When the Plan Hits the Fan

When a vendor issue scrapped East Tennessee State University’s print invitations just days before a key presidential donor event, the advancement team had two choices: panic or pivot.

They chose to pivot—and fast.

What started as a last-minute scramble turned into a major win. The ETSU team swapped their canceled print campaign for a personal video from the university president, creating a 60% open rate, donor mentions during the event, and a brand-new digital-first strategy embraced across campus.

In this session, you’ll hear how ETSU’s quick thinking turned chaos into clicks and redefined what modern donor outreach can look like.