November 10–12
Welcoming CASE home to Edinburgh
More Partnership’s connection to CASE and to Edinburgh runs deep.
Back in 1982, Iain More joined the University of Edinburgh, bringing his experience of American philanthropy to pioneer a new approach to fundraising in UK higher education. He was among the small group of university professionals who brought CASE to Europe, and the 1990 CASE Institute in Edinburgh was the first ever CASE event held in Europe.
So when in September 2001 Iain and partners launched the business that became More Partnership, they deliberately timed the celebrations to coincide with CASE’s return to Edinburgh.
Twenty-five years later, we’re delighted to welcome the CASE Europe Annual Conference back home.
This year, Partners from More are contributing to twelve sessions alongside clients and friends from universities, schools and cultural organisations.
We’ll also be celebrating Joanna Motion’s lifetime recognition with the CASE John Lippincott Award and welcoming this year’s winner of the Iain More Award for Emerging Fundraising Professionals to Edinburgh Castle as part of our celebrations.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Sessions
Key track
Charting a course: maintaining momentum through uncertainty
14:45–15:45 Pentland Auditorium, Level 3
Liz Reilly
Margaret Clift, Assistant Principal (Advancement), Heriot-Watt University.
Katherine Planas, Director of Development, Edinburgh International Festival
Ali MacLeod, Head of Fundraising, National Trust for Scotland
Elective
Measuring what matters: a practical framework for measuring alumni engagement and how volunteering and advocacy achieve impact
16:00–17:00 Fintry, Level 3
Nik Miller
Holly Peterson, Director of Alumni Engagement, University of Oxford
Elective
Building community through conversation: the power of Jeffersonian dinners for schools
16:00–17:00 Menteith, Level 1
Michaela Seeger
Emma Zigan, Chief Advancement Officer, Zurich International School
Key track
Who leads the donor relationship? A practical framework for role clarity across staff, head and board
09:30–10:30 Tinto, Level 0
Michaela Seeger
Karen Sandri, Director of Philanthropy & Community Engagement, Aiglon College
Nicola Sparrow, School Director, Aiglon College
Campfire
From zero to strategy: building a fundraising function from scratch
09:30–10:30 Carrick 1, Level 1
Ian Edwards
Philippe Lamesch, Head of Advancement, University of Luxembourg
Plenary
Mid-week plenary and awards: looking back, leading forward
13:30–15:00
Including the presentation of the CASE John Lippincott Award to Joanna Motion
Campfire
An endowment of place: using purpose and place to unlock major gifts, partnerships and investment
15:30–16:30 Carrick 3, Level 1
Nik Miller
Paul Tyack, Director of Advancement, Newcastle University
Jennie Blake, Director of Strategic Engagement, UCD Foundation, University College Dublin
Campfire
The soft opt-in: an unprecedented opportunity to open up supporter communications
16:40–17:40 Sidlaw, Level 3
Roundtable
Inside the minds of major donors: insights from 100 in-depth interviews in French higher education in 2026
09:30–10:30 Lennox Suite, Level 2
Rodolphe Gouin, Vérane Castelnau
Elective
Regular giving: finding major and legacy donors of the future
11:00–12:00 Sidlaw, Level 3
Adrian Beney
Jack Merrington, Regular Giving Manager, LSE
Beth Whitaker, Senior Regular & Leadership Giving Manager, University of Leeds
Roundtable
Making scholarships work harder: simplifying systems, widening impact
11:00–12:00 Lennox Suite, Level 2
Liz Reilly
Margaret Clift, Assistant Principal (Advancement), Heriot-Watt University
Shona Aitken, Director of Advancement & Chief of Staff to the Vice-Chancellor, SOAS
And More | Meet the speakers
We’ll be in the conference centre throughout the week. Book some time with us, connect on LinkedIn and come along to our sessions.