Higher education is filled with meaningful work, but too often the stories that bring it to life stay hidden behind silos, safe messaging, and internal complexity. Kristen Eaton, Interim Vice President of External Relations at the University of Maine at Augusta, joins the podcast to share what she has learned transitioning from nonprofit fundraising into higher ed leadership. Drawing on her background in development and communications, Kristen explains why belief, trust, and authentic storytelling are essential across enrollment, advancement, and alumni relations. She offers a candid look at how institutions can connect people, teams, and messages across the full student lifecycle and tell stories that truly resonate.

🎧 What We Cover in This Episode

• What higher ed can learn from nonprofit storytelling and relationship building

• Why belief and trust matter more than tactics in enrollment marketing

• How silos form across marketing, advancement, and alumni relations

• Practical ways to start working cross-functionally without overhauling everything

• Why authentic, human-centered storytelling resonates more than polished messaging

🎙️ Episode Highlights

01:41 – Parallels between nonprofit fundraising and higher ed marketing

03:48 – Key differences, scale, stakeholders, and complex audiences

07:38 – Using impact storytelling across enrollment, alumni, and donors

10:12 – Practical and relational strategies for breaking down silos

14:32 – The risk of disconnected messaging across the student lifecycle

18:45 – Starting small with cross-functional collaboration

22:26 – Marketing with humanity and rejecting safe, generic imagery

The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast is powered by Caylor Solutions—your go-to partner for higher ed mission-fit marketing strategies, enrollment, AI expertise, and branding needs. 

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