Talking Tactics28 Okt 2025

Ep. 61: New Game, New Rules, and Rewriting Student Philanthropy

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 authentic student philanthropy. Tune in to hear how rethinking generosity, meeting students where they are, and redefining “giving” beyond dollars changed the game entirely.

Guest Name: Alex Rodríguez, Assistant Director, Digital Campaigns, University of California, Berkeley

Guest Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/

Guest Bio: Alex Rodríguez engages all generations of the Cal community through digital marketing and social media for crowdfunding and giving days as UC Berkeley’s Assistant Director, Digital Campaigns. After overhauling student philanthropy through social content creation and digital giving, Alex now oversees the Crowdfunding program, launching and marketing ~80 projects and raising over $1 million annually. Throughout his different roles at Berkeley, Alex helped pioneer social media strategy in fundraising at his alma mater - he created the school’s first Instagram Reel! Alex uses his passion for social media (and chronically online experience) to put the “fun” back in fundraising at Berkeley.

Outside of his professional life, Alex loves to express himself creatively through thrifted fashion, dance, and TikTok, and can likely be found listening to K-Pop at any given moment. Alex lives in SoCal with his very photogenic cat, Chromeo Kiwi Lunario (@chromeo.kiwi)!

- - - -

Connect With Our Host:
Safaniya Stevenson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/safaniyastevenson/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Talking Tactics is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(78)

Ep. 75: Stop Marketing Amenities. Start Marketing Belonging

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 Tactic...

1 Jun 25min

Ep. 74: Breaking Records, Building Belonging: Inside UNC Charlotte’s Advancement Playbook

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 an...

12 Mai 39min

Ep. 73: How Social Intelligence Changes Higher Ed Marketing

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...

28 Apr 52min

Ep. 72: Beyond the Tagline: Building Purpose-Driven Systems

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...

2 Apr 32min

Ep. 71: How Pretzels Became One of Higher Ed’s Most Memorable Enrollment Marketing Campaigns

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 U...

17 Mar 32min

Ep. 70: Fun, Strategy & Fur: Rethinking Mascot Rebranding in Higher Ed

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 re...

3 Mar 30min

Ep. 69: Collaborate, Curate, Consolidate: Fordham’s Approach to Smarter Student Programming

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 abou...

17 Feb 30min

Ep. 68: Is Storytelling Just a Buzzword? How Higher Ed Marketers Can Build Narrative That Actually Works

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 u...

3 Feb 25min