What’s The Word With Fundraising and Enrollment Strategies? Insights from RNLNC 2024

RNLNC 2024 was a whirlwind event, with more than 1,200 attendees joining us in sunny Dallas, TX, for 120 sessions from RNL and industry experts. We heard from three incredible keynote speakers, who covered everything from overcoming huge obstacles to AI innovations to taking action. With so many experts in the room, from attendees to presenters, team RNL kept our ears open and are pleased to present the 2024 RNLNC “What’s the word?” recap, a summary of what leaders and doers in the higher education and nonprofit sectors are buzzing about.

Engagement Centers: Phone Is Not Dead!

Kathleen Howley, Vice President

“Rowan University unplugged their phone program in 2020. Since then, 2,975 have not renewed and remain “phone only.” More than 1,000 of those people were LYBUNT/SYBUNT donors waiting for renewal during the year of the closure. Phone is not dead! Additionally, the University of Tennessee shared how digital engagement centers can accomplish numerous goals making them a hub for engagement/partnership across campus i.e. stewardship calling, contact update calling, and supporting programs on campus with limited bandwidth. Finally, Brandeis University increased fundraising results by 50% via phone thanks to strategic hiring and staffing strategies – they focused on incentives and hiring students with a really applicable background (sales, business management).”

Gain Insight from… RNL Insights

Robin Bowlus, Vice President

“RNL’s (AI-powered) Insight Hub is a transformative tool for all levels of Advancement and Enrollment teams. If you have a data analyst on your team, Insights will allow you and your team to manage quick queries so your data analyst can stay focused on larger projects that only they can do. If you do not have a data person, Insights becomes that for you and your team, providing you with real time data points to help you manage change and innovation in ways you never thought possible.”

Compelling Keynote: Put. Students. First.

Friederike Maag, AI Solutions Consultant

“The RNL National Conference kicked off with keynote speaker, Michael Sorell, who delivered an exceptional address that set a compelling tone for the upcoming three days of discussions and collaboration. His emphasis on putting students first resonated deeply, highlighting the importance of student-centric approaches in shaping the future of education. His message also set the stage for discussions about innovative AI solutions, empowering institutions to serve as guiding beacons for their students in this rapidly evolving field.”

Genuine Connections + Meaningful Content: A Balm for Enrollment Teams During the Chaos

Andrew Watson, Senior Consultant

“Despite a chaotic and challenging year, especially around the uncertainty with the FAFSA, it was amazing to see colleagues from diverse institutions come together at RNLNC to learn, network, and rest. I loved observing the interactions among colleagues and the general shared purpose of helping students. The Undergraduate Enrollment session topics were complex, distinct, and relevant for enrollment management teams from all types of institutions (public/private, 2-year/4-year). Some common themes that resonated with me from the undergraduate sessions focused on the importance of innovation, data-driven decision-making, and how campuses need to continue to find meaningful and authentic ways to create personal connections with students and their families.”

Retention and Student Success – Now More Than Ever!

Michael Cronin, Vice President

“Attendees noted in multiple conversations they need strategies and tactics to mitigate the negative consequences of the FASFA delays last year. Many I spoke to did not make their class, as prospective students and their families didn’t know their true cost of attendance until very late in the cycle. Visits were down due to that uncertainty, which made catching up next to impossible for most. Keeping the students we have becomes that much more important for Net Revenue consideration, and the conversations around the latest retention management best practices, the necessary elements for student success planning, national benchmarks and good practice in the area of student retention and success made the conference critically valuable for them.”

Intentional Engagement: Women, Wealth, and Philanthropy

Sarah Kleeberger, Senior Vice President- Fundraising Consulting

“I loved the energy and passion that Cannie Graham Campbell (James Madison University), Siara Abdulla (University of Georgia), and our very own Autumn Horton (RNL) brought to this session. The world of philanthropy is changing, and women are playing a crucial role. Great conversation about how intentional engagement of women can lead to bold investment and real impact. Check out this powerful video that captures a bit about The Amethyst Circle at JMU.

RNL 360: Data is the Best Foundation for a Strong Pipeline

Janice Ridolfi, ScaleFunder Client Solutions Consultant

“RNL 360 Unpacked was a great session on pipeline development and looking ahead with your data. Deciphering the hard numbers that we all look at everyday but don’t really know what to do with them. (Sarah Kleeberger) really broke it down into actionable areas you need to look at with your teams to enhance and build your donor pipeline.”

Engagement Centers: Springboards for Nonprofit Careers

Angel Canada, Client Success Director

“As a Client Success Director working directly with Engagement Centers, the Engagement Center Panel Discussion was particularly enlightening. It sparked new ideas on how to increase participation and retention among our student callers, create meaningful experiences in Annual Giving, and promote careers in this field. One thing that stood out was how many Engagement Centers offer opportunities beyond just calling. While calling is the foundation, many Centers provide internships and create leadership positions that help students develop valuable skills for their future careers. This aligns with the goals of many of our partners, who hope to see former Engagement Center employees transition into roles within their Annual Giving teams and Alumni offices- gaining new ideas on how to make this happen is incredibly beneficial as we continue to enhance the role of our Engagement Centers.”

Fostering a Sense of Belonging: Student Success

Julie Bryant, Vice President- Student Success

“In the Student Success track sessions, I noticed a theme on the importance of supporting students’ sense of belonging. This observation was consistent across presentations by both four-year and two-year institutions. Students wanting to connect with their peers and wanting to be made to feel welcome is certainly backed up by the national data from RNL’s motivational and satisfaction survey instruments. This year’s sessions reinforced the belonging element as a key factor in keeping students enrolled to the completion of their goal and helped attendees focus on ways to connect students to each other and to the institution, during orientation, as part of advising, and in the classroom. This was my 30th RNL National Conference, and the message of the value in retaining students to graduation still resonates for attendees as much as it did in the early days.”

AI Buzz: Where Do We Even Start?

Jeff Hagedorn, Vice President

“Clients were talking about AI and asking “where do we start?” So AI Governance was a key topic… There was a need expressed for educating faculty, staff and other stakeholders. For creating a framework for implementing AI at their institutions. For understanding how to ethically utilize AI in the classroom. For gaining a better understanding of where they are currently as an institution in terms of AI maturity.”

Open Dialogue: Women in Higher Education

April Bush, Vice President

“The Women in Higher Education panel discussion was called one of the best sessions of this year’s conference. I had the opportunity to be a panelist along with my colleagues Julie Bryant, Wendy Beckemeyer and Jerrica Davis. The over one hundred women in attendance posed thoughtful questions about pathways for advancement, work-life balance, mentoring, and providing support for one another. Our panel’s responses were honest, insightful and provided assurance along with guidance. It was obvious from this gathering that there is a desire for a sense of community for women in higher education and there are opportunities for us to grow together. I am really proud of the fact that the RNL National Conference continues to provide a forum for these conversations to take place.”

AI 101: Tips + Tricks for Using Large Language Models

Kathleen Howley, Vice President

“I attended SoHye Park’s session on prompt engineering which discussed how RNL clients could use RNL Answers to the best of their ability. She walked attendees through CSI – how to be clear, specific, and interactive as you develop prompts and responses for LLMs and really demonstrated how to think through leveraging this tool. Her presentation was REALLY clear and so helpful. I’ve actively used many of her suggestions when using LLMs myself.”

Discover RNL Edge, the AI solution for higher education

RNL Edge is a comprehensive suite of higher education AI solutions that will help you engage constituents, optimize operations, and analyze data instantly—all in a highly secure environment that keeps your institutional data safe. With limitless uses for enrollment and fundraising, RNL Edge is truly the AI solution built for the entire campus.

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Closing Thoughts: A Conference Summary from a New RNL Leader + Keynote Speaker

Subreina DeSouza, Senior Vice President

“I had the privilege of attending my first national conference and what an experience it was! Standing on that stage, looking out at a sea of engaged and eager faces, I felt a surge of excitement that was personally exhilarating. It was clear that many in the room recognized that we are on the cusp of something truly transformative for higher education.

As I spoke about the potential of these tools to drive efficiency, enhance learning outcomes, and personalize the educational experience for students, the energy in the room both during and after the keynote was palpable. It wasn’t just my own excitement; it was the collective enthusiasm of educators, administrators, and tech innovators who see the future in the same way I do. As I reflect on this experience, I’m more convinced than ever that we are at the beginning of a new era in education. The tools we’ve developed are just the starting point, and I’m excited to see how they will be used to create more inclusive, effective, productive and dynamic learning environments. Thank you to everyone who attended the conference and shared in this incredible moment with me. Your passion and commitment are what make these advancements possible. Together, we are not just imagining the future of education—we are building it.”