Preconference Session, Tuesday, April 16

1:00-200 PM
Registration

2:00-3:00
Orientation to the IRF Field
Learn how to access CASE resources for foundation executives and discover how you can become more engaged in your professionals association. CASE members and nonmembers welcome. 

3:00-5:00
Preconference Session: Trends in Foundation Structure and Operations
Using data from the fiscal year 2012 CASE IRF Data Book Survey, a panel of foundation leaders will discuss trends in foundation structure and operations. Foundation funding sources, spending policy and staffing levels will be discussed.
Speakers: Elizabeth Banycky, Treasurer, Southern Illinois University Foundation; Geraldine Gallagher, President and CEO, Valencia Foundation; and Ernie Hughes, Executive Director, Southern University System Foundation
Moderator: Tom Mitchell, Executive Vice President, University of Florida Foundation

5:00-6:30
Welcome Reception

Day 1, Wednesday, April 17

8:00-9:30 AM
Welcome and Keynote Session
The conference kicks-off with a keynote address from G. Wayne Clough, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and president emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, who will share his insights and thoughts on the state of public higher education and on leading one of the world's most complex organizations into a new era.
Speaker: G. Wayne Clough, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution and President Emeritus, Georgia Institute of Technology

Sponsored by: Clifton Larson Allen

9:45-11:00
Elective Sessions (choose one) 

• Enterprise Risk Management
  One of the most important responsibilities foundation staff leadership has is to work with board leadership to develop and manage an enterprise risk management program specific to their organization. Using the successful WVU Foundation ERM program, this session will provide participants with the how-to steps necessary to develop, and then manage, a successful ERM program.
  Speaker: Wayne King, President and CEO, WVU Foundation  
• Using Board Committees and Transparency to Your Advantage
  With increasing scrutiny and accountability expectations placed on foundations, it is more important than ever to have active board committees, solid processes and policies, and standardized reporting. This session, appropriate for small universities or community colleges, will provide a case study of the steps taken by a mid-size regional university IRF to move from minimal to maximum transparency and a complete overhaul of all board policies over a two-year time period. Positive results include improved relationships across the university, increased board giving and a much stronger overall board structure.
  Speaker: Marta Loyd, Vice Chancellor, University Advancement and Foundation Executive Director, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith 
• Real Estate Opportunities and Challenges
  Most foundations have developed strategies for receiving gifts of real estate, but increasingly foundations are becoming involved in developing facilities projects and enterprises. This session will look at a number of different strategies foundations have employed to be successful in meeting both challenges and maximizing opportunities for their host university.
  Speaker: David Shufflebarger, Managing Partner, Alexander Haas; and panel

 11:15 AM-12:30 PM
Elective Sessions (choose one) 

• We're All in this Together: Pooling Investments for Greater Impact
  In 2008, California Community Colleges launched an historic campaign to leverage an unprecedented gift from the Bernard Osher Foundation and turn it into a statewide pooled investment fund that would support thousands of student scholarships every year, in perpetuity. Today, the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment totals more than $67 million, funds nearly 3,400 scholarships annually and benefits students at all 112 California Community Colleges. But the unique nature of such a fund has presented challenges—and opportunities—of its own. This session will cover the best practices of a pooled investment fund, provide practical knowledge and how-to tips regarding the importance of partnerships and collaboration and uncover some of the lessons learned along the way that may be beneficial to other institutions considering partnering for greater returns on their investments.
  Speakers: Keetha Mills, President/CEO; and Melissa Conner, Vice President for Advancement, Foundation for California Community Colleges

• FASB Update
  This session will provide the latest information on accounting, financial reporting and public policy matters impacting higher education institutions and IRFs. Major discussion topics will help you understand what is on the horizon with respect to the FASB Not-for-Profit recommendations on proposed reporting changes. We will review some of the key higher education industry issues that boards and audit committees are focused on. Also learn how your fiscal 2013 audit report will change and how you should be educating your key stakeholders about the new reports.
  Speaker: Milford McGuirt, Partner, KPMG

• The Outlook for Higher Education Fundraising: The Recovery and Giving
  While the economy recovers and wealth returns to the affluent, the outlook for fundraising in higher education remain more mixed. This session will review five trends that will shape giving to colleges and universities over the next few years.
  Speaker: Bruce Flessner, Principal, Bentz Whaley Flessner
  

12:30-2:00 
Luncheon and CEO Panel Discussion: On the Horizon
A panel of foundation leaders discuss opportunities and challenges facing the field.
Panel: Cheryl Hitchcock, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Morgan State University; Michael Knetter, President and CEO, University of Wisconsin Foundation; Thomas Mitchell, Executive Vice President, University of Florida Foundation; and Donna Vuchinich, President and CEO, University of Hawaii Foundation

Sponsored by: Perella Weinberg Partners

 2:15-3:30
Elective Sessions (choose one) 

• Yield Enhancement Strategies for Operating Pools
  Assets in an operating pool have traditionally been an afterthought for many IRFs. However, that trend is changing fast. Many IRFs draw a management fee from their operating pool, which usually comes from the returns of the pool's invested assets. With current market yields at or near all-time lows, operating pool revenues have become yet another part of a thinning top line of many IRF budgets. Speakers from the USF Foundation and Payden & Rygel will discuss taking on new and innovative methods for investing the assets of operating pools. This includes new methods for measuring returns and risk as well as incorporating new investment options not typically used in institutional cash management.
  Speakers: Rob Fischman, Associate Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and Ken Souza, Investment Director, University of South Florida; and Michael Salvay, Managing Principal, Senior Portfolio Manager, Payden & Rygel

• Building a Viable Community CollegeAlumni Relations Program
  This session will describe the growth of Kirkwood Community College's Alumni & Friends program starting from alumni research commissioned in 2008. Components of the program include building internal and external leadership, developing the marketing and events plan, and how the Kirkwood Foundation continues to create a pipeline of new donors.
  Speakers: Kathy Hall, Executive Director, and Jody Donaldson, Scholarship Alumni Director, Kirkwood Foundation
  

2:15-5:00
CEO Conversations
Share best practices, strategies and advice with fellow foundation CEOs and executive directors.
Speakers: John Carter, President and COO, Georgia Tech Foundation; Theresa Mendoza, Senior Advisor, The California State University; and Leonard Raley, President and CEO, University System of Maryland Foundation

3:45-5:00
Affinity Groups
An opportunity for foundation executives to discuss issues in an informal setting with their peers.

• Financial Staff
• Legal Counsel
• Community College Foundation Staff

5:00-6:15
Networking Reception

Sponsored by: Payden & Rygel Investment Management

6:15
Conference Adjourns for the Day
Dinner on your own

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Day 2, Thursday, April 18

8:00-9:00 AM
Continental Breakfast

9:00-10:30
Communicating in Times of Crisis and Opportunity
Davia Temin, president and CEO of Temin & Company, a management consultancy focused on international reputation, risk and crisis management, will share her advice and strategies for how foundations can communicate effectively in times of crisis.
Speaker: Davia Temin, President and CEO, Temin & Company

10:45 AM-NOON
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Why Do We Have So Much Money in Stocks?
  Discuss how a future of increased regulation, potentially higher inflation, rising interest rates and slower growth may equate to lower returns for many asset classes. Emphasis will be on institutional portfolios, whose long-term focus, 4-6 percent annual spending, and prudent portfolio construction is paramount.
  Speakers: George Moss, CIO, Louisiana State University; and Mike Oyster, Managing Partner, Fund Evaluation Group

•  Alumni Associations and Foundations
  As public institutions face increasing budgetary pressure, many campus leaders are reexamining the relationship between foundations and alumni associations. This session will look at two different approaches aimed at strengthening the relationship between the two, with a focus on funding, board structure/relations and communications strategies.
  Speakers: Jon Enslin, Vice President for University Advancement, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; and Kirk Jewell, President and CEO, Oklahoma State University

• State Compliance
  Although your organization may be a tax exempt entity, the complexities of tax compliance can be overwhelming—especially when addressing state and local tax regulations. This session will provide a framework for approaching state and local tax compliance with topics including state charitable solicitations, sales and use tax, income tax, unclaimed property and more.
  Speaker: Karen Gries, Principal, LarsonAllen

NOON-1:30 PM
CASE Commonfund Awards Luncheon 

Sponsored by: Commonfund

1:45-2:45
Economic Market Outlook
This session will provide an economic outlook and regional forecast for the coming year.
Speaker: Steve Cochrane, Managing Principal, Moody's Analytics

3:00-4:15
Elective Sessions (choose one)

• Best Practices in Endowment Investing
  This session will cover challenges facing college and university endowments as it relates to investing endowment assets. Specific strategies will be offered to ensure best practices in this mission-critical area.
  Speaker: Christopher Bittman, Perella Weinberg Partners

• An Audacious Goal—and a Program to Match
  This session will look at the University of Wisconsin and an ambitious goal, doubling revenue from its alumni annual fund programs and increasing its alumni participation rate. In order to meet these goals, while facing increasing demand for unrestricted revenue to support the university's mission, UW implemented a two-pronged strategy including a new emphasis on Leadership Annual Giving and a concentrated, no-holds-barred integrated marketing campaign. Efforts looked at the discussion to involve personal contact with significant annual donors, an array of integrated direct marketing techniques and a sophisticated, data-driven website.
  Speakers: Sara Stern, Executive Vice President, Creative Services, Lipman Hearne, and Alisa Robertson, University of Wisconsin Foundation

• Foundation Donors, Development and the Boss: Aligning Gifts to Fit Institutional Priority
  What is possible in fundraising is often achievable when donor vision intersects with institutional priority. However, when these forces are misaligned, all is not lost. What happens when donors and schools do not quite see eye-to-eye? This session will address real situations and provide tips to help institutions secure gifts. You will also understand what a college president looks for from the development staff and what that staff needs from the boss to be successful.
  Speaker: John Gyllin, Executive Director, Foundation for Seminole State College of Florida 

4:30-5:45
IRS Update
Nanette Downing will update attendees on Internal Revenue Service activities affecting foundations, including the status of the College and University Compliance Project.
Speaker: Nanette Downing, Director, Exempt Organization Examinations, Internal Revenue Service

5:45-7:00 
Evening Reception 

Sponsored by: Fund Evaluation Group

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Day 3, Friday, April 19

9:00-11:00 AM
Commonfund Seminar
Given the recent volatility of the financial markets, some donors are questioning the value of endowed gifts. William Jarvis of Commonfund Institute will lead a conversation on how foundation leaders can encourage donors to continue making gifts to endowment. Jarvis will provide an update on foundation endowment performance and asset allocation trends from the 2012 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments.
Speakers: Lisa Gibert, President and CEO, Clark College Foundation and Brian Otis, Vice President for Development & Campaign Management, University of Connecticut Foundation
Speaker and Moderator: William Jarvis, Managing Director, Commonfund Institute

11:00
Conference Adjourns

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