Annual Conference for College and University Foundations Header

Program

Day 1: Wednesday, April 20Day 2: Thursday, April 21Day 3: Friday, April 22

Day 1: Wednesday, April 20

12:30 – 1:30 PM

Conference Registration

Welcome to St. Petersburg! Stop by the registration desk starting at 12:30pm to check in and pick up your conference materials. 

1:30 – 3:00

Welcome & Opening Session: The Intersection of DEIB and College and University Foundations 

What are the key opportunities and strategies college and university foundations can employ to champion diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging? How can we integrate DEIB into our work with our boards, alumni, donors, operations, talent management, and more? How do you promote diversity in a “non-diverse” community? Kick off this year’s conference experience with a thought-provoking panel discussion led by Ben Fiore-Walker, Senior Director of the CASE Opportunity and Inclusion Center. 

Help shape the discussion! Submit your questions now—or upvote others you’d like to hear answered.

Panelists: Maia McGill, Senior Executive Director, Office of Foundation Relations and Executive Director, Office of Inclusive Philanthropy, Florida International University Foundation, Inc., Jim Moore, President and CEO, University of Illinois Foundation, and Jill Trego, Vice President of Culture & Engagement, Kansas State University Foundation

Moderator: Ben Fiore-Walker, Sr. Director of the Opportunity and Inclusion Center, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

3:30 – 4:45

Elective Sessions (choose one):

  • Balancing ESG (Environmental Social Governance) Responsibilities in the Investment Portfolio

    This session will explore the various options related to ESG investment – divest, not divest, or somewhere in the middle, and how investment committees are balancing the impact of ESG responsibilities on the overall endowment investment strategy in a thoughtful and purposeful way.

    Presenters: Travis Shore, CIO, University of Illinois Foundation (as of April 1); Amita Schultes, Partner, Agility
  • 4x-ing Managed Prospects and Celebrating Every Single Alumni Job Change at Louisiana Tech

    The Louisiana Tech team looked at their alumni base in EverTrue and saw huge untapped potential. With a lean team and a limited budget, they needed the most efficient way to build irrational brand loyalty with thousands more alumni through 1:1 outreach.



    In late 2020, Louisiana Tech hired two full-time Donor Experience Officers to cultivate portfolios of 1,000 donors each. They embraced top-tier tech tools to power high-velocity, personalized outreach. And they hired a dedicated staff person to personally congratulate every single job-changing alum.

    Brooks Hull is the Vice President of Advancement and Alumni Relations at Louisiana Tech. Join him for a conversation moderated by Molly Hall, of EverTrue, as they discuss Donor Experience and Career Moves at Louisiana Tech.

    Presenters: Brooks Hull, Vice President of University Advancement, Louisiana Tech University; Molly Hall, Senior Sales Account Executive, Evertrue
  • Starting with Scott: An Exploration of Transformational Giving

    Transformational giving is a term that has become increasingly prevalent in educational advancement headlines over recent years, paired with names such as MacKenzie Scott, Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Michael Bloomberg. But what, exactly, constitutes a “transformational gift,” and what lessons can college and university foundation leaders learn from institutions who have received such gifts? In this panel discussion, three MacKenzie Scott gift recipient institutions kick off that conversation by sharing what factors they believe placed them on Scott’s radar, the diverse approaches they have taken in utilizing those funds and the impact these and gifts like them are having on their foundations and future fundraising plans.

    Panelists: Karen S. Cochran, Interim Vice President for University Advancement, University of Central Florida,   and Interim CEO, UCF Foundation; Geoff Green, Chief Executive Officer, SBCC Foundation; Vita Pickrum, Vice President, Institutional Advancement & President, Delaware State University Foundation

    Moderator: Marc Westenburg, Director, Foundations and Community Colleges, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

5:00 – 6:00 

Affinity Groups

An opportunity for foundation executives and senior staff to network and discuss issues in an informal setting with your peers.

  • CEOs/EDs/COOs
  • Community Colleges Foundation Staff
  • CFOs/Controllers/Financial Staff
  • Advancement Staff/Legal Counsel
  • HBCUs/Minority-Serving Institutions

6:00 – 7:00

Networking Reception (Sponsored by SEI)

Join conference speakers and your colleagues to network and unwind after the first day. 

7:00 PM

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own.

Day 2: Thursday, April 21

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Breakfast Key Session: Vanguard’s Economic and Market Outlook

A detailed look at trends, both short and long term, that are shaping our economic environment and financial market outlook.  We will discuss our views on macroeconomic fundamentals and how they are shaping, and in turn shaped by, policy, as well as what this means for our views on asset returns.

Presenter:  Andrew J. Patterson, Senior International Economist, Vanguard

9:15 – 10:30

Elective Sessions (choose one): 

  • The Great Resignation - Are you Ready for Leadership Succession?

    The pandemic has brought about a time of reflection and valuation by employees, leaders and business executives all across the nation. Our higher education institutions have not become immune to this and neither has our foundations. Succession planning is a strategy for passing on leadership roles. Also known as “replacement planning,” it ensures that businesses continue to run smoothly after a company’s most important people move on to new opportunities, retire, or pass away. It is best done if addressed when the benefit of time is available, but it is often placed on the back burner. So where are you when considering how best to deal with the possibility of vacancies in leadership teams and how best can you be prepared for when it happens?



    This session will bring about two stories of succession (one from a university foundation, the other from a community college foundation). Learn valuable techniques and strategies for considering the steps needed to assure leadership transitions are well thought out and seamless as the foundations carry on their work and strategic importance.

    Presenters:  Lisa Gibert, CEO, Clark College Foundation; Lisa Eslinger, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Iowa State University Foundation
  • Considerations to Ensure a Sound Investment Process

    There are many factors that foundation boards and committees should consider when making   investment choices. Beyond evaluating the various assets classes that can be utilized to construct your portfolio, one must also consider how to achieve your long-term return objectives in a rising interest rate and inflationary environment. Quantifying risks and modelling outcomes can help organizations make better decisions to support futures goals and spending needs. 

    Moderator: Mary Jane (MJ) Bobycock, CFA, Managing Director, Nonprofit Advisory Team, SEI Institutional Group

    Panelists:     Katherine Sawyer, Chief Advancement Officer at Oakton Community College and Debbie Green, Senior Finance Manager at State College of Florida Foundation

10:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Elective Sessions (choose one):

  • Fraud in Higher Education: How to Protect Your Institution Foundation

    In the recently released Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse – 2020 Global Fraud Study written by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the education and nonprofit industries were ranked in the top 10 for the most documented fraud cases by industry. Fraud within an institution foundation can be devastating, which can cause a rippling effect. When fraud exists, not only does the institution foundation have reduced resources that would have been used to perform its mission, but it can create negative publicity, which can directly affect current and future funding coming into the institution foundation. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will also discuss how fraud risk is evolving and the importance of staying ever vigilant in protecting against its harms. We will help institution foundations identify signs of fraud and give practical ways to prevent fraud.

    Presenters: Jon Schultz, CPA, Partner, Education Practice Leader, Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC; Kimberly Haynes, CPA, Senior Manager, Mauldin & Jenkins, LLC
  • New Ways of Engaging Donors in a Post-Pandemic Environment

    This session will provide case studies of new engagement strategies such as digital gift officers, strategic use of video and email, crowdfunding and other unique ways to connect and engage with donors the way they wish to be reached in a post-pandemic world.

    Presenters: Greg Willems, President and CEO, Kansas State University Foundation; and Kristin Watkins, Vice President, Donor Engagement and Chief Marketing Officer, Oregon State University Foundation
  • ERM and the Internal Audit Process

    The University of Illinois Foundation and their service partner, Baker-Tilly will discuss their Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) "reboot" and how it's come to inform the internal audit process. The presenters will share details of how they built the internal Foundation ERM team and determined which critical business functions should be involved, including the Audit Committee of the Board, and how the key risks now inform the annual audit planning process. In this interactive session, attendees will be invited to consider top risks for their organization to offer as part of the discussion. Additionally, they will share takeaways as to how ERM is being imbedded into the culture and regular operating activities of the Foundation.

    Presenters: Michelle Bolger, Vice President for Financial Operations/Asst. Treasurer/Controller, University of Illinois Foundation; Matt Reierson, Senior Manager, Baker Tilly

12:15 – 1:30

Commonfund Awards Luncheon

1:45 – 3:00

Rotating Roundtable Discussions

Maximize your learning by participating in up to three 25-minute roundtables. Session topics include:

  • Collaboration Between Major Gift Officers and Planned Gift Officers
  • Cryptocurrency
  • DEIB
  • Donor Intent
  • Funding Models
  • Increasing Assets vs. Declining Enrollment
  • MOUs

3:15 – 4:30

Elective Sessions (choose one):

  • CASE AMAtlas: From Global Standards to Global Data

    Discover the latest trends that impact advancement across the United States and around the globe. The CASE AMAtlas team will share recent findings from our benchmarking surveys, including the Voluntary Support of Education and College and University Foundation surveys. You will also get a sneak peek at data from our Core Metrics pilot (focusing on creating global metrics) and new Campaign Survey.



    CASE’s new Global Reporting Standards are foundational to the ongoing work of AMAtlas. The CASE Standards address the dynamic landscape of an ever-evolving advancement profession.  This new global edition comes at a time when the increasing size and complexity of gifts require clear standards and guidelines for counting and reporting for all types of institutions regardless of location. Learn more what is included in the new standards, why they matter, and how these new standards will intersect with AMAtlas surveys to provide global metrics and benchmarks.

    Presenter: Cara Giacomini, Vice President, Data, Research, and Technology, Council for Advancement and Support of Education
  • Sparks of Genius - 12 Weeks to Reshape Advancement

    What if we could revolutionize philanthropy and engagement by investing in industry-changing ideas? Not just ideas that haven’t been done at our institutions yet. Fleeting sparks of genius. Nagging ideas. Inspiration from life outside Advancement. New takes on old ideas. And yes, ideas that are so bold, no one thinks they are possible. How does it work? We coach change, believing anyone with an idea can change our industry. We create storytellers, because every idea needs an equally great story to inspire others to believe it is possible and necessary. We connect the curious, as every innovator needs a champion and feedback from coaches, mentors and other innovators. Idea can, in fact, come to life quickly. And they can be thoughtful. And planned, tested and tweaked. We launch ideas in 12 weeks. We will take you through how it works, how it is funded, and all the ABCs of how the teams are supported and mentored through a focused 12-week program to reshape Advancement. Several projects from the process will also be highlighted.

    Presenters: Kathryn Blum, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Innovation, University of Illinois Foundation; Lea Ann Gross, Executive Director of Development Services, University of Illinois Foundation
  • Keeping Up with the Standards 

    Explore the impact of accounting standards to your Foundation as well as complex giving and the impact of revenue recognition. Understand the most common tax questions foundations have. These topics will cover risks, challenges and opportunities when completing your form 990, as well as other transactions that may include unrelated business income (UBI), compensation, related party and affiliate transactions and other state and/or foreign filing requirements.  An update on any new IRS regulations that could have an impact will also be provided.

    Presenters: Sarah Hintz, CPA, Signing Director, Nonprofit Tax, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP; Jennifer Tingley, CPA, Principal, NonProfit, CliftonLarsonAllen LLP

4:45 – 5:45

Key Session: Talent in a Post-Pandemic World: Realities, Pivots and the Still Unknown

The talent game has changed. Pre-COVID, the answers to our challenges were difficult, but for the most part tangible. Today demand and supply of talent still remains a challenge, but there are so many more - diversity in an arena where we have very little, culture where we work in different places, remote leadership when you have never done so before, all the while facing ever escalating fundraising deliverables. Come learn how the best of the past can help us create new solutions for our new reality.



In this plenary session, come learn talent, performance, culture and diversity tactics that could stand the test of time, and those that need to reexamination. Contemplate borrowing some solutions from other sectors while retiring hackneyed processes that you just don’t want to let go. And the elusive cultural piece that we are not talking about enough – with 5 generations in the workplace for the first time in history, how do we communicate?

Presenter: Tahsin Alam, Associate Dean of Advancement, Michael G. Foster School of Business, University of Washington

6:00 – 7:00 

Wine and Cheese Reception

7:00 PM

Conference Adjourns for the Day

Dinner on your own.

Day 3: Friday, April 22

7:30 AM – 8:30 AM

Breakfast and Roundtable Discussions

8:30 – 9:45

Elective Sessions (choose one):

  • Foundations for Equitable Student Success

    Focusing on what matters most is a fundamental principle of good trusteeship. For a growing number of foundation boards, that means asking how their fundraising and alumni and engagement work align with institutional efforts to ensure student wellness and success and commitments to diversity and inclusivity. This session will explore ways some foundations are adapting their fundraising and alumni programs with a focus on student outcomes and inclusivity and engage the audience in discussion about ways their boards and leadership teams are working to more closely align their work with fundamental institutional objectives.

    Presenters: David Bass, Executive Director, Philanthropic Governance, Association of Governing Boards; Kristin Watkins, Vice President, Donor Engagement and Chief Marketing Officer, Oregon State University Foundation
  • Trends in Constituent Data Privacy and Risk Management

    Alumni and donor personal information is an essential component of many strategic plans and initiatives for institutions of higher education and their related foundations. Information powers new emerging technologies being brought up by the implementation of digital transformation, but it also comes with risks attached. The abundance of consumer data being collected by organizations around the world for use in digital marketing and other emerging technologies has not only prompted new trends in consumer privacy rights and legislative and regulatory action, but has also resulted in serious data breaches.



    Institutions relying on constituent data for their strategic fundraising and engagement initiatives incur the risk of not been able to maintaining the proper privacy and confidentiality of the personal information they hold on their constituents. While being deficient in regulatory compliance may result in financial penalties and governmental scrutiny for an institution, managing customer privacy expectations and complying with their wishes about their information is critical to maintaining an organization's reputation and can impact the trust in the organization.



    In this presentation, we will describe best practices and risk mitigation strategies for managing data privacy risk as part of a wider Enterprise Risk Management program. We will also present a picture of the cyber security and data privacy threat landscape and new developments in the horizon that are impacting efforts in privacy risk mitigation.

    Presenter: Rosa M. Unal, Associate VP and Chief Information Officer, Iowa State University Foundation
  • Understanding the Debate Around the Endowment Model

    Given the recent debate over the efficacy of the endowment model, this session will discuss the pros and cons of the model vs. investing in a more standard “60/40” portfolio and propose communications strategies for engaging Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). 

    DAFs are increasingly important to many Colleges and Foundations, so the discussion will also entail defining DAFs, discussing their pros and cons, and hearing from the University of Maine Foundation who has not only grown their number of DAFs from 25 to 190 in the past decade, but also began stewarding their own DAFs for select donors. 

    Presenters: Kathryn Mawer, CFA, CAIA, Senior Vice President, FEG Investment Advisors; Jeffery Mills, President/CEO, University of Maine Foundation

10:00  – 11:00

Commonfund Seminar

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM

Closing Session: Legislative Update

Now halfway into the Biden administration’s first term, discover what foundation leaders can expect from Capitol Hill for the remainder of the year, with a particular focus on legislative and regulatory action affecting colleges, universities and their foundations, and learn strategies on how foundation leaders can work with their institution’s government relations staff. 

Presenter: Brian Flahaven, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

12:15 PM

Conference Adjourns