In this bonus Alumless Takes episode, Ryan interviews Jillian Cole, the Chief of Staff of University Advancement at Colgate University. They discuss Jill's career journey, the importance of alumni engagement, and the recent merger of alumni engagement and annual giving at Colgate. Jill shares insights on successful events, the excitement surrounding leadership changes, and her recommendations for personal development and productivity.

What happens when a university decides to go all-in on alumni engagement? In this episode of Alumless, we’re kicking off our 4th season with a great guest.

Chris and Ryan are joined by Sam Gordon, Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Association at Pace University, to talk about what it means to maximize a significant institutional investment in alumni engagement. Sam walks us through the transformation at Pace, from launching an alumni survey and reshaping her team to rethinking programs and priorities for a geographically diverse alumni base. We’ll discuss with Sam what worked, what didn’t, and how she balanced the unique needs of an urban/suburban university with ambitious engagement goals.

In the bonus segment, we dig deeper into her strategy for navigating campus politics, building cross-functional partnerships, and leveraging Pace’s NYC location to fuel professional programming.

Thanks to our partners and presenting sponsors at Protopia and AlumniQ for supporting the show in our 4th year!

In this premiere episode of our new series, Alumless Takes, Ryan and Max Leisten discuss the evolving landscape of digital engagement, particularly in the context of alumni and donor relations. They explore the importance of simplicity in engagement strategies, the role of AI in enhancing connections, and the need for collaboration among university stakeholders to scale volunteerism effectively. Max emphasizes the significance of redefining volunteering and being open to change in advancement teams to better serve their constituents.