Kris Davitt, Senior Vice President for Philanthropic & Alumni Engagement at the University of Pittsburgh. Kris is also the Chief Development Officer for Pitt's academic medical partner, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.  We chat with Kris about her prior experiences leading development at Penn and Brown and how those operations share similarities with her current work at Pitt. We also ask Kris how she developed new alignments and dealt with an unexpected leadership change.  Join us for these topics and more on this episode of Alumless.  Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Protopia, for supporting the show. Visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more about their AI-powered solution to scaling engagement with alumni and donors.

Hey, Alumless community, this week's special guest is Mark Davis, Vice Chancellor for University Relations and President of the UC Santa Cruz Foundation. Mark's advancement origin story begins on the alumni side of the shop. We'll ask him what that meant to approach advancement with his set of experiences that includes a lens on engagement. We'll have a wide-ranging conversation with Mark about the unique school he serves, the University of California, Santa Cruz, and how he approaches building a philanthropy-focused engagement strategy. Thanks to Protopia for being our presenting sponsor. Visit protopia.co/alumless to learn more about their unique AI technology that helps scale engagement without another app or platform to sign up for

On this episode of Alumless, we're featuring special guest Lyndsey Crum, Assistant Vice President for Alumni & Community Relations at the University of Northern Colorado. We discuss with Lyndsey how she's remained focused on strengthening key relationships with campus partners in the colleges, schools, and units. We'll also discuss with Lyndsey some of the changes her team has gone through introducing engagement portfolios to team members and the new dynamics that's created. Join us for this wide-ranging conversation. Thanks to our presenting sponsor Protopia for supporting the show.

On this episode of Alumless, Chris and Ryan chat with Rob Shoss, President and Managing Consultant at PEG Ltd. and the Alumni Attitude Study. We discuss with Rob the idea of value perception and some of the unique findings he's observed conducting alumni surveys over the last twenty years. We also discuss what it takes to execute a great alumni survey project, and how important it is to involve everyone on campus from the onset. Thanks to the team at Protopia for sponsoring for being our first presenting sponsor.

On this episode of Alum-Less, we're featuring special guest Annie Quade, Associate Vice President, Advancement, at the University of Texas at El Paso. Annie's team at UTEP is working on merging alumni and donor engagement strategies, which include advancement marketing and annual giving. In addition, Annie leads talent and recruitment for the Institutional Advancement division. We discuss with Annie the challenges and opportunities of working at the leading Hispanic-serving institution in the U.S.

We've got a special edition of Alum-less this week! We're featuring special guest Max Leisten, Founder and CEO of Protopia. On the show, we'll have a wide-ranging conversation with Max about AI's impact on advancement. Max and his team at Protopia have been helping universities use machine learning to stimulate and scale engagement. We'll discuss with Max the challenges universities are having adopting AI-based technology and how Protopia may have cracked the code with a more "human-centered" approach. Be sure to visit protopia.co/alum-less to learn more.