Leadership Masterclass: Leadership Lessons from a Career in Philanthropy with Sue Cunningham, President and CEO of The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)

Success in fundraising is not simply about securing donations. Success requires leaders to look at our institutions from our stakeholders’ perspectives, and endeavour to determine their passions as they relate to the work of our institutions. This is a responsibility not taken lightly, and requires an understanding of the role and purpose of philanthropy throughout the university.

Sue Cunningham, president and chief executive officer of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), an international association of educational institutions serving education leaders and advancement practitioners in their efforts to advance education to transform lives and society, will lead this masterclass on the university as a philanthropic organization.

Ms. Cunningham will draw from her three-decade career in advancement that started in the theatre community in Wales, and took her to the University of St. Andrews, the University of Oxford, the University of Melbourne, and now to CASE, where she leads a global organization of more than 3,700 member institutions. She has led campaigns at three universities, developed the international capacity for fundraising at those institutions, spoken to countless groups of education leaders on the role and purpose of philanthropy in education, and brings experience and international context to this conversation.

• University staff who have attended leadership and management programmes
• Those with responsibility for other staff
• If places remain available closer to the date of the event these will be offered on a first come first served basis to other members of staff of the University who have expressed an interest
• Further details regarding PPD's eligibility criteria are available

Number of sessions: 1

Sue Cunningham is president and CEO of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, which supports over 3,700 schools, colleges and universities worldwide in developing their alumni relations, communications, fundraising and marketing operations. As CASE president and CEO, Ms. Cunningham provides strategic and operational leadership for one of the largest associations of education-related institutions in the world with members in over 80 countries.

Appointed in March 2015, Ms. Cunningham joined CASE from the University of Melbourne where, as vice-principal for advancement, she worked with the vice chancellor in leading a campaign to raise AUS$500 million and in building the advancement team across the university.

Prior to her work in Australia, Ms. Cunningham was director of development for the University of Oxford where she led a development team in the execution of the largest fundraising campaign outside of the United States: the Oxford Thinking Campaign, with a goal of £1.25 billion. Prior to this, she served as director of development at Christ Church, Oxford, and as director of external relations at St. Andrews University.

Before working in education, Ms. Cunningham enjoyed a career in theatre, the arts and the cultural sector. She is an honorary fellow of the Melbourne Graduate School of Education and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. In 2012, Ms. Cunningham received the CASE Europe Distinguished Service Award, and in 2008, she was awarded a CASE Crystal Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching.

One session of one hour