NOON–1:00 PM ET
A Transformational Investment: It Doesn't Have to Take 10 Years!
Lana M. Fontenot CFRE, Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement, ED of SLCC Foundadtion, South Louisiana Community College   
Natalie J. Harder Ph.D., Chancellor, South Louisiana Community College

Obtaining a transformational gift at your institution doesn't have to take 5 or 10 years! Hear from South Louisiana Community College's Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement about how the College received its largest gift within 2 1/2 years of meeting the donor. Through strategic engagement and a bold vision from leadership, the investment was a natural next step for both parties.

Attendees will walk away with:

• Strategies for cultivating donors for transformational gifts;
• Connecting big visions with prospects; and
• Stories from SLCC on effectively stewarding its largest donor yet.

1:30–2:00
Seminar Series Virtual Social Preview 
Join this quick and interactive Icebreaker preview social event to engage face-to-face with other participants (one-on-one) on camera! This Icebreaker platform is what we'll be using for our celebratory Virtual Social on Tuesday, October 27. We specially recommend this preview event for anyone who is responsible for organizing or hosting virtual events for their alumni or staff. In order to access this platform, once you click on the "Join Session" button, you'll need to log into the platform with a Google account. We won't save nor use your account info, it's just to access the platform.

2:30–3:30
Ditching the Dinosaur: Elements to a Successful Website Redesign Project
Julie Harvey, Development Manager, Ventura College Foundation   
Kellie Meehan, Owner & Chief Creative Strategist, Searle Creative & Design Group

Does your organization need a website? Do you have a website that's badly in need of an overhaul? Nonprofit websites have come a long way in the last decade. The most successful ones utilize a variety of marketing tools—everything from brand recognition and credibility to engagement, revenue and of course, performance. Understanding what questions to ask and the top considerations in a website redesign are the first step in making it a valuable asset that advances the mission and drives success. Learn how Searle Creative, in August 2019, took the Ventura College Foundation's website from the Stone Age into the 21st Century by taking a deep dive into the perspective of each user and their needs throughout the redesign process. Hear how the VC Foundation navigated through the redesign process and how this marketing investment is currently paying off.

4:00–5:00
Building Powerhouse Boards - Activating new levels of board engagement
John Wolfkill, Executive Director, Community College of Aurora   
Mariana Ledezma-Amorosi, Associate Director, Community Campus Partnership, Anschutz Medical Campus

Frustrated by less than ideal board engagement in fundraising? Tired of the 80/20 rule describing your board? Ever wonder, "Do we have the right board to achieve our audacious goals?" Come join a focused discussion about how you can increase board engagement at all levels. The Community College of Aurora Foundation (Colorado) will kick-off the conversation with an overview of its nine-box Board Engagement matrix created to identify levels of engagement for each board member and next steps for activating greater engagement. Then, workshop attenders will participate in a few board engagement exercises they can use at board meetings, as well as, collectively discuss what strategies have helped other colleges activate their boards to higher levels of engagement in fundraising.

5:00–5:30
District Discussion 
Join these interactive discussion groups to meet with other participants from the same or nearby district. You'll have the opportunity to learn about the new and upcoming All Districts Conference and talk about regional happenings that are impacting you schools. These networking discussions are a positive way to enhance your seminar series experience and grow your professional development network.

NOON–1:00 PM ET
Legislative Update 2020
Brian Flahaven, Interim Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, CASE   

There is seemingly no end in sight when it comes to the IRS updating or changing rules pertaining to charitable giving and nonprofit management. Hear the impact of tax reform to the charitable deduction and then delve into the myriad of IRS regulations and restrictions regarding quid pro quos, donor-advised fund and family foundations, donor control, scholarships, non-gifts, and fundraising events.

1:30–2:00
Seminar Series Virtual Social Preview

2:30–3:30
Making Budgeting Adjustments to Address a Crisis
Anne Paul King, Executive Director, Ventura College Foundation

In this session, you will find sound practices, practical strategies, and creative solutions to address unexpected changes in cash flow and large negative variances that impact critical budget lines.

4:00–5:00
Reexamining Donor & Alumni Diversification
Kenneth Cooper, Executive Director, Las Positas College Foundation
Jamar Jeffers, Director of Institutional Advancement, Atlanta Technical College Foundation
Tykia Warden, Executive Director, San Mateo County Community College (CA)

When advancement professionals are listening deeply, collecting and connecting, and asking questions that let fresh diverse stories emerge, the impact may go beyond what we can tell. We will share recommendations and techniques to cultivate, solicit and steward donations to support affinity groups from diverse alumni stakeholders.

5:00–5:30
Affinity Discussions

NOON–1:00 PM ET
Managing Integrated Advancement Department through Crisis
Mike Barzacchini, Director of Marketing, Harper College; and Laura Brown, Vice President, Marketing and Communications and Chief Advancement Officer, Harper College

The onset of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has presented many challenges as we traverse our professional and even personal routes during these unprecedented times. These are uncertain times to navigate while maintaining our focus on health and safety.

As if one crisis wasn’t enough, the long-term societal impacts, such as an exacerbation of inequality and changes in behaviors, the nature of work, and the role of technology — both at work and at home — will change our way of life forever, for us as individuals, as a workforce, and as a society. These social dimensions of the crisis, including generational frictions and continued stress on people’s well-being, will be felt by people worldwide and create substantial societal consequences for the long term.

We will explore the interworking of the integrated advancement department (marketing, community relations, foundation, and communication teams) adapting during the new working environment. What changes occurred and what shifts impacted the new world of remote, and virtual working.

We will discuss:

• The need to foster new avenues for social media, videos, and virtual engagement events within our overall community, donor and alumni engagement, and new prospect development.
• How storytelling helped to lift awareness of student needs for basic support and how to repurpose the stories is a wide variety of platforms.
• Developing flexibility within your teams to manage their wellbeing.
• Department’s role to support change

2:30–3:30
How To Brand Giving And Build A Culture Of Philanthropy At Your Community College. Lessons Learned From NH & TX
Timothy Allison, Chief Advancement Officer, Community College System of New Hampshire
Kristen Bennett, Executive Vice President of Advancement, Tarrant County College District

This presentation will have broad appeal to staff involved in fundraising and marketing functions within community college advancement departments. In this interactive session, participants will learn about two institutions' journeys to build a culture of philanthropy and how they work to inspire donors to invest in their missions. The goal is to discuss and share best practices and learn from each other about what strategies work most effectively.

4:00–5:00
How to Create a “Shark Tank-Like” Experience to Fund Mission-Critical Projects
Linnie Carter, Vice President of College Advancement, Harrisburg Area Community College   
John Sygielski, President, Harrisburg Area Community College   

Development professionals will learn how to creatively and effectively create a “Shark Tank-Like” experience to fund mission-critical projects. Many community colleges know how to effectively fund and award scholarships. However, how many of them know how to select mission-critical projects to fund? At HACC, we have a process that allows employees to apply for non-scholarship funding four times a year. The funding can be used for projects from developing new academic programs to renovating facilities.

The session attendees will learn best practices related to:

• Developing a process to select mission-critical projects to be funded
• Educating employees about the process
• Teaching employees how to write mission-critical and mutually-beneficial funding applications that result in projects with significant returns on investment
• Leveraging the process to raise funds
• Leveraging the process to increase public awareness about your community college foundation

The session attendees will receive access to several materials, including the application process, final report form, outreach materials, and funded project descriptions.

5:00–5:30
Seminar Series Virtual Social