Making your case to attend CSC Unite 2026

In 2026, budgets are tight. Professional development for staff is frequently cited as a crucial need, and yet it is also among the first things cut. General travel is also frequently on the chopping block. Does this mean you shouldn’t have a conversation with your boss about coming to the convention? NO! It means you need to start getting more strategic.

Your leaders want you to grow in your career and succeed. They want you to bring solutions to the problems they are facing. They want you to provide a world-class experience for your student-athletes. They also need justification to approve the expense.

If they think you’re going to treat it like a vacation or a search for a new job, they are not going to want to fund that. If you can express the value you are going to bring back and share with the rest of the team, you’re already a step ahead.

Let’s not kid ourselves, our supervisors and athletics directors are constantly challenging us to step up our game. And because of this, having conversations with our leadership about providing meaningful professional development experiences is vital. You still may not be approved to attend, but at least you’ve had that conversation. Showing that you want to grow in your skills and leadership is a great step in advocating for yourself. It signals “I want to get better at my job and help make our program the best it can be.”

Below are some tips and strategies on how to advocate for yourself, your communications staff, and the work your athletics department is doing that impacts student-athletes and coaches.

When thinking about how to approach a conversation with your supervisor or athletics director, it’s important to try to put yourself in their shoes. What are their goals? What are your institution’s priorities? What are the current problems and opportunities on your campus or conference office?

Here are some common themes CSC leadership frequently hears when asking athletics directors how CSC can help them:

1. Communicators are some of my most valuable staff because they have some of the closest relationships with student-athletes and coaches. When they get too caught up in the day to day, we’re not maximizing what their impact could be.
2. We have big problems to solve and I need staff by my side helping me find solutions.
3. My young staff are not receiving the training they need to competently do all the work that a communications professional does. They need more connection to mentors and peers.
4. My veteran communicators can get stuck in old ways. My more experienced staff need connections, inspiration and motivation to be more innovative in their work.
5. My communicators need to develop higher level leadership skills and better understand bigger picture department and campus priorities.
6. I have to justify expenses to my bosses. When my staff comes and asks for something they need to come with a thought process, not just ask for money. How is the thing you want to do going to solve a problem we have? Do you have any ideas on how to pay for the thing you are asking for?

If any of these themes resonate with you then it’s time to have that conversation about getting approval to attend CSC Unite 2026!

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Strategies for convincing your leadership to send you to CSC Unite 2026

Take a close look at all the programming and identify the key sessions that best align with the priorities of your athletics director and campus leadership. Session details and speakers will be continually added leading all the way up until June, so keep checking back for the most up-to-date information.

Remember that all CSC Unite attendees have access to all NACDA & Affiliates programming. You’ll want to also check all of those agendas to help support your case.

Consider this sample email to get the conversation started and make your case. Customize this to the goals and priorities that speak to your athletics director:

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To: 

From:

Subject:  Request to attend CSC Unite 2026

Dear [insert supervisor’s name], 

I’d like to get your approval to attend CSC Unite 2026, taking place June 7-10, 2026 in Las Vegas. CSC Unite is the best communications and creative conference dedicated to college sports, and is held in conjunction with NACDA & Affiliates week.

Here are some of the reasons I’d like to attend: 

• List your top reasons
• Such as key sessions and topics (AI solutions, statistics, creative content, key speakers)
• Ability to attend NACDA & Affiliates sessions (NACMA, N4A, ICLA, etc.)
• Build connections with colleagues that inspire you to be better
• Exhibit hall solutions with providers (both the CSC and the NACDA exhibit halls)

Here’s a breakdown of the estimated costs for attending:   

Registration fee	$500 if registered by May 1, $600 after May 1
Airfare and travel	[insert cost here]  Tip: Check the United Airlines discount
Hotel accommodation	[insert cost here]
Other expenses	[insert cost here]
Approximate total	[insert total here]

  
Here are a few of the sessions I’d like to attend to sharpen my skills and help our team take on bigger challenges:

• [add Session title] 
• [add Session title] 
• [add Session title] 

From CSC Unite 2026, I’ll bring back practical strategies we can apply right away. Here are a few projects I’m working on that could directly benefit from what I learn:  

• [add project/initiative] 
• [add project/initiative] 
• [add project/initiative] 

I’ll return with insights to help our team deliver more impactful student-athlete experiences, elevate our work, and prepare us for the future of what's next in sports communications and creativity.

All the current information about the convention is available at CollegeSportsCommunicators.com/2026convention.

Let me know if you'd like to discuss it further or if I can register now.
Thank you,
[Your Name]