Your career growth and success are our priority.

UCLA External Affairs offers a robust and comprehensive training program to help you succeed and grow whether you’re new to the advancement field or motivated to broaden and refine your skills portfolio. Staff members are encouraged to invest in advancing their careers. Our professional development opportunities include:

Advancement Career Development Program:

The Advancement Career Development Program (ACDP) provides an opportunity for staff members to gain valuable exposure to career paths within the advancement profession. Through skills training, networking opportunities and project experience, employees will gain competencies and develop an understanding of the profession. Participants will leave the program with an individualized career development plan.

External Affairs Mentor Program:

The EA Mentorship Program pairs an early career employee with a more experienced employee and gives them the opportunity and exposure needed to build relationships, expand their network and increase visibility in their field. Mentees receive insight into the field of Advancement that they may not otherwise be exposed to and develop their leadership potential. The program is open to all EA staff and is tailored to meet individual needs.

UCLA External Affairs Training Program. Recent opportunities include:

  • Anti-Racism Awareness and Commitment Dialogue Series
    • Nurture inclusion and belonging in our work and workplace by learning and deepening your understanding of how racism occurred and continues, and steps each of us can take to become an anti-racist.
  • Introduction to Philanthropy
    • External Affairs follows a donor-centric model of fundraising that helps us to provide the best service to our donors and alumni. Designed for new staff, this training covers what motivates donors to support UCLA and how External Affairs staff work to meet our donors’ expectations for gratifying experiences when engaging with UCLA. You will learn how development officers explore philanthropic interests with donors and the steps to cultivating, soliciting and stewarding donors.
  • Engaging and Sustaining Relationships with Alumni
    • The UCLA Alumni Association is actively building a vibrant Alumni organization focused on sustaining relationships with over 500,000 Bruins around the world. This session will provide an overview of the evolving structure and programmatic focus of the UCLA Alumni organization. Go Bruins!