12+ Reasons Higher Ed Professionals Should Attend bbcon 2024

Blackbaud’s annual tech conference is in Seattle September 24–26, and it will be packed with inspiring keynotes, thought-provoking breakout sessions, and how-to workshops for change-makers across the education, nonprofit, and social good community.

New to bbcon? The sessions highlighted below are just a sample of more than 50 relevant to higher ed. This is an opportunity to learn from your peers, share ideas, and delve deeper into leveraging technology at your institution. 

Peer-Led Higher Ed Sessions

• Building a Culture of Innovation & Breaking Down Silos in Higher Education

Alex Campomanes of the University of Manitoba will discuss grappling with culture change at a 146-year-old institution while driving technology adoption. He’ll reveal the framework they created to break down barriers and nurture trust across faculties and administrative departments and share key learnings from their successful and significant digital transformation journey.

• Driving Operational Excellence: A Low-Code Approach for Nonprofits and Education Institutions

Microsoft Power Platform can significantly and securely enhance operational excellence within educational institutions. Featuring his own use cases, Dan Snyder of Bennington College will be joined by Microsoft’s Jim Ballou to explore low-code development and workflows, custom apps, AI integration, and data management optimization. Plus, they will demonstrate how you don’t have to be a developer to do it!

• Unveiling Efficiency: Harnessing the Power of Blackbaud Award Management™

Join peers from Indiana University and the University of Alberta who have leveraged Blackbaud Award Management to unleash the transformative potential of software-driven scholarship management practices. Gain perspectives to streamline data sources across campus, consolidate approaches, increase application rates, expedite processing times, improve the reviewer experience, enhance campus engagement, and optimize processes.

• The Higher Education Trifecta: Leveraging Blackbaud Award Management to Drive Institutional Sustainability            

In this session, Lacey Price of Sam Houston University shares how her institution built and maintains the scholarship “trifecta”—a successful partnership between stewardship, academics, and financial aid—and how they foster communication to align every constituent in the scholarship process.

Blackbaud-Led Higher Ed Sessions

• Awarding Automagic: Leveraging Imports and APIs to Eliminate Manual Effort

This session will provide tips and tricks for using automation and APIs to share information between multiple systems and Blackbaud Award Management, beginning with automating the import of student data from multiple sources and using APIs to share award information with the systems that need to know—with the least amount of IT assistance possible.

• Leveraging Stewardship Management to Deliver Continuous Dividends

In this session, we’ll address higher education challenges, pair them with solutions-based approaches, and surface tips and tricks to utilize your tech stack to effectively steward donors and maximize funding opportunities. You’ll discover how to harness the power of Blackbaud products and partners to maximize value, yet minimize the input required of your team.

• Streamline Award Management with Blind Reviews, Bulk Renewals & Report Building

Join Blackbaud Award Management’s resident implementation expert to learn how to streamline your awarding processes with blind reviews, bulk renewals, and report building to drive awarding efficiencies. You’ll learn tips for leveraging functionality that’s lesser known, but incredibly powerful in helping you save time and award more with less effort—regardless of your institution type or team structure—to optimize use of your system.

Partner-Led Sessions

• Data Migration for Innovation: How to Make the Most Out of AI

Education, nonprofit, and mission-driven organizations around the world are at a pivotal crossroads. With AI everywhere, how is it possible to keep up, let alone stay ahead? The answer lies in your data. Join Microsoft’s Sergio Victorio Queija to explore a roadmap for assessing your current data infrastructure, identifying areas for improvement, and implementing best practices.           

• Balancing Acts: Navigating Fund Management and Honoring Donor Intent

In the dynamic landscape of fundraising, fund management is crucial for your mission, sustainability, accountability, financial stability, impact, and donor confidence. In this session, Chelsea Lamego of FundMiner will cover strategies and best practices for managing funds while respecting donor intent and maintaining ethical standards.

Can’t-Miss Main Events

• Education in Transition: Strategies for Student and Faculty Recruitment and Retention

We’re bringing together experts in higher education and K–12 schools to talk about recruitment, retention, and change management that significantly impacts both sectors. From declining student populations and faculty attrition to disruptive technological evolution, the education landscape is facing unprecedented challenges. Our panel will share their setbacks, success stories, and strategic plans used to overcome these challenges. School leaders will leave with actionable strategies to build communities where their faculty, staff, and students are motivated to join and stay.

• Keynote Address by Sheryl Lee Ralph

Emmy award-winning actress, producer, and advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph will grace the main stage. Her passion for education led her to the role of “Barbara” on ABC’s smash hit comedy series Abbott Elementary and her unique use of the arts in HIV/AIDS activism earned her the first Red Ribbon Award at the UN. She was recently appointed as an AIDS Ambassador for Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and is founding director of DIVA (Divinely Inspired Victoriously Anointed) Foundation 501(c)(3), created in memory of the friends she lost to HIV/AIDS. 

• 2024 Blackbaud Impact Awards

Live at bbcon, we’ll announce the first-ever Blackbaud Impact Awards, celebrating the incredible achievements of customers across the globe who have demonstrated creative and strategic problem-solving and achieved audacious goals. Check out our 2024 finalists and join us at the main stage to see who wins!

• Visit the Blackbaud Education Booth!

Be sure to visit the Education Booth in the expo hall, a one-stop shop to connect with Blackbaud staff including the Customer Success and Product teams. Ask questions, get product help, play games, win swag, and grab some snacks. We’ll be there throughout the conference!

Registration is Open!

Blackbaud’s annual conference for good is your chance to make valuable connections, discover new industry trends, and enhance your tech skills. Look beyond the Higher Education Track and you’ll find relevant sessions in these categories, too!

• Accounting
• Data Intelligence
• Donor & Prospect Intelligence
• Focus on Tech
• Fundraising & Donor Management
• Grantmaking
• Marketing & Online Giving
• Payment & Purchasing Services
• Peer-to-Peer
• Sector Leadership & Trends

Register for bbcon 2024 today and join us in Seattle September 24–26!