We’ve rounded up resources to help advancement leaders, and attendees of the upcoming 2014 Summit for Leaders in Advancement, get the most out of the event. (Some resources require log in and CASE membership to view.)

1. Get informed. This year’s Summit will open with a Socratic dialogue on some of the big issues facing institutions today. CURRENTS Magazine has tackled these challenges with articles on turnover and gender pay inequality, the first female president of an Iraqi university, trends in marketing leadership and the challenges institutional leaders face.
2. Learn from corporate leaders. Summit speaker Howard Behar, former president of Starbucks Coffee, says that “the person who sweeps the floor should choose the broom.” Fellow Summit presenter Jim Sinegal, co-founder and retired CEO of Costco, discusses “walking the talk” for an ethical leadership series created by the University of Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership.
3. Bookmark sample collections on strategic plans, presidents who have come from advancement, and integrated advancement to supplement Summit sessions on advancement strategy, executive leadership and creating a world-class advancement operation.
4. Virtually network with senior leaders from across the country. Be sure to join fellow institutional leaders on Twitter (since social media’s popularity with advancement leaders is growing) and join and follow conversations on the #CASESummit hashtag.
5. Peruse the archives of Advancement Weekly, our newsletter for advancement leaders.
6. Review takeaways from Summit 2013. CASE Summit attendees, as you can see from last year’s #CASEsummit recap, take home new ideas and have a good time.
7. Show fiscal responsibility. For budget-conscious advancement leaders, we have both a reduced registration rate until Friday, May 30, as well as resources on financial management.
8. Build up your bookshelf. CASE has books for leaders and aspiring leaders on the case for leadership, candid advice from advancement vice presidents and how chief development officers can go beyond fundraising.
9. Boost your ROI. We know that as advancement leaders you’re constantly thinking about how to measure your efforts. CASE can help with resources on the ROI of event-based fundraising at community colleges, fundraising performance, alumni engagement tracking systems, gift officer metrics and, of course, social media—not to mention a CURRENTS issue devoted to the topic.
10. Help others understand advancement. As CASE president and Summit moderator John Lippincott wrote in his latest CURRENTS President’s Perspective, “Ours is a noble profession—and a mystery to those outside advancement…We turn possibilities into realities at schools, colleges, and universities. And we do that by forging connections between the visions of our institutions and the passions of our donors, the dedication of our alumni, the aspirations of our students, and the ambitions of our communities.”

Have you been to a CASE Summit for Advancement Leaders? What advice would you give to new attendees—and what resources do you recommend? What are your favorite leadership resources?