Alumless

Digital engagement for modern advancement with Kim Infanti

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. 

Campaign readiness and fundraising innovations with Carla Willis

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.

From elite private to elite public with Kris Davitt

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. 

From alumni leader to advancement VP with Mark Davis

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

Strengthening internal partnerships with Lyndsey Crum

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.

Value perception and alumni engagement with Rob Shoss

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.

Merging alumni and donor engagement with Annie Quade

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.

The state of AI in advancement with Max Leisten

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. 

Sizing up advancement organizations with Brandon Buzbee

On this episode of Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan catch up with Brandon Buzbee, Vice President for Advancement at the University of North Texas. In his role at UNT for a year, Brandon previously led the Global Networks unit at the University of Denver, which included career services as part of advancement.We discuss with Brandon the challenges of working for two completely different institutions and how he's sizing up opportunities to enhance and rebuild various aspects of the advancement shop at UNT.We will also ask Brandon how he prepared for his role as VP of Advancement and what other engagement pros can do if they hope to take on the leadership role.Check out our first ever "Friday Cheers" segment now at the end of each show in the bonus section. Also! We're excited to announce our first presenting sponsor — Protopia. There's much to share about our partnership with Protopia, but visit protopia.co to get a sense of the company's unique, AI-powered technology.

Models for engagement in Canada with Temi Akin-Aina

Join us for our first Alum-Less post-CASE Summit in NYC. This week, we feature Temi Akin-Aina, Associate Vice President, Alumni Relations at Western University in London, Ontario. Temi is our first guest from Canada and rising star in the higher ed engagement space. We're excited to discuss with Temi some of the challenges facing advancement teams that might differ slightly in Canada versus the U.S.We will also break down some of our takeaways from CASE Summit and share our thoughts on what advancement are discussing.