Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Rebecca Kocher has been invited to co-chair and present an online campaign workshop in December for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). A global non-profit association dedicated to educational advancement and excellence in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing, and advancement services, CASE has a mission of serving as a catalyst for advancing education worldwide.
Kocher will co-chair the CASE Campaigns Workshop on Wednesday, Dec. 8, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and again on Thursday, Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. alongside Juan Garcia, assistant vice president for advancement strategy and campaign director at the University of Texas at Austin. The workshop will teach participants how to design, implement, and execute a campaign using real cases, decisions, and examples by reviewing best practices and emerging issues in campaign preparation, communications, and the ability to adjust in a changing environment.
“I am thrilled to bring together and partner with national colleagues to discuss multiple aspects of launching, managing, and successfully completing comprehensive campaigns,” Kocher said. “The opportunity to encourage and inspire other advancement professionals to use fresh, new strategies during changing times is an honor.”
Kocher will also serve as one of three panelists on the Supporting Presidents, School Heads, and Leadership campaign session that is also on Thursday, Dec. 9, from 4:30–5:30 p.m. Moderated by Jay Davenport, vice president of development and alumni relations at Virginia Commonwealth University, the session will provide an overview of the keys to supporting academic leadership to achieve a successful campaign. Attendees will learn more about campaign leadership and how to support gift officers assigned to staff these leaders to ensure success. Other panelists include Mike Hirschfeld, head of school at Kent School, and David L. Unruh, senior vice president of institutional advancement at Drexel University.
In her role at Wittenberg, Kocher is responsible for leading alumni engagement and all fundraising efforts to help Wittenberg University successfully launch and complete its $100-million Having Light comprehensive campaign. Passionate about developing, implementing, and analyzing strategies to expand outreach with limited resources, Kocher also brings extensive experience in relationship-building and cross-divisional collaboration, all within a metrics-driven environment. With more than 16 years of experience in higher education fundraising, Kocher understands and embraces the value of creating a metric-driven environment that includes calculated levels of accountability and a high-touch modeling method.
Workshop attendees will learn how to develop strategies for resourcing a campaign and building a case for support, along with the fundamentals of building a comprehensive campaign and how to adapt to the unexpected. Additionally, participants will develop strategies for keeping the campaign on track and will learn how to employ campaign analytics, including goal setting, tracking progress toward goals, as well as projections.
According to its website, CASE inspires, challenges, and equips communities of professionals to act effectively and with integrity to champion the success of each member. As a 501(c)(3) organization, CASE serves a broad array of educational institutions around the world and takes positions on public policy issues only when they relate specifically to the field of educational advancement, alumni relations, communications, fundraising, marketing, and associated activities at schools, colleges and universities.
For more information on the workshop, click here.
