Our interconnectedness

On Friday, April 15, the 2023/24 Annual Plan for the Office of Advancement was presented at our all-staff meeting. The focus of the meeting was to hear from accountability owners who will drive forward the seven priority objectives for the year. Each of the objectives includes a list of associated tactics that were evaluated through a rigorous assessment of resource availability and weighed against the primary need to support ongoing core programming and any associated enhancements identified for the year. All in all, I think we have a well-considered and balanced approach to the year.

A key component of our planning exercise included the identification of “areas of interest” that will have a role in supporting the achievement of each tactic. The areas of interest include the identification of a specific unit(s) but could also include the need for approval or review through a governance body. In addition to this, each tactic is assigned its own accountability owner. In reviewing our planning tool, I was struck (not in a bad way) by the level of collaboration required to achieve these tactics and ultimately the objective they support. In short, approximately 13 per cent of our tactics will involve six or more areas of interest, with the highest involving 11 and the average being just shy of four.  

Like many organizations, we will always strive for enhanced collaboration and build on our recent successes. That said, the level of inherent integration that already exists and the degree to which we rely on each other to achieve our collective goals is considerable. Not only are we accountable for our own objectives, but we play a crucial role in supporting those of our colleagues.  

When putting your mind to your own objectives, please take some time to also consider how you will support others. Do I understand my role and what is expected of me? Can I clearly communicate to others what is required to achieve my objective? How can we use new tools such as JIRA to log future requests and leverage the gift of lead time? Do I make time to meet with partners across the organization to map out objectives and future deliverables?  

If you’re a fan of painting, you know that 80 per cent of a professional paint job is in the prep. Set the stage for effective collaboration by ensuring you are as ready for your partner as they are for you.    

Spreading the ThankView love

By Barb Lindsay, Application Business Analyst and Rachel Deir, Director, Information Technology Management  

We have some exciting news to share. One of the strategic priorities this past fiscal year was to expand the use of ThankView across Advancement based on the success of the pilot group. (Thanks to our colleagues in the Faculty of Arts and Science, Smith School of Business, and Donor Relations!) ThankView is an email tool that allows you to create personalized stewardship and engagement emails with video. ITM and the Digital Engagement team have been working over the last few months to develop business rules, processes, and training programs to support the ongoing use of the system. 

We are happy to share that in the upcoming weeks, we will onboard five new teams to the platform, having all new users trained by early June. Advancement staff can now experience the thrill of sending emails that come alive with dynamic videos, creating an unparalleled level of engagement for our constituents. 

Advancement Data Enrichment Committee (ADEC) update

By Corrine Beckner, Associate Director, Data Governance and Data Quality 

If you’ve attended a DG101 session, you will be familiar with much of the fantastic work Holly, Bobbi, and Cheyenne have accomplished over the last couple of years, thanks to the help of our peers across Advancement. Much of this work is the first of its kind at Queen’s. There is plenty to be proud of, from enhancing and delivering data quality, data security, and metadata programs to supporting day-to-day operations. These components form a solid foundation for our broader data governance vision and our (much-anticipated) DG Organization or DGO.

One of the predominant components of the DGO for Advancement is the formation of the Advancement Data Enrichment Committee (ADEC), which kicked off with our first session earlier this year. The ADEC brings together a cross-functional group of staff recognized for their ability to identify opportunities and develop coordinated solutions related to data and information. Outside of the committee, participants are recognized for their institutional knowledge and will act as advocates for data literacy, demonstrating their passion for using data to make informed business decisions and encouraging others to do the same.

With three sessions under our belts, the committee has proven to be a highly engaged, thoughtful, and collaborative group which I’m so proud to be a part of. We have much to share, but for now, on behalf of the group, I will provide a teaser of what you can look forward to. 

For 2023-24, the ADEC will focus on data literacy which includes:

• Demystifying data – what it is, what we have, and how we manage it
• Addressing the value of high-quality information and the impact and importance of coding
• Demonstrating end-to-end processes of how we might use data to make business decisions based on real-world examples from Advancement staff
• Using various communications channels, methods, and tactics to disseminate information throughout the year on an ongoing basis (such as articles, posts, videos, face-to-face learning, and engagement activities)

We look forward to revealing more with you in the weeks and months ahead.

Our ongoing data literacy series – Young Alumni programs 

By Corrine Beckner, Associate Director, Data Governance and Data Quality and Kim Day, Associate Director, Young Alumni and Alumni Services  

Revitalizing our Young Alumni program was a key objective this past fiscal. As we approach the end of 2022-23, we wanted to use this forum to highlight three new definitions that were recently published in the Advancement Glossary: Young Alumni, Recent Grads, and Recents Plus.

Like everything we do, achieving consensus and a common understanding of these terms was a collaborative effort. The results of these efforts are beginning to appear on various reports and dashboards, with the roll-out of this data to continue over the next few weeks.

To provide additional context, Kim and I prepared a one-page synopsis of how these terms serve the Young Alumni Program and how the shift in strategy supports and benefits our newest alumni. 

We encourage Advancement staff to review the document available on the I:Drive (ADV Common\Data Governance and Data Quality\05 - Data Literacy and ADEC\Data Literacy Series).

ALT meeting agenda 

Following up on Karen’s article in ALTogether Now (April 3), the agenda for the ALT meeting on April 27 is now posted on QUIRC.  

Jobs with Advancement

We need your recruitment help. Know great talent that would be a good addition to our team? If so, please promote the vacancies below with your networks and let’s find some amazing new team members.

Applications (including a cover letter and résumé) must be submitted through CareerQ. For additional information on this posting, please reach out to either Carla Ferreira Rodrigues or the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.