Engagement

Cavalier Travels offers educational travel experiences in worldwide destinations. Each trip features:

• UVA faculty lecturer who presents talks and personally interacts with travelers
• Professional tour director and local guides expert in history, culture, and language
• UVA staff member who manages group dynamics and provides logistical support
• Hands-on customer service from initial program inquiry through post-trip follow-up
• Pre-trip group enhancements: virtual happy hour, Travelin’ Cavs Directory, gift of a faculty-recommended book

Our trips explore every continent! Recent and upcoming adventures include:

• Antarctica –Lauren Miller, Glaciologist and Professor of Environmental Sciences
• Machu Picchu and Galapagos – Stephen Mull, Vice Provost for Global Affairs and former U.S. Ambassador
• Patagonia – David Gies, Commonwealth Professor of Spanish Emeritus
• Scotland – Carrie Janney, John L. Nau III Professor of History
• Sicily – Tyler Jo Smith, Professor of Archaeology
• Paris: The African American Experience – Melody Barnes, Executive Director of the Karsh Institute of Democracy
• Greece – Ian Baucom, Executive Vice President and Provost
• Iceland – Stephen Arata, Professor of English
• Egypt – Louis Nelson, Professor of Architectural History and Vice Provost for Academic Outreach
• Morocco – Lisa Reilly, Professor of Architectural History
• Vietnam – William Hitchcock, James Madison Professor of History
• Japan – Christa Acampora, Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
• Total Eclipse –Ed Murphy, Professor of Astronomy
• Alaska – Stephen Cushman, Robert C. Taylor Professor of English
• National Parks of the Southwest – Kelsey Johnson, Professor of Astronomy

Contact: Kevin Conley, Senior Director

• Cultivates online communities to foster engagement, build UVA loyalty, and drive desired actions through various digital channels
• Develops strategic communications and marketing plans for Office of Engagement and partner programming
• Creates and curates engaging, interactive assets and content for digital delivery
• Designs, builds, and executes digital campaigns encompassing email, social, web, text, and other channels
• Oversees in-house and partner platform digital advertising
• Manages constituent engagement data and processes event-related philanthropic support
• Monitors and analyzes digital engagement metrics, making recommendations based on trends and best practices
• Manages digital presence for Office of Engagement and programmatic partners

Patrick Stanley, Senior Director

Donor Relations plays an integral role in the multi-faceted donor cultivation process. We work behind the scenes to strategize, curate, and deliver unique touchpoints and experiences for donors from across the University. From robust impact reports to highly personal gift acknowledgements to elegant donor-focused events, our donor-centric touchpoints serve to engage, recognize, and elevate the donors who contribute to the vibrancy of the UVA community.

Donor Relations is a group of experienced professionals offering expertise in donor stewardship as part of the multi-faceted donor cultivation process. We partner with gift officers and leadership, and work behind the scenes to strategize, curate, and deliver unique touchpoints and experiences for donors from across the University. From robust impact reports to highly personal gift acknowledgements to elegant donor-focused events, our donor-centric touchpoints serve to engage, recognize, and elevate the donors who contribute to the vibrancy of the UVA community. 

Contact: Sasha Monty, Director of Donor Relations

• Donor Reporting: Donor Relations creates and delivers customized annual endowment reports for all R&V-held funds and select foundation-held funds.
  • View sample digital reports.
  • Review the endowment report style guide.
     
• Scholarship Stewardship: A Donor Relations team member serves as the Advancement liaison to Student Financial Services, supports development officers in their efforts to fundraise for scholarships, and lead student beneficiary outreach, and coordinates scholarship endowment and impact reports for R&V-held scholarships and all undergraduate need-based Bicentennial Scholarships.
  • Review the protocols for Bicentennial Scholarship Awarding & Reporting.
     
• HoosGrateful: Donor Relations serves as lead on the HoosGrateful student engagement event each Spring. This event is a pan-University collaboration where students discover and celebrate philanthropy at UVA and show appreciation to donors by handwriting notes and filming thank you videos.
   
• Gift Acknowledgement Letters: Donor Relations creates personalized gift acknowledgements for leadership gifts made across the University that are sent under the signatures of the President and Vice President for Advancement.
  • For information on tax receipts, please work with University Advancement Services.
     
• Giving Societies: Donor Relations oversees the Leaders in Philanthropy program and works in collaboration with gift officers to steward members of the Lawn and Cornerstone Societies.
  • For more information, click here.

The Office of Engagement’s Event Experiences team creates exceptional event experiences for alumni, friends, families, donors, and supporters within University Advancement (UA) program areas, including the Vice President for Advancement. Our focus lies in providing comprehensive event planning and project management services in collaboration with University Advancement partners to co-create memorable experiences that align with UA’s strategic goals. 

Additionally, we collaborate with Advancement Operations to manage event logistics for flagship events such as the Week of Learning, Collaboration Days, Day of Learning, and other all-staff events.

Unit-level and program events such as retreats and staff meetings fall under the purview of the unit and are not managed by the Event Experiences team.

Casey Brown, Senior Director

UVA Faculty Lectures

• Engaging the Mind–online faculty-led webinars
• More Than the Score–pre-football game hybrid lectures
• Reunions Academic Seminars–faculty-led lectures on alumni weekends
• Partnerships with UVA Clubs, schools, centers, and units to offer lectures inspired by faculty

Extended Learning Programs

• Summer Jefferson Symposium–four-day on Grounds program featuring Jefferson’s ideals and life stories in reflection
• One-Day UVA–a day-long in-depth learning experience
• UVA at Oxford Seminar–a week-long educational adventure at Oxford University
• Jefferson in Paris Seminar–a week-long exploration of Thomas Jefferson’s time in Paris as U.S. Ambassador

Online Resources

• Online research library of academic, business and health databases, including journals, magazines and business book summaries
• UVA Speaks podcasts–20 to 30-minute recorded faculty lectures accessible from anywhere in the world
• Thoughts From the Lawn blog–intellectual articles written by UVA faculty
• Thoughts From the Lawn newsletter–publication showcasing Lifetime Learning’s online resources, including podcasts, vodcasts, and blogs

Recognition Events

• Annual Outstanding Faculty Speaker–Stewardship of UVA’s faculty who have spoken on behalf of the Office of Engagement.

Althea Brooks, Senior Director

• Develops and executes the UVA Direct Marketing Plan 
• Develops the annual giving direct marketing and telemarketing strategies for more than 20 partners across Grounds
• Fundraises for The Virginia Fund
• Provides direct marketing, analytical, and logistical support for GivingToHoosDay
• Produces University-wide reporting on annual giving and engagement metrics
• Produces semiannual alumni impact reports for schools on annual giving and engagement activity
• Collaborates on the Annual Giving Community of Practice
• Provides data analysis, copy, editing, and recommendations for engagement efforts

Athletic Activities

• UVA game watching, tailgates & pre-game socials
• UVA Championship and Bowl game fan events
• Recreational leagues & professional sport outings

Intellectual and Cultural Activities

• Lectures with faculty, staff, coaches & alumni
• Personal enrichment classes & book clubs
• Museum, art gallery and performing arts tours

Professional Networking & Social Events

• Hoos Here events & happy hours
• HOO-liday gatherings and seasonal celebrations
• Community specific programming for identity communities—black alumni, parents, young alumni, and families
• Hoos For Dinner small-group dinner gatherings

Student Outreach

• Jefferson Book Awards for high school juniors
• Accepted Student Celebrations (in-person and virtual)
• Summer Socials & Student send-off events

Volunteer Service

• Cavaliers Care Community Service
• Volunteer leadership in over 100 networks throughout the world

Volunteer Engagement facilitates the volunteer engagement efforts within the Advancement Community that inspire alumni, families, and friends to share their time and talents with the University of Virginia community. We collaborate and coordinate with University Advancement and School and Unit-based colleagues who coordinate constituent volunteer efforts to provide a comprehensive approach and create consistency in tracking and reporting volunteer engagement. Volunteer Engagement is happy to serve as a resource and consultant to develop best-in-class recruiting, onboarding, training, and stewarding of volunteers.

For more information, contact Andrea Devine, Senior Director, Volunteer Engagement at akd4h@virginia.edu or 434-924-3308.