Calendar of Upcoming Programs

Advancement Officers March Program
Beyond the Usual Suspects: Arts Advancement in a Shifting Funding Landscape
March 31, 2026 at 4 Eastern / 3 Central / 2 Mountain / 1 Pacific

Join us for this session with industry leaders Dr. Angelique Grant & Dr. Lee Bynum of The Inclusion Firm. 
When traditional funding streams tighten and alumni pipelines plateau, arts organizations that survive, and even thrive, are those that reposition their work as essential civic infrastructure, supported by data, partnerships, and relevance beyond identity-based appeals. This session is designed to help advancement professionals in university arts, culture, and higher education modernize philanthropic engagement in response to changing federal funding dynamics and evolving public expectations. Drawing on two case studies, the session illustrates how cross-sector alignment and evidence-based strategy can expand philanthropic and volunteer engagement beyond traditional constituencies. Participants will leave with practical, adaptable approaches for connecting arts advancement work to contemporary civic concerns while strengthening institutional sustainability.

As always, members are encouraged to share their experiences and best practices, too. Members are also invited to share topics they would like to discuss at future meetings.

This program is free for members of the Advancement Officers affinity group. Join this affinity group now. Non-members are invited to participate in the discussion with a registration fee of $80. Register here. 

Negotiated Rulemaking – Recent, Current and Anticipated Initiatives
April 13, 2026 at 3 – 4:00 Eastern / 2 – 3:00 Central / 1 – 2:00 Mountain / 12 – 1:00 Pacific

After laws are passed by Congress and signed by the President, Executive Branch agencies are often tasked with codifying implementation details through regulation. For all regulations pertaining to programs authorized under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, the Department of Education (USDE) must craft regulations through the negotiated rulemaking process. This webinar will focus on the steps of the negotiated rulemaking process and provide current information about USDE’s ongoing regulatory efforts. Register here.

Advancement Officers April Program
Refining Your Case for Support
April 28, 2026 at 4 – 5pm Eastern / 3 – 4pm Central / 2 – 3pm Mountain / 1 – 2pm Pacific

With so much need in the world, why should donors choose the arts and higher ed? Join this highly participatory session to better understand donor motivation and learn practical steps to reshape your fundraising initiatives into stories of transformation that actually move donors to give. You'll leave with concrete tools you can apply immediately to create a stronger, more impactful case for support for the arts and higher ed.

Jenna Goodman is Co-Founder & CEO of Generous Change, a company obsessed with providing fundraisers, managers, academic leaders, volunteers and entire Advancement teams tactical tools, simple, actionable strategies and fun, inspirational new ways to raise more money and change the world. 

Over her 8 years leading Generous Change, she's trained more than 4,000 Advancement professionals and facilitated workshops, coaching and board retreats for 80 universities across the country.  

As a fundraiser, Jenna led the largest team at KU Endowment, contributing toward a record total for the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences in a $1.6B campaign. Previously, she raised funds for her alma mater, the University of Central Missouri. While in college, she bought, ran, and sold a successful drive-thru espresso shop.

As always, members are encouraged to share their experiences and best practices, too. Members are also invited to share topics they would like to discuss at future meetings.

This program is free for members of the Advancement Officers affinity group. Join this affinity group now. Non-members are invited to participate in the discussion with a registration fee of $80. Register here. 

Communications Professionals Online Programs
All programs will be hosted online the third Thursdays of January, February, March, and April. 
Dates: January 15, February 19, March 19, April 16
Time: 1:00 Eastern / 12:00 Central / 11:00 Mountain / 10:00 Pacific. Online programs are 60 minutes.
Programs may include topics such as Marketing the Arts in a Changing Technological Environment, The Increasing Importance of Authentic Branding, How Generative AI is Shaping Marketing Communications, User Generated Content to Build Trust and Engagement, Short Form Video Content, Data-Driven Marketing Strategies in Higher Ed and other topics to be determined with member input. Invitations for each meeting will be sent. Registration is free for members of each affinity group or $80 per session for non-members. Join this affinity group now.

Advancement Officers Online Programs
All programs will be hosted online the last Tuesdays of January, February, March and April.
Dates: January 27, February 24, March 31, April 28 
Time: 4:00 Eastern / 3:00 Central / 2:00 Mountain / 1:00 Pacific. Online programs are 60 minutes.
Programs may include topics such as Gift Planning, Capital Campaign Success Stories, Building Team Culture, and other topics to be determined with member input. Invitations for each meeting will be sent. Registration is free for members of each affinity group or $80 per session for non-members. Join this affinity group now.
Gallery & Museum Directors and Curators Online Programs
All programs will be hosted online the third Thursdays of January, February, March and April.
Dates: January 15 January 14, February 19, March 19, April 16  (Please note the January date change)
Time: 4:00 Eastern / 3:00 Central / 2:00 Mountain / 1:00 Pacific. Online programs are 60 minutes.
Programs may include topics such as One-Staff Wonders: Efficiencies that Have Led to Success, Best Practices: Processes and Procedures, Working with Faculty in Meeting Curricular Needs, Case Studies: Student Workers and Programs, Creating Safe Spaces for Rest and other topics to be determined with member input. Invitations for each meeting will be sent. Registration is free for members of each affinity group or $80 per session for non-members. Join this affinity group now.
62nd Annual Conference
Tuesday, October 6 - Thursday, October 8, 2026
Detroit, Michigan
A printable Save the Date flyer can be found here.