Closing Remarks - Week 6 - Friendships through Affiliation

Closing Remarks - Week 6 - Friendships through Affiliation

AI-reading of Ryan's new article, "Closing Remarks - Week 6 - Friendships through Affiliation" This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Agora Talk: Introducing the Miner Nation Contributors program

What do you do when your engagement goals are climbing, your content has gone all-ask and no-story, and there's no budget to hire a writer? At UTEP, you stop looking inward and start looking out — to your own alumni. In this special Agora edition of the podcast, Sydney Bertram, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and Engagement at UTEP, shares how her team broke out of the "transactional loop" by launching the Miner Nation Contributors Program — a fractional team of alumni freelancers who bring an authentic voice and institutional pride that money can't buy. Sydney walks through the build, the pay-per-piece model, the CASE-metrics framework that proved its impact (contributor content was UTEP's highest-engagement content type in FY25), and three diagnostic questions for your own shop. Hosted by Ryan Catherwood with Agora Leader - Annie Quade. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Too Big to Be a Cause

AI-reading of Dave Hail's new article, "Too Big to Be a Cause." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Affinity, Philanthropy, and the Communities We Choose with Patrick Auerbach

This week on Keynote, Ryan sits down with Patrick Auerbach, Vice President for Advancement with the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, for a wide-ranging conversation about affinity, philanthropy, identity, and the changing nature of engagement work. After more than two decades leading alumni relations and engagement efforts at the University of Southern California, Patrick reflects on his transition into community foundation work and what he has learned from helping donors align their values with causes that matter most to them. Watch the full-length version on YouTube. [https://youtu.be/52-ZOHqudy0] Together, Ryan and Patrick explore the difference between affiliation and affinity, why younger donors increasingly prioritize cause-based giving over institutional loyalty, and how organizations can create deeper connections rooted in values instead of transactions. The conversation also dives into identity-based engagement, the realities of navigating politically diverse constituencies, and what higher education can learn from philanthropy-centered organizations. Patrick offers thoughtful reflections on donor psychology, institutional reputation challenges facing higher education, and the importance of serving as a connector between people, passions, and purpose. It is an honest and nuanced conversation about what engagement work looks like in a world where trust, identity, and meaning increasingly shape philanthropic behavior. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Closing Remarks - Week 5 - Honest Convos are on Podcasts

AI-reading of Ryan's new article "Closing Remarks - Week 5 - Honest Convos are on Podcasts" This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe [https://www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]