Strong brands go a long way in student and employee retention, revitalized relationships with partners and donors, and in creating a welcoming environment and a sense of belonging. Hear how Arizona Western College approached this monumental task without hiring an outside agency. We'll share about the wins, the pitfalls, the cynics, the fans, the rollout, the lessons learned - and of course the before and after. Attendees will learn the basics of leading branding change and the benefits and challenges of going it alone.

A robust campus culture of philanthropy starts at the top. Working in collaboration, the foundation chief executive, the foundation board chair, the institution president, and the chair of the campus governing board (if there is one) working in collaboration can have a transformative effect on institutional culture and the effectiveness of fundraising. This session will outline critical leadership and governance practices to foster effective partnership among the senior-most staff leaders of the foundation and college and chairs of foundation and campus governing boards. Issues addressed will include:
• Using the foundation-institution MOU/operating agreement to develop and memorialize a shared vision for foundation-institution relationship,
• Creating a dynamic partnership with your board chair,
• Strategies to enhance strategic alignment between the institution and foundation boards, and
• The essential partnership between foundation CEO and campus President.

Imagine exuding greater confidence and becoming your best self as you effectively build up the people around you and catalyze your team to greater levels of active engagement. Unleashing your personal power enables greater productivity, resilience, and inspires change. This empowering keynote will inspire and equip you to embrace your inner strength and shine with unwavering confidence, overcome challenges, and make a lasting impact on your community college and the world around you. Lunch service will conclude at 1:00 PM.

Are you feeling less tuned in than you used to be...or just seem to have lost that lovin' feeling? It's time to have a frank and open discussion about this, and the things we can do to re-engage and achieve greater joy along the way. We all possess a unique combination of strengths, talents, and skills that are needed to make our community college that AMAZING place where every person can learn, thrive, and grow. Participants in this session will work together to identify actions they can take to help themselves and their colleagues bring back that lovin’ feeling, including a year-long action plan that can be shared with your home campuses.

Imperial Valley College was the co-winner of the 2023 Aspen Award for Community College Excellence. This presentation will reflect on the institutional perspective and outline the success metrics and the marketing and resource development interventions that led to the Aspen Award. Focusing on the key areas of equity, access, completion and transfers, this presentation will expand on the campus culture, marketing, communications strategies, resource development initiatives, and partnerships at the college. Participants will learn successful how the college used student engagement, marketing, communication strategies, and grant opportunities to promote the college programs. The presentation will outline the journey from a rural Hispanic Serving Institution, the challenges and successes that paved the way to this recognition.

Are you having a difficult time “managing up” to organizational leadership and board members about realistic fundraising goals and activities? Come to this session to learn about how a development plan can help. Bring your questions about real-world challenges that you are currently experiencing in your own organizations.

If you are looking for a blueprint for annual fund success, this presentation is for you. Join Ron and Sue Rescigno as we guide you through the necessary steps it takes to create a comprehensive annual fund program that provides its donors and prospects with a continuous flow of communication throughout any given year. You will learn how the process Rescigno’s developed, when followed, even during a recession, results in a thriving annual fund that includes more new donors, better donor retention, and more major gift prospects than ever before. We will provide you with the tools you need to implement a revenue-generating machine for your annual fund. Colin Davis, Executive Director of Spoon River College Foundation has followed the Rescigno’s process over the past three years with great success and will share first-hand knowledge of how the process works. This is not a fundamentals 101 presentation; rather it’s a deep dive into what it takes to create an annual fund program that builds the all-important foundation of the donor pyramid and leads to developing meaningful relationships with major and planned-giving donors.

The Gumbo of Community College Fundraising has been cooking for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System since 2014 and the roux in the gumbo is just now being perfected for success. This session focuses on how elements of enrollment management, student affairs, academic affairs, workforce and economic development, fundraising, and governmental affairs are key ingredients to making the gumbo. Join this session to learn from a community college “Sous Chef” who has had the opportunity to work in each department at the college level and now is the “Executive Chef” at the system and what key ingredients played an important role to making a robust impact in Louisiana. These ingredients shared with attendees are key strategies to investments toward student success.

Thanks to the alignment of solid planning, a dedicated team, and inspired fundraising, the Alamo Colleges Foundation executed a successful gala called MOSAICO to support AlamoPROMISE students. Founded over 75 years ago, The Alamo Colleges had never before hosted a major fundraising gala. In Fall 2020, our Chancellor tasked our Foundation team to execute an event that would proudly showcase our ability to achieve our mission and shelve any stigma against community colleges by "showing our partners and donors that we have arrived." Join this session to find out how our Development Team overcame pandemic delays, leadership changes, organizational challenges and other concerns to create an inaugural event that raised $820,000 for student scholarships and support.

Building a culture of philanthropy involves engaging stakeholders in the stories of our students and alumni. A successful major gift strategy is aligning a donor's interest with our shared mission. This session will share three case studies of fundraising success in New Hampshire that collectively have built a culture where students choose community and donors give opportunity.