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Alison Coppelman
Associate Dean of Alumni Relations & Development at Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago
Professional Background
Alison Coppelman is a highly experienced professional with over two decades of dedicated service in alumni relations and development, primarily within prestigious educational institutions. Currently, she serves as the Associate Dean of Alumni Relations & Development at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. In this pivotal role, Alison plays a crucial part in fostering relationships between the school and its alumni, helping to enhance both outreach and community engagement. Her decision-making skills and innovative strategies contribute to the school's development initiatives, ensuring a strong foundation for future generations of leaders.
Prior to her current role, Alison had a remarkable tenure at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where she was the Senior Director and Chief Operating Officer of Advancement Services. This high-profile position saw her collaborate across various departments to streamline operations, ultimately leading to enhanced funding and support for the institution. Her efforts in this role not only improved operational efficiency but also significantly impacted the school's ability to engage with donors and alumni, showcasing her leadership skills and strategic acumen.
Alison's career has progressed through various significant roles at the University of Chicago Law School, where she has served as the Senior Director of Development and the Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. In these roles, Alison has been instrumental in designing and implementing successful fundraising campaigns, cultivating donor relationships, and enhancing the alumni experience, ensuring that former students feel connected and valued by the institution.
Previously, Alison held several positions within the University of Chicago, quickly ascending through the ranks from Assistant Director of College Fund Programs to Senior Associate Director of Development. Her dedication and commitment in advancing the University's objectives have been a cornerstone of her career.
In the earlier stages of her professional journey, Alison gained valuable experience in marketing and sales with Pearson Education. Serving as a Sales Representative and later as Associate Marketing Manager, she honed her skills in strategic communication, market analysis, and client relations, all of which have proven beneficial in her higher education roles.
Education and Achievements
Alison Coppelman holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Carleton College, an institution renowned for its rigorous academic programs and commitment to fostering a broad-based education. This foundational experience not only provided her with strong critical thinking and communication skills but also instilled a passion for storytelling that she has carried into her professional endeavors.
Throughout her career, Alison has achieved notable success in creating and leading initiatives that drive alumni engagement and enhance development strategies. Her work at the Harris School of Public Policy exemplifies her influential role in shaping alumni relations and fostering a vibrant community of support. By employing her background in English, Alison’s ability to connect with others through narrative has led to successful campaigns and initiatives that resonate deeply with alumni, encouraging their participation and investment in the school's mission.
Alison's accomplishments in managing relationships and building programs have had a far-reaching impact on not only the institutions she has served but also on countless alumni who have benefited from enhanced resources and networking opportunities.
Achievements
- Currently serving as Associate Dean of Alumni Relations & Development at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, where she leads strategy for alumni engagement and philanthropic efforts.
- Previously held the position of Senior Director and Chief Operating Officer, Advancement Services at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, successfully implementing operational improvements and driving engagement strategies.
- Significant contributions to alumni relations and fundraising efforts at the University of Chicago Law School, holding multiple senior positions, including Senior Director Of Development and Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving.
- Developed and advanced marketing strategies during her time as Associate Marketing Manager and Sales Representative at Pearson Education, which provided her with skills that are highly transferable to her current roles in higher education.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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