Conference participants can earn up to 9.0 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits at the 2021 Conference for College and University Foundations. Please see below to see a list of CPE credit sessions offered at the conference.

In order to earn complete CPE credits, participants MUST:

• register by the deadline in order to receive access to the livestream broadcast of each seminar
• actively participate in the entire livestream broadcast
• participate in at least three live polling questions
• complete each seminar evaluation

Only individuals registered for the conference can attend CPE sessions and earn CPE credit. CPE credit participation will be reviewed by CASE shortly following each conference date. If you qualify your survey site account will allow you to download the credit certificate for each session. (Alternately if you log in and do not see the ability to download a credit certificate, this is because you did not actively participate in the session to qualify).

Questions about CPE Requirements or cancellation policy:

For more information regarding refund, complaint, and/or program cancellation policies, contact Marc Westenburg, Director, Foundations and Community Colleges, at mwestenburg@case.org or +1-202-478-5570.  

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.  

View the Program

Tuesday, March 30

12:00–1:15 PM ET

Opening Key Session: Strengthening Public Higher Education and the Role of Foundations

What are the key opportunities and opportunities facing public higher education? And how can public colleges and universities partner with their foundations to help achieve their critical missions? The conference begins with a dynamic discussion with CASE President and CEO Sue Cunningham and the leaders of the three major public higher education associations.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify top current and projected issues facing U.S. higher education
• Explore how those issues impact foundation work and philanthropy’s role in addressing those issues
• Highlight the role of advancement leaders in supporting solutions to those issues

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.5 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Overview

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Walter Bumphus, President and CEO, American Association of Community Colleges; Mildred García, President, American Association of State Colleges and Universities; and Peter McPherson, President, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities 

Moderator: Sue Cunningham, President and CEO, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

2:45–3:45

Elective Sessions (choose one)

Sponsored Session: Utilizing The Investment Portfolio To Attract New Donors  

Foundation investment portfolios help sustain intergenerational equity for the College or University they support. Through clear communication and creative investment opportunities, we have assisted development professionals in cultivating new donors and engaging current donors. In this session, we will share tools and experiences with other institutions on how we thought creatively to create a more collaborative approach to building endowment.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand potential strategies to attract new donors utilizing diverse asset pools that may be of interest of the donors.
• Learn to clearly communicate the goals of the endowment and potential opportunities to the board, investment committee, and donors.

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Basic

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Matt Finke, Vice President, and Tim O’Donnell, Senior Vice President, Fund Evaluation Group

One Year of Fully Digital Fundraisers: Donor Experience Officers build thousands of personal relationships                                 

One year ago, the Oregon State University Foundation launched a brand-new approach to fundraising with a goal of delivering high-volume, yet completely personalized, outreach to thousands of donors who had never before had a 1-on-1 relationship with OSU. The team wanted to build a sustainable future by expanding coverage of the giving pyramid, reaching previously untouched donors, and building major gift pipeline, all while retaining existing donors. They hired and trained a team of three Donor Experience Officers (DXOs). Each received a portfolio of 1,000 leadership-and-above prospects with a goal of reaching every single person via multiple touchpoints throughout the year. No travel, no committee meetings, no in-person events — these were fully digital fundraisers equipped with modern tools and technology and completely focused on delivering phenomenal 1-on-1 donor experiences to their high-potential prospects. And then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the U.S., shutting down travel and traditional face-to-face visits. Yet the DXOs continued working through their portfolios, meeting with and communicating with donors on an ongoing basis (virtually, of course). A year later, with thousands of OSU alumni having received personal outreach, renewing their support, and some becoming first-time major gift donors, Oregon State is charting a path for the future of major gift work. This year, they are incorporating this high-volume, high-touch, technology-enabled approach alongside the traditional face-to-face visit for their unit-based gift officers. In this session, you’ll hear about this ground-breaking program, major takeaways from year one, and how the OSU Foundation is expanding this approach across the top of its donor pyramid.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the long-term impact of donor experience programs on major gift pipeline and the financial health of university foundations.
• Understand how for-profit sales teams engage hundreds of buyers each week and apply those tactics directly to implementing and leading a donor experience program.
• Learn how to dramatically expand the number of donors who receive 1:1 outreach, creating better donor relationships that lead to stronger retention numbers and new major gifts.

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Basic

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Brent Grinna, Founder and CEO, EverTrue, and Mark Koenig, Vice President, Technology, and Chief Innovation Officer, Oregon State University Foundation

4:00 – 5:00

General Session: Market Outlook

What is the outlook for the U.S. economy? Will we experience a market downturn soon? In this session, participants will get a market outlook and share thoughts on how economic trends could affect higher education and institutionally related foundations.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the current state of the global economy and its potential implications for public higher education and college and university foundations
• Discuss factors that will determine how quickly the U.S. economy recovers from the current downturn
• Hear how the market outlook could affect investment returns in the short- and long-term

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Overview

Field of Study: Economics

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Nikki Kraus, Managing Director and Global Head of Client Development, Strategic Investment Group 

5:00

Conference adjourns for the day

 

Wednesday, March 31

12:00–1:15 PM ET

General Session: The Future of Foundations

From funding campaigns and recruiting staff to working with key donors and volunteers, foundation leaders juggle a wide variety of issues daily. A panel of foundation CEOs will discuss the challenges facing institutionally related foundations and what foundation leaders can expect on the horizon. The panel will also reflect on the changing role and expectations of foundation CEOs.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss top current and projected issues facing colleges and university foundations
• Explore how to mitigate negative effects and cultivate and leverage opportunities
• Learn how the role and expectations of foundations CEOs has evolved and changed pre- vs. mid- vs. post-pandemic
• Identify obstacles and/or challenges to strong partnerships between foundations and institutions of higher education and discuss how foundations and institutions can work together to overcome them

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.5 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Overview

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Geraldine Gallagher, Foundation President and CEO, Valencia College; Lil Breul O’Rourke, President, University of Rhode Island Foundation; Kathy Schmidlkofer, President and CEO, University of Minnesota Foundation 

Moderator: Jim Moore, President and CEO, University of Illinois Foundation and Chair, CASE Board of Trustees

1:30–2:30

General Session: The CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award: Twenty Years of Celebrating Leadership in Higher Education

The CASE Commonfund College and University Foundation Award recognizes individuals who have made valuable contributions through best practices, distinguished service and/or volunteer leadership to the college and university foundation field.  In celebration of the 20th anniversary of this award, George Suttles, Executive Director, Commonfund Institute, will engage three past award recipients in a panel discussion about a number of leadership topics including:   

• The transformation of the college/university business model
• Post COVID-19 fundraising/advancement/alumni engagement
• Diversity, equity and inclusion and the importance of inclusive governance/leadership
• Environmental, social and governance factors in community engagement and endowment investment

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the transformation of the college/university business model
• Learn about the effects of COVID-19 on fundraising, advancement and alumni engagement
• Identify environmental, social and governance factors in community engagement and endowment investment
• Discuss diversity, equity and inclusion and the importance of inclusive governance/leadership

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Overview

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

2:45–3:45

Elective Sessions (choose one)

Integrating Volunteer Engagement into the Strategic Planning Process

Most college and university foundation boards consist of 20 to 40 members and meet several times a year. Their work is prioritized around the fiduciary responsibility of the assets under management and the success of fundraising efforts. The CUF board is critical in providing governance, oversight and guidance to the university with regard to its strategic plan and the fundraising priorities established by the university. However, the board is limited in number and would benefit from having additional interactions and feedback from other university groups. This session focuses on how one institution created a separate but related volunteer group that supports and supplements the CUF board with their perspective. Created two years ago as part of the CUF strategic plan, the Leadership Council is comprised of 40 alumni volunteers that meet twice a year to assist with the strategic planning and implementation of the fundraising goals.

This session focuses on how the Leadership Council works with the CUF board, the role the Leadership Council plays in participating in special projects and how the two groups form an important volunteer group that provides the university key volunteer leadership. The Leadership Council also serves as a framework for identifying and evaluating volunteers for future leadership positions on the CUF board as well as other advisory councils at the university.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify three strategies for engaging volunteers in a foundation advisory council

• Learn the benefits to volunteers for participating and identify three criteria for selecting volunteers.

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Basic

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Barbara Breier, Vice President, University Advancement & Executive Director, Development Foundation, Cesquinn Curtis, Assistant Vice President, Business Operations, Development Foundation and Interim Executive Director, Alumni Association, Dan Perry, Assistant Vice President, and Brad Westmoreland, Board Member, Texas State University

Open information requests - Public or Private?                                     

Clark College Foundation was drawn into a "freedom of information request" from local media source Oregon Public Broadcasting in October 2019.  The request came to Clark College to address a story regarding disgruntled employees of color.  This request was honored, yet it pulled into question the legality of foundation-related communications and the applicability of public information law.  Does a 501C3 nonprofit corporation fall under governmental information legal standards or nonprofit ones?  Does residing on a public institution's email server constitute possession?  Does affiliation with a public entity constitute a private 501C3 nonprofit corporation a "quasi state agency?"   These were just a few of the issues that arose during this dispute.  How has your institution responded to these inquiries and at what time should a college/university foundation take a stand to protect its communications and donor-related information?

Learning Objectives:

• Assess the vulnerabilities around public access information requests
• Evaluate the level of dependency as applied through the Telford factors
• Understand the ramifications to the institutional relationship

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Basic

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Maren Calvert, Attorney/Mediator, Horenstein Law Group PLLC, Jennifer Cerasa, Legal Counsel to UCF Foundation and Senior Associate General Counsel, University of Central Florida, and Lisa Gibert, Chief Executive Officer, Clark College Foundation

Leveraging Philanthropy to Build a Culture of Innovation    

The Foundation for California Community Colleges fosters a culture of innovation at the statewide level by leveraging philanthropic support to act on new, creative approaches to meet system-wide needs that prioritize students, close equity gaps, and align with funder goals. Foundation CEO Keetha Mills will present on the Foundation’s role in creating an entrepreneurial spirit at the system level, which has resulted in innovative projects designed to help implement the Vision for Success, a set of bold goals and commitments that aim to improve statewide student success. Keetha will be joined by Geoff Green, the Chief Executive Officer of the Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Foundation and President of the Network of California Community College Foundations. SBCC is recognized as one of the top community colleges in the nation, with a long history of innovative solutions that provide outstanding educational opportunities for all. Geoff will share insights from the SBCC Foundation’s experience in creating broad-based community partnerships and exploring alternative investment and revenue generation strategies. He and Keetha will also address the ways in which partnerships between the local college and district foundations and the statewide Foundation for California Community Colleges have resulted in larger gifts and new opportunities, as well as how they've navigated the complexities of shared donor cultivation.

In this presentation, discover how to build creative partnerships with community-based organizations, deploy alternative investment and revenue generation strategies, and foster a culture of innovation, empowering administrators, staff and faculty to embrace and adopt new solutions designed to improve outcomes for students, colleges, and communities.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify potential strategies to attract new donors utilizing diverse asset pools that may be of interest of the donors.
• Learn how to clearly communicate the goals of the endowment and potential opportunities to the board, investment committee, and donors.

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Basic

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Geoff Green, Chief Executive Officer, SBCC Foundation, and Keetha Mills, President and Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for California Community College

4:00 – 5:00

Closing Key Session: Washington Update: The Latest from Capitol Hill

With a new president in office, a panel of higher ed government relations professionals will discuss what foundation leaders can expect on Capitol Hill for this new year and administration, with a particular focus on legislative and regulatory action affecting colleges, universities, and their foundations. The panel will also share strategies on how foundation leaders can work with their institution’s government relations staff.

• Learning Objectives:

• Learn the current federal legislative developments affecting higher education and regulatory landscape for tax issues, including an outlook for the remainder of the year
• Identify key provisions of interest to college and university foundations, with a particular focus on advancement offices in COVID-19 relief legislation
• Hear about the Biden Administration's legislative and regulatory priorities and what that means for colleges, universities, and their foundations.
• Learn how to strengthen your foundation's relationship with your institution's government relations staff. Regulatory actions and guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury and Internal Revenue Service.

CPE Credit: Attendees can earn up to 1.2 CPE credits at this session.

Program Level: Overview

Field of Study: Specialized Knowledge

Advanced Preparation: None

Prerequisites: None

Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Liz Clark, Vice President for Policy and Research, National Association of College and University Business Officers, and Leanne Hotek, Director of Federal Relations, University of Iowa

Moderator: Brian Flahaven, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships, CASE

5:00

Conference adjourns