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  • 1.  Emerging topics, technologies, and trends

    Posted 09-17-2025 10:37 AM

    Hi,

    I'm gathering insights to inform some volunteer commitments.  Aside from AI, what do you view as the emerging topics, technologies, and trends in Advancement Services? What feels cutting edge, futuristic, innovative, or aspirational? What may have been around a while, but is evolving or showing up in new ways?

    Thanks,

    Kelly



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    Kelly Douglas
    California Institute of Technology
    kellyd@caltech.edu
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  • 2.  RE: Emerging topics, technologies, and trends

    Posted 09-17-2025 10:52 AM
    That's a tough nut to crack. What's cutting edge for some organizations has been institutionalized in others.

    And even AI isn't that "cutting edge." It's how some organizations use it that is!

    What I have noticed most in my travels is the increased emphasis on automation. Unfortunately, while the emphasis is there, the budgets to make investments in technology aren't (usually).

    Clearly, there's an expanding interest in data acquisition, integrity, and hygiene. Those institutions emphasizing these issues are supporting the efforts with budgets that fund new staff dedicated to data, as well as new systems, including replacing their CRM and integrations.

    You may get some ideas by reviewing the April aasp Webinar, Innovative Technology and Resources for Shops of All Sizes.


    John

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987






  • 3.  RE: Emerging topics, technologies, and trends

    Posted 09-17-2025 10:02 PM

    From an operational standpoint, I would say automation. Paper, and even PDF forms with tedious workflows are a thing of the past! (I'm working on it, anyway, lol)



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    Michele Whitaker
    Baton Rouge Community College Foundation
    [whitakerm@mybrcc.edu]
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  • 4.  RE: Emerging topics, technologies, and trends

    Posted 09-18-2025 04:20 PM

    Thanks for the responses and recommendations.  I definitely agree that what is emerging isn't universal and depends on a number of factors, including the availability of resources (staff, expertise, technology, etc.).



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    Kelly Douglas
    California Institute of Technology
    kellyd@caltech.edu
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  • 5.  RE: Emerging topics, technologies, and trends

    Posted 09-19-2025 07:39 AM

    Hi Kelly,

    While this might not necessarily apply directly to volunteers, one trend I'm seeing gain significant momentum is the use of Microsoft Power BI for comprehensive reporting and analytics.

    I recently attended three different sessions at the AASP conference in Reno, and it was striking how consistently Power BI came up as the tool of choice for creating sophisticated daily, weekly, monthly, and campaign reports. The dashboards and visualizations I saw were genuinely impressive - going well beyond basic reporting to provide insights that can actually drive strategic decision-making.

    What makes this particularly compelling is that Power BI isn't brand new technology, but it's evolving rapidly and showing up in more sophisticated ways within advancement services. The integration capabilities, the ability to pull from multiple data sources, and the increasingly user-friendly interface are making it accessible to teams that might not have had dedicated data analysts before.

    This has definitely influenced my goals for the next fiscal year - I'm looking at how we can leverage these capabilities to provide more actionable intelligence to both our advancement team and leadership.

    Looking forward to hearing what others are seeing out there!



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    Jim Evans
    Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation
    james-evans@smh.com
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