Note: The main program starts at 9:00 AM on Monday and ends at 1:45 PM on Tuesday.
Mediocre performers thrive in a mediocre environment. Spending time with these lower performers rewards their poor performance and exhausts you. Discover what you could really do if all your staff were focused on the highest priorities. In this session you’ll learn what it takes to create a high performance culture and how to sustain it.
It’s an exciting, yet daunting time for marketers. From direct mail to social media, we have an avalanche of tools at our fingertips, but limited time and resources. Learn how St. Edward’s University’s top e-marketing strategist not only navigates these waters, but maximizes her university’s marketing mix return on investment.
Are you effectively involving your institutional leaders in philanthropy? Learn how leading academic and medical institutions are making this happen.
Open to Governmental Relations System and Institutional Staff only.
Empowering others is not about cheerleading; it’s a process that encourages and strengthens people so they can perform at their optimal level. In this session you’ll learn the difference between prescribing and empowering, how to recognize the signs that an employee is feeling disenchanted or powerless, uncover a process for empowering them to succeed and gain tools for evaluating performance in an empowered environment.
It sounds easy, but can be a most difficult challenge. How effectively are your institutional messages tied to philanthropy? What are your audiences hearing from your institution? In this session you will learn the importance of planning and sharing your story in preparation for a fundraising initiative and/or campaign.
How do we convey our institutional priorities to foundations? Is your community foundation part of your strategy? Learn from two experts in the field on what is working well.
Analytics is a proven successful strategy to increase fundraising effectiveness. Learn from one of the leading national experts what it is all about and what is emerging in the field.
The state of Texas’ economy has a direct effect on all aspects of The University of Texas System, including both state appropriations and philanthropic support. This panel will discuss the economic outlook in Texas for 2010 and 2011 and what that outlook means for the Texas Legislature in producing a state budget when it convenes in January 2011.
The fast-paced, ever-expanding realm of social media does not come with a set of rules. What information should you share and not share with the public on Facebook? How often and what are you supposed to Tweet about? In this session our expert goes beyond the basics, sharing the ins and outs of social media and shows how it can be a resourceful tool for an institute of higher education.
Why do you produce special events? What is the purpose behind them? What message are you hoping to communicate with one? Headed by Vice Chancellor Randa Safady, participate in a discussion with leaders from both health and academic institutions about the theory and practice of producing effective special events.
There are certain conversations all of us dread - delivering bad news, addressing performance issues, discussing a sensitive subject or providing feedback on a project that's gone wrong. Just the thought of these conversations fills us with dread. Come learn how to address these issues rather than avoid them.
How effective is your annual giving plan? Maintaining donors is this economy can be challenging. Explore some helpful strategies in this session.
What do I need to know to improve major gift results? What are some best practices? Learn from one of the proven major gift leaders.
So the donor wants to give you a wine collection. What next? Join this interactive discussion on issues involved with accepting complex or unusual gifts and their importance to donor relations and fundraising.
The term "user experience" (often referred to as "UX") has been getting a lot of attention lately, but many organizations are confused about what it actually means and how crucial it is to their success. Good UX is more than just a courtesy — it’s a way to show your students, parents and alumni that you value them and you want them to come back. Learn what it takes to create online presences that build community and inspire engagement with experts from Springbox, one of Austin’s best interactive marketing agencies.
Is your team prepared for a crisis? It can happen at any moment without warning. Having and implementing a communication plan during a crisis is vital to the organization and to its public during a disaster. In this session, you will get a first-person account of the communications plan put into action during Hurricane Ike. Learn how Chris Comer and Raul Reyes of UTMB prepared for the disaster and how they were able to effectively communicate to their employees and public in the face of it.
Explore a series of practical ideas intended to create an effective presentation and a seamless flow to your special event — developing a comprehensive “show flow” that coordinates all elements, incorporating imagery and music, making meaningful introductions of special guests, creating captivating compositions for photographs, and establishing an ease to the presentation of special awards. All of this and more will be covered.
Did you ever want to know why we can or cannot do something as simple as accepting a gift or lobbying for a cause? This session provides insight into some of the common questions, as well as some far out questions, raised to our Office of General Counsel.
Nothing is more important in good fundraising than a compelling case for support. Learn how one team worked together to develop the message and then applied that to Web development and communication strategies
The UT System Strength in Numbers grant helped strengthen UTMB's program through the ups and downs following Hurricane Ike. This session will address the strategic tactics undertaken in marketing internally and externally, and share plans, ideas and results of UTMB's efforts to create a successful planned giving program.
Is your next donor your current donor? Learn about the stewardship methods and strategies used to keep donors engaged and giving.
The mobile phone is quickly becoming a prominent communication device for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors. Learn about the possibilities of leveraging this platform in higher education with the project leaders behind UT Austin’s new iPhone app and what the future holds.
How do we recruit and retain the best talent? What is our culture and do we hire people to fit our culture? Learn some practical skills in hiring and onboarding.
Where does UT System money come from and where does it go? Have you ever had a donor say, "I thought you were a state supported institution. Why do you need my support?" Learn from the experts on how funds are allocated to institutions.
The Millennials are the largest cohort of individuals in history – surpassing even the Boomers and young alumni comprise 25% or more of alumni for most universities. This important demographic can make — or break — alumni participation numbers in higher education at all institutions. Examine a case study of how the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has increased the number of alumni donors by more than 10% in three years through revised — and energized — student giving and young alumni programs.
Development officers should listen carefully when a person says "I can't make the gift because..." Many times what the person says after "because" reveals priorities in the person's life that charitable gift planning can address while making a charitable gift. Interpreting what's behind these statements and what types of gifts are possible will be discussed.
How can we manage and analyze our data for the most effective advancement reporting, programs, events and fundraising? This interactive session will highlight “best practices” to get the most from Raiser's Edge.
Social media is having a profound impact on the way students, alumni, faculty and staff obtain their news and information and interact with each other. This session will establish why social media is important now and in the future, it will examine the most important types of social media for higher education and review cases studies from both the public and private sector. You’ll also get a chance to set up an RSS reader and maybe even send a tweet or two.
For decades, newspapers were the primary source of news and information. But then came the Internet, and soon there was a myriad of news and information sources competing for readers, diluting the vitality of newspapers nationwide. Exacerbating things was the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009, which flipped the industry on its backside, forcing sweeping layoffs and cutbacks. Industry experts said the recession forever changed the face of newspaper journalism. Now, newspapers are struggling with ways to become more viable. Come see our expert panel discuss what lies ahead for print media.
Walt Disney said, "There's no magic to magic; it's all in the details." Learn why the small, seemingly insignificant details that surround an event can have the biggest impact. And, get an insider's look at the magic behind the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center on a special tour with event staff.
Increasing your productivity decreases your stress level and increasing your organizational skills helps to make you more productive. This session will review David Allen’s system of Getting Things Done, go in depth on managing our world of information overload and share some ubiquitous technologies that can help you manage the information. The focus will be on Outlook mail, tasks and calendar system features, as well as share other options available to any Internet user.
Donor retention has a significant impact on overall alumni participation rates – and is a leading indicator of potential major or planned gifts. How many alumni donors are you retaining annually? What programs can help retain 80, 85, 90 or even 95% of our alumni donors? Join the discussion to examine ways to retain alumni annual donors.
The best-selling book, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, took a unique look at how things happen. How does a low-budget movie become the blockbuster of the year? How does an obscure fashion concept become the “it” thing that everyone wants? From changing perceptions on crime, to examining the outbreak of diseases, author Malcom Gladwell provided a perspective that made us think differently about the world around us. Borrowing from ideas presented in the book, this presentation will examine how university development programs seek to accomplish the seemingly-impossible task of reaching their own tipping point where alumni want to give back, companies want to make gifts of cash and equipment and even where faculty want to interact with development staff! This presentation specifically applies concepts from the Tipping Point to a case study of a transformational gift which resulted in the naming of a school.
What can you do to improve the experience of volunteers who serve on your advisory boards? In this session, learn ways to structure advisory groups and provide meaningful engagement.
Building on part I, four social media pioneers from UT institutions will join Paul to discuss social media opportunities, what works, what doesn’t and how to overcome obstacles to get moving.
You know the story, a conference table surrounded by bright colleagues, yet for some reason the whiteboard on the wall is empty. You need an idea — the perfect concept, and there’s pressure to develop something outstanding. Learn strategies that will help your creative teams ignite their curiosity and rethink the nature of the "creative process" from co-founder and creative director of Austin-based motion content collective Shiny Object. Collaborating with writers, designers, animators and artists, Shiny Object has created music videos, viral content and commercials for the City of Austin, SXSW, ACL, Austin Children’s Shelter and Lollapalooza, just to name a few.
Communicate your institution’s important messages in a way that informs and inspires when planning your next event and consider some unique ideas that will bring new life to the occasion. Hear from a composer, a musical director and a museum archivist about specific ideas they have used to touch the hearts, minds and souls of their special guests.