AI Foundations for Advancement Professionals

Artificial intelligence is already shaping the way we work, but many professionals still use it narrowly for drafting or rewriting content. This interactive virtual pre-conference is designed to help participants build a strong, responsible foundation. We’ll level-set on how AI works and then apply it meaningfully to real advancement workflows.

Adam Compton and Ashley Budd will demystify key concepts. You’ll leave feeling confident about use cases for generative and agentic AI, and what “good” AI use actually looks like in practice.

Part one of the workshop emphasizes human accountability, donor trust, and intentional use. The second half focuses on hands-on application. Participants will use AI to improve idea generation, workflows, and processes they encounter in their daily roles—such as preparing for difficult conversations, designing repeatable processes, and building a prompt library.

The session will include simple custom GPT training, helping participants move beyond one-off prompts to build their own reusable tools. Attendees will leave with practical frameworks, templates, and increased confidence to apply AI thoughtfully and effectively in their work.

Instiutional Passes (unlimited seats) are available for this session.

Member Institutional Pass Rate: $1,000 until May 13, 2026
Member Institutional Pass Rate: $1,250 beginning May 14, 2026

To purchase an institutional pass, select the institutional rate in the Your Price drop down menu as you check out.

	Until May 13, 2026	Beginning May 14, 2026
Member	200 USD 300 AUD 275 CAD 180 EUR 155 GBP 3,805 MXN	250 USD 380 AUD 345 CAD 230 EUR 195 GBP 4,755 MXN
Non-Member	280 USD 425 AUD 385 CAD 255 EUR 220 GBP 5,325 MXN	330 USD 501 AUD 450 CAD 300 EUR 260 GBP 6,280 MXN

Ashley Budd
Senior Director of Advancement Marketing, Cornell University

Ashley Budd is senior marketing director at Cornell University. She is based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., working remotely for the university as a content strategist and campaign project manager for the division. Known for her creative and innovative marketing campaigns, Budd is one of the most influential voices in education marketing and fundraising.

Prior to joining the digital team at Cornell, Budd spent more than five years at her alma mater, Rochester Institute of Technology, where she led social media strategy for undergraduate admissions. She is author of Mailed It! A Guide to Crafting Emails That Build Relationships and Get Results.

Social:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleybudd/

Adam Compton
Senior Director of Advancement Marketing, Cornell University

Adam Compton is the Executive Director of Annual Giving at North Carolina State University, where he leads the strategy, execution, and integration of annual giving with alumni engagement, marketing communications, and broader university priorities. He helped develop and launch NC State's Day of Giving, built a leadership annual giving program, and restructured annual giving operations to drive more significant alignment and impact. Adam also plays a key role in the university's CRM transformation, serving on the core team responsible for designing and constructing NC State Advancement's Salesforce instance on Kindsight's Ascend platform.

With a career spanning higher education advancement, nonprofit development, and political campaign strategy, Adam brings a unique perspective to fundraising—combining operational insight, data-driven execution, and creative storytelling. He has held several leadership roles at NC State, including Deputy Campaign Manager for the university's $2 billion campaign, Director of Special Projects and Fundraising Initiatives, and a Major Gift Officer.

Adam actively contributed to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), where he served as the District 3 Conference Co-Chair. He is a current member of the CASE District 3 cabinet and serves as the education chair. He is passionate about the role of annual giving in growing donor pipelines, building institutional brands, and powering transformative philanthropy.