Talking Tactics

Students today aren’t just evaluating colleges based on rankings, programs, or amenities — they’re asking a much deeper question: Will I feel like I belong here? In this solo episode of Talking Tactics , Safaniya “Safy” Stevenson explores the growing connection between student loneliness, emotional wellness, and higher education marketing. From the rise of “third spaces” to the power of emotionall...

UNC Charlotte is rewriting what modern university advancement can look like—fast, collaborative, and deeply rooted in place. In this episode of Talking Tactics with Safaniya Stevenson , Beth Krigler and Penny Hawkins unpack how the “For the Love of Charlotte” campaign helped fuel a record-breaking surge in giving, including an extraordinary rise in non-alumni engagement and a fundraising trajector...

Social media managers have been saying it for years: the comments section knows all. In this episode, Safaniya Stevenson sits down with Brittany Hennessy of Sprout Social to unpack why higher ed teams need to stop treating social like a content calendar and start using it as a real-time intelligence engine. From enrollment trends and student sentiment to campus reputation and revenue opportunities...

What happens when the brand is not the lead but the work is? In this episode of Talking Tactics, Safy sits down with Deneen Gillespie to unpack a bold shift from traditional branding to purpose-driven systems thinking. From navigating system-level marketing to redefining what “brand” actually means, this conversation challenges everything you thought you knew about building influence. You will hea...

What does a pretzel have to do with enrollment marketing? Turns out… a lot. On this episode of Talking Tactics, host Safaniya Stevenson sits down with Andy Schneider, Dean of Admissions at Marquette University, to unpack the now-famous admissions pretzel—an unconventional campaign that sends 10,000+ pretzels to admitted students each year. From pandemic experiment to viral marketing moment, Andy s...

What happens when a university mascot gets more than just a costume upgrade? In this episode of Talking Tactics , we unpack how a strategic mascot rebrand can fuel enrollment marketing, drive retail revenue, and build real campus tradition. From trademark governance to ESPN-level exposure, this isn’t fluff — it’s brand strategy with fur. If you think mascots are just for game day, think again. Gue...

Are too many emails and events actually hurting student engagement at your university? In this episode of Talking Tactics , Safaniya Stevenson chats with Toni Marie Perilli from Fordham University about how over-programming can overwhelm students and what her team did to fix it. From segmented newsletters to centralized program planning, Toni shares actionable strategies to get students opening, c...

Storytelling is having a moment. But most brands are still telling stories that sound exactly the same. On this episode of Talking Tactics, Safy sits down with John Gorman, founder of Saint Orange, to unpack why “storytelling” has become marketing’s favorite buzzword and how it lost its edge along the way. They get into what actually separates storytelling from narrative and copywriting, why highe...

Forget everything you know about strategic plans being boring. Fort Lewis College just cracked the code when they turned their five strategic pillars into friendship bracelets that faculty, staff, and students are actually wearing around campus. Director Anna McBrayer reveals how getting executives to weave bracelets together broke down silos better than any PowerPoint ever could. Listen to learn...

Think your university's perfectly curated Instagram feed is attracting Gen Z students? Think again. Employee advocacy experts Ben Hayes and Maria DeMario reveal why letting professors post typos and unpopular opinions on LinkedIn might be your best recruitment strategy yet. But here's the catch: if you're asking faculty to 'stick to brand guidelines,' you're missing the entire point. Discover why...

In this episode of Talking Tactics , host Safaniya Stevenson sits down with Jana Hanson of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) and Kata Traxler from Student Ready Strategies to explore how tribal colleges model culturally rooted, community-centered student support. Together, they dive deep into how embracing Indigenous values can reshape how institutions approach family engagem...

When TikTok bans threatened to upend their social strategy, one university's marketing team discovered an unlikely ally: their SEO colleagues. In this episode, Amanda Ferrill reveals how Temple University turned platform uncertainty into opportunity by marrying keyword research with vertical video content on YouTube Shorts. Learn why ditching cute captions for searchable titles might be the smarte...

This week on Talking Tactics we’re talking social media championships and test kitchens? We’re joined by Michaela Taylor, Senior Social Media Strategist at the University of South Carolina—home of Rival IQ’s back-to-back social media champs. She’s breaking down how a “try it on LinkedIn” mindset turned into a growth engine for the university’s digital strategy. Whether you're managing a university...

NC State University sold out 700 tickets in just two days when they brought Alton Brown to campus, but that was only the beginning. Nash Dunn and Allie Bloom Whitley share how NC State’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences transformed a single keynote into a year-long initiative that engages students, alumni, donors, and faculty across multiple touchpoints. Discover the tactical framework be...

What happens when a fundraiser decides to end one of higher ed’s most sacred traditions—the senior giving campaign? In this episode, Safaniya sits down with Alex Rodríguez from UC Berkeley, who made the bold move to shut it down and rebuild student giving from the ground up. From pandemic pivots to Mario-inspired metaphors, Alex shares how he turned a once-obligatory tradition into a culture of au...

Safaniya Stevenson sits down with Daniel Freeman, Chief Development Officer at Gaston Community College, to unpack how a “curiosity-first” approach reshaped alumni engagement. Tapping into years of fundraising experience and his knack for building authentic relationships, Dan shares how he turned passive alumni into active supporters using low-cost, high-impact development tactics. If you're in en...

Most higher ed campaigns play it safe—and end up milk toast. In this episode of Talking Tactics, Safaniya Stevenson sits down with Baldwin&’s Ashley Yetman and Emily Watson to unpack why bold ideas beget bold design. Partnering with the North Carolina School Board Association on a hearts & minds campaign, they leaned into disarming nostalgic illustrations and creator collaborations to humanize mes...

What happens when a team of former tourism and events pros are in charge of rolling out a rebrand? You’ll want to hold on your beignets for this one. In this episode, we’ll hear from Anne Falgout, Director of Strategic Communications for South Louisiana Community College on why they took a festive approach to their brand launch. Guest Name: Anne Falgout, Director of Strategic Communications, South...

You thought we were done with the show? Think again. The pursuit of top-tier tactics continues! Talking Tactics isn't going anywhere, but we ARE getting a new voice behind the mic. After 56 episodes of Day Kibilds serving up the tactical gold you've come to love, she's officially passing the torch to Safaniya "Safy" Stevenson, a brand strategist and cultural analyst equally obsessed with tactics....

After two years and 55 episodes packed with practical, joyful, and wildly clever ideas, Talking Tactics comes to a close. In this final episode, host Dayana Kibilds reflects on the “why” behind the show, shares her personal favorite tactics from past guests, and celebrates the everyday enrollment pros doing exceptional work in higher ed. From transforming request forms and hacking Reddit to AI-pow...

On this episode of Talking Tactics, host Day chats with Stormie Harless and Reggie Hayes of Ball State University about one of the quirkiest—and most successful—Giving Day campaigns we've ever seen: letting donors name a goose. Yes, you read that right. This creative, low-cost tactic more than tripled gifts to the Ball State Fund, turning a fun gimmick into a strategic fundraising win. Learn how a...

What if a few strategic email decisions could boost your click-through rates by 73% and gifts by 26% on your giving day? On this episode of Talking Tactics , Day sits down with Veronica Jones and Zack Schmidt from the University of Iowa Center for Advancement to unpack how they moved from a time-consuming email process to a smart, automated strategy that actually improved the donor experience. If...

What do planners, quizzes, and pumpkin stencils have in common? At Cornell, they’re powering growth in alumni engagement. In this episode of Talking Tactics, Sarina Alexander, lead graphic designer for Cornell’s advancement team, shares how her team grew digital downloads fivefold — sparking a 40% increase in email clicks and doubling alumni engagement in just three years.  From ideation to execut...

In this special compilation episode of Talking Tactics, host Day sifts through the archives to bring you a trio of field-tested summer strategies that actually move the needle. From boosting post-deposit engagement with 90% email open rates to winning back withdrawn students with a creative goodbye message, these stories from real enrollment pros are packed with actionable ideas for reducing summe...

What if the key to supporting students with payments isn’t a new policy, but a new tone? In this episode of Talking Tactics, host Dayana Kibilds chats with Karen Sorrell, Senior Business Operations Manager at Carroll Community College, about how one simple change—revamping payment reminder emails—led to big results. By shifting the tone from transactional to supportive, Karen’s team boosted studen...