Hot Topics!
Tuesday, June 5 -
10:30 a.m.
Keep current on the latest developments in education with relevant issues that impact all areas of advancement. The goal of this session is to stimulate thoughtful and useful discussions on hot topics that affect your career and your office’s success.
Concurrent Session #7:
Alumni Relations/Development
Performance Management in Philanthropy: Building, Evaluating and Communicating Success in the New Paradigm
Given the heightened competition in the philanthropic arena, it is critical organizations employ a strategic approach to managing fundraising objectives and activities. Success will require reduced cost of fundraising, focused individuals and teams on aligned organizational objectives, and an environment in which measurements can be successfully introduced, evaluated and communicated. Real-time management tools and effective communication to staff members, governing bodies and community donors will result in increased organizational results and confidence. This workshop will demonstrate the emergence of this new business paradigm and provide a user-friendly measurement model for implementation by various non-profit organizations.
Individuals responsible for leading fundraising planning, managing organizational targets, and overseeing performance management of development teams; session is intended to provide understanding of strategic framework necessary to lead successful fundraising program – large or small in scope.
Learning Objectives:
- Build a framework for a strategically focused fundraising program
- Effectively communicate fundraising objectives and organizational results to internal teams and decision-makers (e.g. foundation boards) within the organization
- Enhance personal effectiveness and focus
- Create effective measurement tools necessary to assess performance
- Strengthen management skills in support of broader organizational objectives
Pommashea Noel-Bentley,
Director, Alumni & Development
SAIT Polytechnic
Pommashea Noel-Bentley joined SAIT Polytechnic’s management team in 2001. As
Director of Alumni and Development, she is responsible for the Institute’s
relationship building and fundraising. Under her leadership, SAIT secured the
largest single gift from an individual to a college or technical institute in
Canada.
This follows a 7-year career at the Haskayne School of Business, U of C. During her tenure, Pommashea developed the School’s alumni outreach program and took a leadership role working with business leaders on strategy, marketing and business development.
In 2003 she was the first Canadian to receive CASE’s prestigious Award for Outstanding Master’s Thesis for her work on leveraging the Balanced Scorecard to create and measure accountability. Since that time, she has become known as a leader in strategic accountability and metrics in alumni relations and fund development.
Pommashea holds an MBA with Distinction from Athabasca University and is a director of the Canadian Council for Advancement of Education’s National Board (CCAE). In 2005, she was recognized as one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40 business leaders.
Mark Sollis,
Principal, AdvanceU
Mark Sollis recently completed a two-year tenure as Executive Advisor, External Relations at SAIT after starting his post-secondary career at Mount Royal College in Student Affairs and Administration. His areas of focus at SAIT included strategic counsel and project management within the areas of fund development, communications, marketing, and government and alumni relations.
Appointed to Alberta’s Commission on Learning in 2002, Mark led
recommendations designed to improve the areas of early childhood development
and the transitions to post-secondary education within Alberta’s education and
community support continuum. This followed a notable career in student
politics in which he served as Chair of the college students of Alberta,
vice-chair of the national student organisation, CASA, and on Mount Royal’s
Board of Governors. During that time, Mark focused on effective communication
strategies, negotiating improved student finance and fee policies, and
integrating lobbying strategies to other institutional stakeholders. Mark has
also served as a political Chief of Staff and director of election policy for
a provincial political party.
Mark holds a Bachelor of Applied Communications (Journalism) from Mount Royal. Currently, he is consulting in the field of communications and working in social services.
Alumni Relations/Enrolment Management
Which Applicants will become Engaged Alumni? The Psychographics of Student Recruitment
Regardless of their high school grade averages, the attitudes and motivations of university applicants will have a direct bearing on their engagement and success as undergraduates, their tendency to pursue graduate studies, and ultimately, their engagement and commitment as alumni. Ultimately, results for student engagement and effective alumni cultivation are dependent upon student recruitment.
Academica Group surveyed 50,000 Canadian university applicants using a new psychometric instrument designed to measure their belief in the financial and intangible returns of post-secondary education, and their motivations for pursuing it — careerism, altruism, expectation, or personal fulfillment. The results, though still exploratory, point toward a new science of understanding applicant psychology, and segmentation schemes for more effective recruitment strategies and messages.
Academica Group vice-president Ken Steele will present an intriguing and informative overview of these preliminary findings, and their implications for student recruitment, student engagement, and alumni relations.
Ken Steele,
Vice-president
Academica Group
Ken Steele, vice-president of Academica Group, spent a decade as an
award-winning university researcher and teacher before shifting his career
into advertising and strategic marketing. After more than a decade managing a
top regional agency, and collecting numerous national and international
marketing awards, Ken co-founded Academica Group to provide integrated
consumer research, strategic planning, and marketing execution to Canada’s
education sector.
Ken and his team have completed surveys, focus groups, strategic plans or recruitment materials for more than one hundred Canadian colleges, universities, and government agencies.
Ken is an active member of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE), the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), and the Canadian Association of Communicators in Education (CACE). He has authored or co-authored numerous research papers on student recruitment, written a syndicated column on graphic design, and presented research papers or facilitated workshops nationally and internationally, at conferences for the CCAE, CACE, OACC, OURA, AARAO, ACAATO, SAA, and on dozens of university and college campuses.
Communications/Public Relations
Public Attitudes towards Canadian Higher Education
The Association of Universities and Colleges recently surveyed public opinion
on higher education and university research across Canada through focus
groups, national opinion polling and one-on-one interviews with
decision-makers and opinion leaders. The research effort found that support
for universities and their efforts in teaching, research and international
education continues to be strong among Canadians, but there are clearly
misperceptions as well. The public overestimates how many Canadians enrol at
universities – and often underestimates the value of a degree. What do
Canadians really think about the value and roles of postsecondary education?
Does a university degree prepare students for today’s global knowledge
economy? Do Canadians really believe there’s a return on investment when it
comes to a university degree? And how do the public’s perceptions of higher
education match up with national enrolment projections recently released in
AUCC’s newest publication, Trends in higher education?
Christine Tausig Ford,
Director, Publications and Communications
Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC)
Christine Tausig Ford has more than 25 years of experience in
higher education communications and publishing. Christine has been
Director of Publications and Communications at the Association of
Universities and Colleges of Canada since January 1997, responsible
for strategic communications, publishing and marketing leadership for
AUCC, the national association representing 91 universities and
university degree-granting colleges across the country. During her
career at AUCC, she has served in a variety of publishing and
communications functions, including 10 years as editor of University
Affairs, Canada’s national magazine on higher education. She has also
been a freelance journalist for such publications as the Times Higher
Education Supplement (U.K.) and has written for a variety of federal
government departments and universities.
Ms. Tausig Ford holds an honours bachelor of journalism from Carleton University, a BA in English from the University of Toronto’s Trinity College, and is an associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto in speech arts and drama.
Development
Philanthropic Trends©
Join KCI Vice President, Gillian Morrison, as she shares her insights on trends to watch in philanthropy and fundraising in Canada today. Anecdotal examples and qualitative research will provide development professionals with an accurate picture of the current philanthropic landscape and the trends that they should be factoring into their fundraising strategies.
Gillian Morrison,
Vice President
KCI (Ketchum Canada Inc.)
As Vice President of KCI’s Research Services Department, Gillian Morrison’s
professional background includes broad experience in the areas of fundraising,
communications, government relations and research.
KCI’s Research Services team provides clients with up-to-date analysis about
prospects, donors and strategic partners. In addition, the department conducts
planning studies and market assessments designed to provide insightful
assessments of organizational capacity and customized strategies for moving
forward.
Ms. Morrison also provides strategic direction for KCI’s organizational health
practice. In this capacity, she works with clients on the development of
strategic plans. Recent strategic planning clients for Ms. Morrison include
Brantford General Hospital Foundation, Guelph General Hospital Foundation,
Cornwall General Hospital Foundation, Grey Bruce Regional Health Centre
Foundation (Owen Sound), Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation, The
Arthritis Society – Ontario Division, and St. Mary’s General Hospital
Foundation (Kitchener).
Earlier in her career at KCI, Ms. Morrison directed successful appeals at Canadian universities. In addition to her fund raising experience in the higher education sector, Ms. Morrison has worked with health care institutions across Canada.
Ms. Morrison is the editor of Philanthropic Trends, a publication produced by KCI to provide current expert insight into the philanthropic environment in Canada today.
Strategic Marketing
Building a Brand That Matters: The Four Critical Elements of a Successful Brand
If students and donors are not aware of you, they will not choose to attend,
or contribute. You are, quite simply, outside their choice. Owning a valued
brand in the marketplace is one of the most significant advantages you can
have in today’s highly competitive recruiting and fundraising environments.
During this session we will define brand marketing, show how it relates to
strategic planning and integrated marketing, and outline the advantages of a
strong institutional brand. We will then present a systematic approach to
building an effective college or university brand that focuses on the four
essential steps in brand development:
• Making a brand promise that matters
• Communicating a brand promise
• Living your brand promise
• Strengthening your brand promise.
We will conclude with strategies for evaluating the effectiveness of your brand marketing strategy.
Robert A. Sevier, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President, Strategy
Stamats
With more than 25 years of leadership experience in strategic thinking and planning, integrated and brand marketing, market research, and student recruiting, Robert's innovative work has been featured at hundreds of professional conferences as well as in higher education's major marketing publications, including Currents, Journal of College Admissions, Admissions Strategist, University Business, and College & University. He holds a Ph.D. in policy analysis and higher education administration from The Ohio State University, and he has authored six books on integrated marketing, brand marketing, innovation, and strategic planning.
After teaching and working as an administrator at The Ohio State University, Denison University, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and Oregon Health Sciences University, Robert joined Stamats in 1988.
