Defining goals for the year ahead

As Karen mentioned last week, the return to work after the holiday closure is a transition. Hopefully, you returned rested and recharged and maybe, like me, a little bit intimidated about what the remainder of the fiscal entails! I try to take time earlier in January to recalibrate and catch up on some professional reading. I review Forward, Together and check in with progress towards both our short- and long-term goals. For me, this also includes re-reading consultant Chris Vlahos’ 2019 review of Alumni Relations and his recommendations. (There are 34 and they hang in clear view on my bulletin board.) 

I also had a moment to read Chris's 2023 Global Alumni Engagement Forecast: It’s All Business Now, and reviewed the 12 characteristics of a high-functioning alumni-relations operation, which include:

1.    A comprehensive strategic plan
2.    A digital-first media strategy
3.    Serves as the alumni gateway to the institution 
4.    Access to institutional leadership
5.    An effective alumni advisory board 
6.    A business-focused approach to engagement 
7.    A robust and engaged volunteer network
8.    A culture of purposeful programming
9.    In synch with advancement partners
10.    A centralized alumni relations model
11.    A professional, motivated team
12.    Committed to a culture of innovation 

Looking at the above characteristics, I am excited and energized about the direction we are moving in, and I encourage you to do the same as you begin to consider your alumni-relations planning and the immense opportunities that lie ahead for the 2023-24 fiscal year. 

2023-23 planning

2023-24 planning will get underway Mar. 1 and follow a process very similar to last year. Three groups will do a deep dive into our fundraising, alumni engagement, and internal operations plans, and develop related objectives and tactics for discussion. These groups – the advancement management team – will work together with colleagues to determine what is reasonable for 2023-24. Then, there are four weeks for our management team to work together to build plans that operationalize our priorities. 
 
We know some of the planning content that will come forward. In addition to university-wide department/unit level annual objectives (not ongoing or work that is repeated year-over-year), we expect 2023-24 annual objectives will come forward from the following areas:

•    Forward, Together objectives that require work or are targeted for completion in 2023-24
•    Campaign Planning
•    Objectives from the internal stakeholder EDII review targeted for implementation next fiscal
•    2022-23 objectives that were not completed
•    Employee Engagement Survey action plan objectives
•    Donor Relations review implementation
•    Ecosystem (system) enhancements that support our preparation for a future CRM
•    Faculty ops plans
 
And yes, there is still the question of workload. Whatever we include in the plan for 2023-24 must be layered on the ongoing day-to-day work of Advancement or work that is repeated year-over-year. Homecoming will happen in 2023. Other events that happen on an annual basis will be repeated. We will have a fundraising goal to meet that will require mass solicitations, research, proposal writing, and communications. Ad hoc requests, data governance requirements, and gift processing requirements will have to be met, and there will be vacancies that need to be filled. None of these things will be reflected in the 2023-24 annual objectives, but they will be taken into consideration. 
 
Once the objectives and tactics have been determined we will have two weeks to finalize individual objectives (PDP) just in time for the new fiscal year to start.
 
You can find a calendar view of the 2023-24 annual objective setting process here:
I:\ADV Common\2020-2025 Advancement\2023-24 Planning\2023-24 Annual Objective Setting Process.docx.

CCAE award submissions 

Over the last three years, Queen’s Advancement has won 17 CCAE Prix d’Excellence awards, and now it’s time to add to that total.

The Canadian Council for the Advancement in Education (CCAE) is accepting submissions for the 2023 Prix d’Excellence from Jan. 23 to Feb. 6.

The awards recognize outstanding achievements in alumni affairs, public affairs, communications, marketing, development, advancement services, donor relations, and overall institutional advancement.

To make sure your outstanding work gets recognized this year, check out the CCAE website for the category list and entry forms. For more information about submissions, contact Bethany Mulder-Kelly.

Advancement Human Resources (HR) launches a new online request system 

By Olivia Thedorf and Carla Ferreira Rodrigues

Advancement HR is pleased to announce that a new online request system has been launched for all your HR needs. 

Have a general employment inquiry? Renewing your mortgage and need an employment verification letter prepared? Are you a manager who needs to post a vacancy on CareerQ? These are just a few of the options available through our new ticketing system. In order to best serve you, we kindly ask that all HR requests be submitted via the online request system. 

Simply click on the Advancement Request Centre portal link and enter your ticket today.

A special thanks to Jon Bennett and Simon Labbett for making the dream a reality! We are so excited to see tickets coming in and to support you. 

2022-23 Annual Objectives - update 

In December, the Advancement Operations Team met to review the status of our Annual Objectives under the three pillars: Fundraising, Alumni Engagement, and Internal Operations. 

You can find the updates from the meeting, on the I: drive (please log into the Queen’s VPN to access): I:\ADV Common\2020-2025 Advancement\2022-23 Planning\2022-23 Operational Plan – December update.xlsx.  

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.