Alumless: Recent Episodes
Chris Marshall Advancement Consulting
Alumless is a bi-weekly talk show produced by Chris Marshall Advancement Consulting. In each episode, host and Vice President Ryan Catherwood and CMAC Founder and CEO Chris Marshall discuss the latest issues facing alumni and donor engagement professionals working in higher education. Listeners of Alumless will hear topics discussed such as strategic planning, engagement metrics, volunteer management, marketing and communications, donor experience design, and the latest and greatest advancement technology.
The Alumless podcast is an extended version of the live broadcast published on LinkedIn and Youtube every other Friday.
Join us for a thought-provoking episode featuring our newest colleague, Shane Dunn, Vice President and Senior Consultant at CMAC and founder of Shane Dunn Social Sector Strategies. We dive deep into the evolving world of alumni and philanthropic engagement across various nonprofit sectors.
We explore why “alumni-ness” is becoming a crucial focus for organizations beyond higher education. Our discussion includes proven strategies for engagement and fundraising success across various social sectors.
Shane shares how his volunteer leadership experience with GLAD Law gives him a unique perspective that influences his approach to consulting. We also explore the art and science behind successful fundraising campaigns, including lessons learned from building impactful donor relationships.
If you're thinking about a new event management and volunteer engagement solution, visit alumnIQ.com for details and to schedule a demo.
This episode is all about reorganizing constituent engagement for the future. We’ll explore how The Ohio State University is working to redefine its approach and build a modern, holistic engagement strategy.
Join Chris and Ryan as we welcome special guest Samantha Frost, Assistant Vice President for Constituent Experiences at Ohio State University, who shares insights on leading one of the most unique realignments of engagement in the world.
Huge shoutout to Protopia for their continued support of the show. Visit www.protopia.co/alumless for more details about their unique AI-powered technology designed for scaling volunteerism.
On the show, we welcome Steve Rittler, Founder and CEO of AlumnIQ, as our special guest! Steve shares his expertise in producing high-quality alumni events and we discuss technology's role in shaping alumni engagement's future.
A big thanks to Steve and the team at AlumnIQ for supporting Alumless as our newest presenting sponsor! Listen to take advantage of this chance to elevate your alumni engagement strategies with insights from the best in the events business.
Get ready to elevate your event operations game!
Originally published on September 13, 2024. In this episode of Alumless, Ryan and Chris are joined by Lauren Simione, Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement at the University of Delaware, to discuss strategic planning in alumni engagement. From Lauren's partnership with CMAC to developing alumni surveys and engagement metrics, this episode dives deep into assembling a strategy that works.
Tune in to learn key takeaways from the University of Delaware's strategic planning process and how alumni surveys helped shape their engagement efforts. Join us as we explore the challenges, successes, and future goals of building a robust alumni engagement strategy.
Thanks to Protopia for being our presenting sponsor. Check out their AI-powered technology, helping advancement teams scale alumni and donor engagement like never before. Visit protopia.co/alumless
In this episode of Alumless, we dive into strategic engagement in university advancement with special guest Heather Junod, Associate VP for Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving at the University of Central Florida. We explore the challenges and opportunities schools face when crafting next-generation engagement strategies.
Join us for a great conversation as Heather shares insights from her 16-year career at UCF, including how her team has leveraged dashboards to measure activity and target strategies that account for the breadth and depth of engagement. We also chat with Heather about the impact of UCF’s rapid growth.
Pick up this week's episode to hear valuable takeaways on scaling alumni engagement efforts while targeting key segments—and what the future holds for UCF's alumni engagement.
A big thanks to our presenting sponsor, Protopia. Learn more about their AI-powered technology that enables scalable volunteerism. Visit protopia.co/alumless.
What should alumni leaders focus on as summer winds down and the new academic year approaches? How do the roles differ between decentralized college positions and central alumni association roles?In this edition of Alumless we dive deep into these critical questions!
This week's special guest is Renée Hirschberg, Chief Alumni Relations Officer at Stanford Alumni Association. We discuss with Renée her transition from Stanford Graduate School of Business to the Stanford Alumni Association, insights into the Association's strengths, and exciting innovations on the horizon.
Thanks to our presenting sponsor, Protopia! Be sure to check out Protopia's AI-powered technology that helped two universities win CASE awards this year. Visit protopia.co/alumless
We're grateful to be back with a new episode of Alumless this week featuring Matt Brandon, Associate VP for Alumni Engagement and CEO of the W&M Alumni Association.
We discuss Matt's work at William & Mary, and his team's efforts to redefine and expand on concepts of alumni involvement, and ask for his insights into W&M's unique qualities, future program visions, and successful alumni volunteer strategies.
Have you checked out Protopia yet? Find out the AI-powered solution to scaling engagement that everyone is talking about. Visit protopia.co/alumless
Thanks to our friends and CASE Summit sponsors Washburn & McGoldrick, LLC, we took the conference stage on Monday, July 22 for a live, hour-long episode of Alumless.
Check out our conversation with Bonnie Devlin and Carla Willis our colleagues and co-owners and Managing Principals at W&McG, along with special guests:
- Amy Yancey, President and CEO of the University of Connecticut Foundation
- Matthew Lambert, Senior VP for University Advancement at William & Mary
- Josh Harraman, Director of Constituent Experiences- Strategy at The Ohio State University
- Sue Cunningham, President and CEO of Council for Advancement and Support of Education (subscribe to the Alumless podcast to hear this special bonus segment!)
Thanks to Protopia and Givzey (and Washburn & McGoldrick, of course) for supporting this special show. Learn more about Protopia's AI-powered technology by visiting protopia.co/alumless and Givzey's digital fundraising solutions by visiting https://givzey.com/.
Listen to our latest episode of Alumless from Friday, July 19th, 2024, where we dive into annual giving strategies. We're thrilled to feature Howard Heevner, Executive Director of Annual Programs at UC Berkeley. We'll discuss systemic challenges in annual giving, innovative approaches to connecting with rising generations, and the findings from a major alumni giving study. Plus, hear about Howard's insights on what a healthy donor pipeline looks like.
We also have a special announcement to share in this episode!
Thanks to Protopia for supporting the show! Learn more about Protopia's AI-powered technology by visiting protopia.co/alumless.
We've got a great show for our Alumless community this week. Check out our conversation with Charlie Melichar, Principal at Foster Avenue. In this episode, we discuss best practices for campaign communications and how advancement leaders connect mar/com work with engagement. We also ask Charlie about the organizational models for advancement communications, what works, and where friction is often found.
If you haven't already, check out Protopia's AI-powered technology that makes scaling engagement easy. Visit protopia.co/alumless to set up a demo and mention what Ryan and Chris sent you.
We've got a great Alumless this week. Join us and special guest John Feudo, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement at UMass Lowell and author of seven books, including Alumni Relations: A Newcomer's Guide to Success, and I'd Rather Eat Live Spiders: A Definitive Guide to Becoming a Successful Speaker.
We chat with John about his career in advancement and discuss his observations on volunteer engagement, communications, and how our field has changed and evolved into what it is today.
See the technology everyone is discussing with Protopia's AI-powered solution to scaling engagement. Visit protopia.co/alumless to set up a demo.
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.
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.
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.
Hey Alum-Less listeners, we've got a great show this week. Join Chris and me for a chat with Erica Arroyo, Associate Vice President for Engagement at the University of Miami. We'll chat with Erica about her team's fully integrated approach to philanthropy-focused engagement.
All advancement teams need help with the degree to which alumni engagement strategies should be designed and resourced to play a role in cultivating donors and qualifying new prospects. We'll ask Erica about her team's unique approach that connects engagement and philanthropy more closely.
On this week's episode of Alum-Less, we chat with Christine Fairchild, Direct of Alumni Relations at the University of Oxford. We'll discuss some of the challenges and opportunities that come with leading a centralized alumni team within Oxford's college system.
Also, last week Christine announced that she's departing Oxford after twelve years. Chris and I will ask Christine to reflect on her tenure and what's next along her professional journey.
Be sure to hear our bonus segment with Christine on the podcast edition of Alum-Less!
In this edition of Alum-Less, we explore where the conversation is today regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in educational advancement. Our special guest this week is an expert on the topic. Join us for a conversation with Dr. Angelique Grant - Senior Consultant + Principal at The Inclusion Firm.
We explore with Angelique what some advancement teams out there are doing to build momentum, assess whether goals and objectives have been reached, and how teams are thinking about measuring the success of DEIB initiatives.
Hey listeners! We have a great show for you with special guest Thomas McArthur, Associate Vice President for Alumni Engagement & Annual Giving, at the University of Buffalo. We chat with Thomas about the challenges of ushering in a new framework for alumni engagement at a large, complex, state university like UB.
On the show we also discuss with Thomas what it's been like working to create a culture shift and develop a new set of priorities. In particular, we will ask Thomas about his efforts to establish a more robust integration between the Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving teams.
Join us for these topics and more on this edition of Alum-Less — from Friday, May 12 at 11:30 a.m. ET. Subscribe to the podcast edition of Alum-Less for the 30-minute bonus segment with each of our special guests.
We've got an excellent show for Alum-Less listeners this week! Chris and Ryan explore all things annual giving with special guest, Adam Compton, Executive Director of Annual Giving at NC State University. They discuss annual giving trends with Adam and review the recent and successful NC State Day of Giving.
On the show, listeners will hear a discussion on how universities should consider increasing their alumni participation rate and how to design a more holistic approach to annual giving that realizes potential across stakeholder groups and audience segments.
For our one year anniversary episode, we have a unique and exciting guest on Alum-Less! This week we're featuring Caryn Davies, three-time medal winner (two golds and a silver) on the U.S. Rowing team, and current President of the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association.
On the show this week, we discuss with Caryn Davies the challenges of leading the USOPA, and what it means to be an alum in the context of a shared history around representing the U.S. in the Olympic games. We'll hear from Caryn on the lessons she's learned during her athletic career, in addition to her work as an attorney and motivational speaker.
Join us for this special, celebratory episode of Alum-Less.
Hey, Alum-Less fans! This week, we've got a great episode featuring special guest Dan Olds, Vice President for Alumni Relations and Information Systems at Bowdoin College. Our focus this week is on volunteer pipeline development. We'll discuss everything from managing and motivating alumni boards to micro-volunteer strategies.
Dan and Chris also share how the strategic planning project they’re engaged in, including important focus groups with students, has helped form and inform a new mission and vision for the future. Finally, we hear from Dan on his work leading the Information Systems team at Bowdoin and how he imagines that work intersecting with alumni engagement.
Hear these topics and more in this new edition of Alum-Less. Subscribe to the podcast edition of Alum-Less for our bonus segment with Dan.
A new episode of Alum-Less is here featuring our first overseas guest. Join Chris Marshall and me for a conversation with Chris Kendrick, Deputy Director of Alumni and Supporter Engagement at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). We discuss the changing landscape for engagement and what that means for building strong international alumni networks. We’ll also hear from Chris Kendrick about LSE’s evolving strategy around content co-creation and what that means for scaling engagement worldwide.
We'll also discuss how engaging alumni and supporters differs at colleges and universities in the U.K. Join us for this important topic and more!
This episode of Alum-Less features special guest Dori Sonntag, Associate Vice President for Organizational Effectiveness in University Advancement from Gonzaga University. With the NCAA College Basketball Tournament almost upon us, we explore alumni engagement around athletics. The men's and women's basketball program at Gonzaga are both perennial favorites to make the tournament. We'll discuss with Dori how they've developed a playbook for March Madness that gets refined each year.We've got a packed show with these topics and more.
Our special guest on Alum-Less this week is Todd McCubbin, Executive Director of the Mizzou Alumni Association. Hear our conversation on the evolution of engagement programs. Chris and I discuss with Todd how leaders should be thinking about the digital vs. in-person components of alumni engagement strategies and the challenges that exist when considering pathways for activating more alumni.We discuss these topics and more!
This week on Alum-Less Ryan we got into the weeds with a legend in the alumni biz. Checkout our conversation with special guest, Howard Wolf, Vice President for Alumni Affairs at Stanford University, on the purpose of alumni engagement. We discussed with Howard how he thinks about engaging alumni at Stanford, and why their approach might be different or contrasting to the views of leaders at other schools. We also dissected what success looks like at Stanford, and the obstacles that still remain stubbornly in the way of progress.We also explored the changing landscape of alumni engagement and what it means for the talent pipeline we as practitioners, need to develop and maintain. Join us for these topics and more!
In this episode of Alum-Less, we chat with special guest Patrick Auerbach, Associate Senior Vice President for Alumni Relations at the University of Southern California. Although our conversation was be wide-ranging, we discussed with Patrick the challenges of developing a more inclusive, accessible approach to engaging alumni, including reimagining regional engagement.We'll also discussed the plans for celebrating the USC Alumni Association's centennial and how the organization is approaching plans to honor this milestone with the university community.
Happy 2023 Alum-Less Listeners! We are back this week with special guest Sue Cunningham, President & CEO of CASE. We're psyched to start the New Year with a bang and a convo with a true global leader in advancement. We explore with Sue many of the themes from her new book, "Global Exchange: Dialogues to Advance Education." In particular, we'll focus our conversation on how alumni engagement is becoming enmeshed with marketing and communications, and how the CASE Alumni Engagement Metrics have been a game-changer for the profession. This week we're making our full, 1-hour conversation with Sue available on both LinkedIn Live and on the podcast.
On this edition of Alum-Less, Ryan and Chris connect with Tricia Riveire Stumpf, CEO of the Indiana University Alumni Association. Tricia shares how her team at the IUAA have worked to strengthen their connectivity with the Indiana University Foundation to create a more integrated advancement model over the last year. In particular, the IUAA and IUF have worked to bring together marketing resources in a shared capacity. During the show, Chris, Ryan, and Tricia tackle the question of whether we're fully back to what's essentially a pre-COVID normal and whether any of the pandemic's lessons are or should remain front and center.
On this episode of Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan chat with Matthew Lambert, Vice President for University Advancement, about William & Mary's recent decision to realign career services underneath advancement. They discuss with Matthew how this alignment reflects a crucial element to increasing alumni participation in the future.
Listen and hear from Matthew on how William & Mary developed their #1 ranked programs for alumni participation and student internships. Join us for a lively discussion on these topics and more.
This week's Alum-Less - Episode 13 is all about goal setting. Chris and Ryan chat with Duane Wiles, Chief Alumni Officer at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. On the episode, Duane shares his approach to goal setting for across their engagement programs and initiatives. In addition, Duane shares more about the new UT Strategic Vision for the whole UT System and what it means for alumni engagement. Finally, hear more about how the recent success of the University of Tennessee football program has accelerated engagement and provided new opportunities to engage alumni around athletics.
On this episode of Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan chat with Julie Sina, Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Affairs at UCLA. They discuss the new strategic plan for campus-wide alumni engagement at UCLA, and how it's built around a life stage model.
During the podcast, Julie, Chris and Ryan also dive into the process of launching a new strategic plan and ensuring stakeholders from around campus are part of the conversation moving forward. They also explore the notion of "quiet quitting" and whether it's had an impact on the profession.
These topics and more on Episode 12 of Alum-Less!
In this edition of Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan explore strategies for working with alumni volunteers with Teresa Trombetta, Assistant Vice President for Alumni and Constituent Engagement at Carnegie Mellon University. Specifically, we discuss the challenges of working with alumni boards within an integrated advancement model.
On the show, we explore how CMU is thinking about building its regional network program post-COVID, and Teresa shares more about her focus on building a volunteer pipeline.
Thanks for listening to the Alum-Less podcast. Be sure to check out our live broadcast on LinkedIn every-other-Friday at 11:30 a.m. EDT.
On this episode of Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan discuss campaign readiness with Bonnie Devlin and Karin George, co-owners and Managing Principals of Washburn & McGoldrick LLC, and how engagement should be factored into the plans and goals.
During the show, the group explores explores what it means to be prepared for a fundraising campaign at an educational institution, and what are the dynamics that can lead to friction in making arrangements and building a coalition of supporters.
This week on Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan interview Nancy Merritt, Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations at the University of Pittsburgh. Nancy shares insights into her work modernizing some of the components of on-campus traditions at Pitt and the thought process that went into reshaping these signature programs.
On the episode, Nancy and Chris reminisce about their time working together at the Lehigh University, and how Chris recruited Nancy first for the swim team (when Chris was the head coach), then as a graduate assistant in the alumni office.
This week our featured guest on Alum-Less is Jennifer Cunningham, AVP of Alumni Relations at Lehigh University — Chris's alma mater! We discuss alumni engagement metrics, Maria Gallo's book The Alumni Way, and how to go about guiding alumni volunteers so they have impactful and positive experiences on our boards.
Alum-Less is back this week after a break for the 4th of July holiday and some vacation!
This week Chris and Ryan talk donor experience design and the changing nature of constituent engagement teams within advancement with special guest, Matthew Ewing, Vice President for University Advancement at Boise State University.
Ryan and Chris also discuss the big takeaways from the CASE Summit for Leaders in Advancement conference in Chicago.
On Episode 6, Chris and Ryan connect with Brian Sischo, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement at NC State University. Brian shares his thoughts on the successful completion of The Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign now that it's in the rear view mirror. Brian also shares why their focus at NC State has turned to engaging alumni and donors.
Thanks for listening to the Alum-Less podcast. Please consider leaving a review of the podcast for us so more advancement professionals can find it.
Perhaps the most significant university advancement trend in the United States is the merging of alumni associations and foundations in order to maximize effectiveness in engaging alumni and donors. On this week's episode, Ryan and Chris discuss this important trend that will likely reshape the way in which alumni and donor engagement teams work together. This week's episode contains a 30-minute bonus segment with special guest, John Valva, Vice President and Executive Director of the Oregon State University Alumni Association.
On this episode of Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan explore what it's like to lead a state-wide alumni engagement program with Patricia Châu Nguyễn. Patricia is the Director, Statewide Alumni Engagement for the University of California Office of the President. Our conversation expands to include how Patricia is working to build robust affinity-based networks and work with campus partners throughout the UC System.
This episode is the first containing the new 30-minutes bonus segment with our special guest. The LinkedIn Live broadcast aired originally on Friday, May 27, 2022.
On this edition of Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan discuss building stronger communities of color and difference and executing DEI initiatives with Matt Winston, the new Executive Director, Alumni Engagement at Binghamton University. We discuss Matt's new role and the challenges of getting started at a new college or university.
Plus, Chris has been on the road a lot recently and we discuss many of the different subsets of challenges facing alumni and donor engagement pros.
This episode does not contain the bonus segment of Alum-Less, and was originally aired on 5/13/22.
In the second episode of Alum-Less, Chris and Ryan explore strategic planning for alumni engagement and the challenges of talent recruitment and retention with special guest, John Pine, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Alumni Engagement at UC Santa Cruz.
This episode of Alum-Less aired on LinkedIn Live on 5/29/22 and does not contain the bonus segment.
In this first ever addition of Alum-Less, hosts Ryan Catherwood and Chris Marshall explore engagement metrics with special guest, Barry Ellis-Perry.
Barney is an engagement strategist and consultant with CMAC. Prior to joining CMAC, Barney lead alumni teams at Vanderbilt, UC Irvine, and the University of British Columbia.
Sorry about some of the audio quality on this first episode. We'll get better each week at improving the sound and content.
This first episode does not contain the extended edition and was originally broadcast on LinkedIn Live (4/15/22).