Oct. 2, 2019

Separate registration required

Newcomers Workshop

For those with three or fewer years in the advancement profession.

8:00–9:00 AM
Registration open (coffee provided; breakfast not included)

9:00–9:30
Welcome and Introductions

9:30–10:30

Session #1: Annual Fundraising Plans Made Simple: A Roadmap for Community Colleges
This session is based on the CASE book, Annual Fundraising Plans Made Simple, A Roadmap for Community Colleges, and presents a compelling case for developing a realistic annual fundraising plan. Take time to pause, to think and to plan. By the end of the session, you’ll be motivated and ready to create a meaningful strategy that frames your work, communicates your value and reassures institutional leadership that they are on the right track. Review templates adaptable to a community college of any size and facing any set of circumstances. Learn how proper planning can optimize your performance and that of your fundraising operation, as well as improve your relationships with your president, foundation board members, and colleagues.  

Jeffrey Bagel, Principal, eAdvancement Consulting

10:45–11:45

Session #2: Fundraising GRIT: How To Never Give Up and Be Successful Against All Odds
What is GRIT, and how do you overcome it? Kristen Bennett shares how she overcame some big fundraising challenges at various institutions and offers advice for what to do first when starting out in fundraising and trying to overcome major challenges.

Kristen Bennett, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and TVCC Foundation Executive Director, Trinity Valley Community College

11:45 AM–1:00 PM
Newcomers Networking Lunch (included in workshop registration)
Join a panel of veteran community college advancement professionals as they provide insight on their career path, advancement field and conference recommendations. Plus, participants will have the opportunity to meet and network with the panelists and workshop attendees during this interactive lunch. 

Jeffrey Bagel, Principal, eAdvancement Consulting; Kristen Bennett, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and TVCC Foundation Executive Director, Trinity Valley Community College; Judy Sanchez, Director of Development and College Relations Officer, Maricopa Community College District (AZ); Tammy Thayer, Chief Executive Officer, Madison College Foundation; and Kenneth Westary, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Community College of Baltimore County

Mid-Level Workshop

For those with four or more years in the advancement profession.

8:00–9:00 AM
Registration open (coffee provided; breakfast not included)

9:00–9:30
Welcome and Introductions

9:30–10:30
Session #1
Looking Up: Mapping Out Your Next Career Move … Like a Boss
Join us for a powerhouse panel discussion with a college CEO, foundation executive director, and chief advancement officer to learn how each professional made the upward move into their positions. Learn key strategies to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Linnie S. Carter, Vice President of College Advancement, HACC; Geraldine Gallagher, President and CEO, Foundation, Valencia College; and Joe Sopcich, President, Johnson County Community College

10:45–11:45
Session #2
Looking Around: Managing Your Complex Network of Relationships … Detangling the Web
From keeping board members and donors engaged to managing up, down, and across your organization, it can be a tangled and complex web of relationships for any advancement professional to successfully manage. Walk away with tactics you can immediately implement in your current position.

Laura Brown, Vice President Marketing and Communications, Harper College; and Katherine Sawyer, Chief Advancement Officer, Oakton Community College

11:45 AM–1:00 PM
Session #3 and Lunch
Looking In: Getting Better All the Time … It’s More Than a Beatles Song
For mid-level professionals, taking time to invest in yourself can be one of the most impactful game-changers for your career. From associations and academic degrees to certifications and conferences, the opportunities for you to raise the bar on your career are plentiful. Join a community college president and vice president for advancement during lunch as they share ways in which they practice continuous improvement in the face of accelerating change.

Melanie Jones, Vice President for College Advancement, York Technical College; and Lisa Skari, President, Mt. Hood Community College

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Main Conference

1:30–3:00 PM
Welcome and Opening Key Session: Happiness, Habits and Community College Fundraising: Strategies to Survive and Thrive
Do you ever feel insecure about fundraising? Do you want to build your confidence and feel inspired? Would you like to improve you work habits so you can raise more money? Do you want to learn strategies for staying happy at your current job? If so, you will not want to miss Amy Eisenstein, ACFRE, as she shares stories and insight on working with donors, as well as staying motivated as you work toward changing the world through philanthropy.

Amy Eisenstein, Fundraising Strategist and Trainer

3:00–3:30
Marketplace Opens 

3:30–4:30
Elective Sessions (choose one)

Advancement and Student Services Working Together to Serve Homeless Youth
The advancement team at Dawson Community College initiated a program directed specifically at homeless youth in Montana by working with agencies across the state to recruit homeless teens who have graduated from high school. The team worked closely with the Student Services department on campus to ensure policies and procedures were in place to serve the needs of this population. Come find out more about this initiative, and how the team at Dawson Community College made it a success.

Sarah Brockel, Assistant Vice President of Advancement; and Leslie Weldon, Vice President of Advancement and Human Resources, Dawson Community College

Advancing Opportunity and Inclusion: Exploring the Role of Advancement at Minority Serving Institutions
Roughly 1 in 4 community colleges qualifies as a minority-serving institution. As minority populations grow, service to minority students and communities will be increasingly central to the work of colleges. Many AANAPISIs and HSIs have not, however, adapted advancement practices with the goal of enhancing engagement and support of the growing minority communities served by the institution. This session will bring together a group of advancement leaders from different types of MSIs to explore ways to begin aligning advancement programs with the critical institutional mission of serving and supporting minority students.

Josh Gerstman, Vice President Institutional Advancement, Highline College; Geoff Green, Chief Executive Officer, Santa Barbara City College Foundation; Pyeper Wilkins, Chief Advancement Officer/Executive Director, DCCCD Foundation; David Bass, Senior Director of Research, CASE (facilitator)

Breaking Through to All Audiences: Increasing Participation Through Peer Engagement
The days when donors would send a check simply based on their institutional loyalty are fading. Today’s donors want to know that their gift is making an impact and that they are part of a community helping to move the institution forward. In recent years, Millennials became the largest generation in the U.S. labor force and Generation Z began graduating from college. This generation’s “coming of age” has led to a widespread decline in alumni participation and few institutions have escaped these trends, giving rise to concerns about a potential “lost generation” of future major donors. This presentation surveys the technologies and trends most likely to influence fundraising outcomes over the next few years, as more and more donors of all ages go digital, as Baby Boomers pass the torch to Generation X and Millennials, and as Generation Z begin their philanthropic journeys.

Kenneth Cooper, Executive Director, Las Positas College Foundation; and Felicity Meu, Director of Partner Success, GiveCampus

From Nothing to Something: Building an Alumni Association from the Ground Up in Less than Six Months
Find out how a team of three talented individuals built an alumni association from the ground up in less than six months. As with many startups, the MiraCosta College Alumni Association faced numerous challenges during its development. Listen as they share advice on how to effectively use on-campus resources, promote awareness, and engage current students and alumni in unique and cost-effective ways. Learn how to successfully launch an alumni association when the institution is tight on time, human resources, and budget. 

Tori Fishinger, Senior Development Specialist/Alumni Association Coordinator; Alex Karvounis, Graphic Designer/Photography/Alumni Association Coordinator; and France Magtira, Digital Marketing Coordinator/Alumni Association Coordinator, MiraCosta Community College

Making an Endowed Gift More than a One-Trick Pony
In 2014, Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis received a significant planned gift which, remarkably, was not designated to a specific program or initiative. In order to best honor the donor, and in coordination with living relatives, development personnel put together a creative plan meant to maximize impact, improve outcomes for vulnerable students, provide a source of perpetual funding for innovative projects and programs, and leverage this generosity to build a pipeline for future giving. As part of that plan, a portion of the gift was set aside to establish what is now known as the MAPS endowment. MAPS, which stands for Mentoring, Advising, Programming, and Success, provides a source of separate funding for high performing, cohorted programs which promise strong outcomes and dedicated outreach. Discuss the origins of the MAPS Endowment; and leave with a basic strategy for how to implement a similar endowment at your institution. 

Amanda Smagacz, Director of Development; and Danielle Stiles-Polk, Executive Director of Development, Ivy Tech Community College - Indianapolis

Maximizing Success Now, During, and After the Transfer of Wealth
This session explains what the transfer of wealth is and details the latest statistics about it. Learn how to prepare for the transfer of wealth happening now and find out what we need to do as it increases to maximize the philanthropic support to our organizations. Finally, what do we need to do after the transfer of wealth is fully realized?

Kristen O. Bennett, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and TVCC Foundation Executive Director, Trinity Valley Community College

Strategic Idea Generation Session: How to Engage Board Members to Fundraising in Only 15 Minutes Per Month
Do you ever wish your board members helped with fundraising? Join Amy Eisenstein as she shares simple strategies to engage your board members in only fifteen minutes per month. Whether you need board members to help raising major gifts, or with a capital campaign, this session will help you engage your board members every step of the way.

Amy Eisenstein, Fundraising Strategist and Trainer

5:00–6:00
Affinity Group Discussions (choose one)

• Advancement Leadership
• Advancement Services/Data
• Alumni Relations
• Annual Giving
• Major Gifts
• Marketing/Communications
• Minority Serving Institutions
• Small Shops

6:00–8:00 PM 
Welcome Reception

7:00
Conference Adjourns for the Day
Dinner on your own

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8:00–9:00 AM
Breakfast Roundtables
Say good morning to our exhibitors and grab breakfast from the Marketplace, then head to the various networking roundtables to start your day by networking with colleagues on Day 2. 

9:15–10:15
Elective Sessions (choose one)

Board Chairs and Chief Advancement Officers: Bridging Different Worlds to Create Fundraising Success
They say fundraising is all about relationships. One of the most important relationships, often not talked about, is between the chief advancement officer/campaign architect and the foundation chair. These two people – one professional, the other a volunteer – often have very different backgrounds, ideas, strengths, and personalities. Yet, in order to achieve real success, two strong individuals, with very different responsibilities, must come together and map out the best way forward for their institution. Clark College Foundation Chair Cheree Nygard and Chief Advancement Officer and Senior Vice President Joel B. Munson demonstrate the real practicalities of their complex, yet successful, relationship that has helped to craft and carry out Clark’s current $35M  comprehensive campaign, while increasing annual fundraising from around $2M to $7M in a few short years. Whether it’s planning, communications, conflict resolution, or resource management, the relationship between the chair and chief advancement officer is vital and potentially extremely rewarding.

Joel Munson, Chief Advancement Officer and Sr. Vice President, Clark College Foundation; and Cheree Nygard, Chair, Board of Directors Clark College Foundation, Clark College Foundation

Dog Days of Fundraising on a Bare-Boned Budget
Fundraising efforts allow every community college to continue to deliver on their mission and help their students--whether it is through raising dollars for scholarships, developing new academic offerings to meet the demands of our communities, or by creating new or renovated space to allow for continued improvements in our delivery of curriculum to our students. Community colleges must continue to diversity their revenue streams in order to accomplish these important tasks. Fundraising efforts must begin somewhere, and an employee giving campaign is one such way to do it. This session details specific examples of how one community has been able to boost fundraising with a very small budget and staffing. Learn how to implement similar efforts with your alumni and community to launch fundraising efforts or reenergize current attempts.

Amy M. Adams, Vice President for Planning and Advancement; Ryan McCall, President; and Mike Stuckey, Director of MTC Foundation, Marion Technical College

Leveraging Partnerships and Engaging Community Leaders in Your Campaign:
A Recipe for Success
In February 2018, Columbus State Community College held an exclusive, invitation-only public launch of a $33M campaign to a VIP audience of Central Ohio’s civic, community, philanthropic, corporate, and workforce leaders. The star-studded event was the culmination of a four-year effort to build awareness and engagement among community leaders and influencers. Successful capital campaigns that leverage public private partnerships can take years of careful strategic planning. If you are launching your college's first capital campaign, it's even more important to plan your campaign leadership strategies early--usually years before the first gift is acquired. Columbus State's campaign to create a new 80,000 square foot hospitality management and culinary arts facility is the first ever attempted by the college. In this session, representatives from the college share their planning and engagement strategies, as well as the pitfalls that challenged them.  

Pam Bishop, Executive Director, Columbus State Community College Foundation; and Michael Bongiorno, Lead Architect/Designer, DesignGroup

Ideation to Development: Steps to Cultivate and Actualize Grant Concepts
This session provides insight into ideation, development, and implementation processes and resources to facilitate grant development strategies. Review best practices for facilitating cross-functional engagement in the grant development process. Collaborate with other attendees in cross-functional teams and record ideas that can be used for current and future grant development proposals.

Darian Aistrich, Grant Development Specialist, Coastline Community College; Tobi West, Tenured Professor and Department Chair of Computer Information Systems, Coastline Community College; and Aeron Zentner, Dean of Institutional Research, Planning, Effectiveness, and Grants, Coastline Community College

It’s Possible! Branding Community Colleges Beyond Being Affordable and Accessible
Situated in a highly competitive marketplace surrounded by roughly 50 other two-year and four-year colleges and universities, St. Louis Community College (STLCC) knew it had to determine its unique position. Having long focused on its affordability and accessibility, in the fall of 2017 STLCC decided it was time to fully understand and communicate its brand in a compelling and authentic way. SimpsonScarborough and STLCC conducted a comprehensive market research project that led to the launch of STLCC’s new marketing enrollment campaign, "Come As You Are, See What You Become." 

Join this session to understand how to use research and strategy to find your community college’s unique brand position. Learn how to decide on the right research methodologies, the must-have audiences to include, and the right questions to ask. Find out how to take the research findings to the next level by defining your school's brand platform, educating your internal brand ambassadors, and launching a comprehensive marketing campaign. This session gives you the foundation knowledge for when the time is right for your institution. And, maybe that’s now!

Molly Jackson, Associate Vice President, SimpsonScarborough

Reexamining Donor Diversification
A good college or university should be working to establish a diversified funding pool. Just like your practice asset allocation in your investment/retirement accounts, all college or university funding pools should be diversified. If your funding streams rely almost solely on one or two big donors or events, the time is now to think about branching out. This session explores donor engagement strategies most likely to influence successful fundraising outcomes, including an almost endless stream of revenue and in-kind sources you can tap: government funding, individuals, advisory board members, alumni, industry partners, local businesses and more.

Upon completion, participants will be able to: 1. Think creatively about how they can engage with a diverse cross sections of prospective individual donors, key stakeholders, alumni, businesses and NGO’s to achieve increased donations and donor awareness. 2. Identify the unique characteristics of culturally and economically diverse groups of prospective donors in order increase giving and awareness of the college’s mission and goals.

Kenneth Cooper, Executive Director, Las Positas College Foundation; and Jamar Jeffers, Director of Institutional Advancement, Atlanta Technical College Foundation

The Beneficial Effects of Positive Organizational Scholarship and Mindfulness for Nonprofit Leaders
Explore the beneficial effects of practicing mindfulness and using positive organizational scholarship strategies to make decisions. Guide your departments more effectively in an effort to lead your nonprofit toward overall long-term success by increasing your perceived leadership effectiveness, nonprofit performance, and work-life balance practices.

Kristen O. Bennett, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and TVCC Foundation Executive Director, Trinity Valley Community College

Strategic Idea Generation Session: Help Me, Help You—Engaging College Leadership
Advancement, development, and philanthropy are relatively new in community college culture, and often misunderstood. For many community college leaders, our work as advancement and development leaders is a bit of a mystery. In this session, we’ll take stock of the challenges and explore ways to build a college culture that embraces and elevates the critical work of advancement and development.

Geoff Green, CEO, SBCC Foundation

10:30–11:30
Elective Sessions (choose one)

Using Social Media to Drive Enrollment and Engagement among Underserved Populations
Montgomery College in Maryland uses video and social media to reach underserved population segments with information about careers, access to education and services, financial aid, equity, and social justice. In just a few weeks, the initial campaign earned millions of impressions, nearly 2,000 clicks on the college's website and 1,000 clicks on the "apply now" links. With this content marketing strategy the college employs Facebook Live and digital marketing to drive viewership and engagement with international and non-native English speaking students, active duty military and veterans, single parents, first generation students, low income families, and adult learners. In this session, see how community colleges can leverage social media and video to inspire underserved audiences to pursue education and training, as well as access to services, while driving engagement and enrollment.

Ray Gilmer, Associate Senior Vice President for Advancement and Community Engagement; Melissa Pace, Managing Director, Montgomery College Television

Avoiding Volunteer Board Burnout with Positive Motivation
Explore the positive motivational techniques required for successful, maximum board engagement in fundraising campaigns. Board leaders must identify specific individual and team characteristics, including major stressors, personality types, individual roles, board mindset, emotional intelligence, and communication skills.  Positive motivation drives all aspects of work ethic and fundraising goal attainment. The key aspect of keeping any foundation board motivated to achieve the institutional advancement goal is the ability to take a risk and sculpt, adapt, change, or stop as an appropriate intervention at the appropriate time. This will ensure the board will constantly be engaged. Foundation board leadership must be aware of all these factors to avoid volunteer board burnout.

Woodrow Powell, Director, Community Relations, Community College of Baltimore County

Fundraising Trends and Engagement Benchmarks: Shaping Future Strategies using Comparison Data
Using the CASE’s Voluntary Support of Education (VSE) Survey, we will help you answer key questions about your programs, such as: “How am I doing?” “Is this good?” and “What if…?” By understanding your own school’s trends and then comparing against your peers, you can begin to determine specific areas of success and opportunity. Join us as we present overall findings for community colleges and demonstrate how you can compare your own numbers against these key performance metrics. We will also discuss the newly launched CASE Global Alumni Engagement Metrics Survey and walk through the data needed to shape key benchmarks to better understand the engagement of community college alumni using the four “modes” of philanthropic, volunteer, experiential, and communication.

Jenny Cooke Smith, Senior Strategic Consultant, AMAtlas, CASE; and Marc Westenburg, Director, Center for Community College Advancement, CASE

How to Benefit from the Great Asset Transfer Through Planned Giving
There has been much discussion and debate about the asset transfer from the Baby Boomers to Gen X and Millennials over the next several decades. How big is it? And how can nonprofits benefit from the transfer through increased planned giving offerings? This session offers statistics and trends. Learn how community college advancement programs can participate in the transfers while realizing significant revenue for their institutions. Come away with a greater understanding of the Great Asset Transfer and strategies for increasing charitable gifts from the transferred assets.

James Morgan, Senior Director; and Julia M. Siebel, Assistant Vice President, CCS Fundraising

How to Speak Investment Management (or Herding Bulls and Bears)
How foundations steward their invested assets can be just as important as getting the gifts, but many development professionals don’t have the background they need to understand investments. Getting to know the language and the processes can help you and your board develop the right investment policies and procedures to support your organization’s mission. Learn the importance of evaluating your board’s risk tolerance to develop the appropriate asset allocation, know what to look for in strong Investment and spending policies, and find out how to look for underlying costs that reduce your real return. Takeaways will include an investment terms glossary to better understand terms, example RFPs for investment manager searches and example investment asset allocations. This session is targeted toward Executive Directors and VPs of Foundations and Advancement shops.

Mary C. McQueen, Executive Director of Development, Del Mar College

Telling Stories Through Data: Compelling Grants, from Research to Reports
While storytelling for individual donors and annual appeals is often focused on what the donor achieves or feels through his or her giving, RFAs for grants often include more specific requests to contextualize those stories through data and impact analysis. As funding formulas increasingly emphasize student success and benchmarks, rather than simple enrollment numbers, collecting better data and using it to tell the story of your institution is more important than ever. Learn how to harness data to tell better stories. Find out how to organize an annual grants calendar and create realistic grants fundraising plans for your organization. This discussion includes examples of both public (federal and state) and private (foundation and corporate) grants. Some takeaways are: 1. Key relationships to cultivate on campus to ensure access to good data. 2. Storytelling tips to create more compelling narratives. 3. How to streamline a grants calendar to save time (and money).

Rachel Johnson, Director of Grants, Foundation, Santa Barbara City College

Scholarship Practices for the Small Shop
Last year at the 2018 Conference for Community College Advancement, foundation representatives from Carl Sandburg College and Santa Barbara City College discussed best practices for their shops. They're back this year, and ready to answer questions focused on both large-shop and small-shop challenges. Find out what worked--and didn't work, what they have fixed, their application processes, their review processes, and most importantly, learn more about their new scholarship threshold and awarding policies.

Danielle Williams, Coordinator of Scholarships and Donor Relations, Carl Sandburg College

Strategic Idea Generation Session: Enlisting Influencers as Brand Ambassadors: Inspiring Action and Measuring Impact
Third-party endorsements and actions are a community college’s most powerful brand builders. If strategically deployed, they have the power to raise awareness, increase preference and create lasting relationships. This session will explore how to convert your friends and influencers into brand allies who make meaningful contributions to advancing your institution and its strategic priorities.

Mike Barzzachini, Director, Marketing Services, Harper College

11:45 AM–12:45 
Elective Sessions (choose one)

Aligning Your Alumni Association Engagement (Strategic) Plan to the CASE Alumni Engagement Metrics: A Practical How-to Session for Alumni Engagement Plan Development and/or Adjustment
The Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) Alumni Association has existed for more than 20 years; however, there had been little focus on alumni engagement until recently. In early 2014, the executive director and the alumni association board of directors developed the first three-year strategic plan with initiatives for increasing alumni engagement. The August 2018 release of the CASE Alumni Engagement Metrics Task Force white paper--that defined primary alumni engagement categories--provided an element of structure needed for measuring outcomes of the association's engagement plan. Find out how the CVTC Alumni Association went about the strategic planning process, their program development and implementation efforts, and how the association aligned the 2019-2021 strategic plan to the alumni engagement categories: volunteer, experiential, philanthropic and communication. Discover how the board used the definitions of each of the categories in developing the association's plan of work and learn more about how the association is implementing programs that target each of the engagement categories.

Aliesha R. Crowe, Executive Director, Institutional Advancement, Chippewa Valley Technical College

Building an Alumni Database that Gets Results
Yes, it is worth going after alumni, but in the right way. This session shows you how to capture alumni in a meaningful way. Learn the most cost-effective way to build an alumni database. You will see how that can result in money coming back to the college. Yes, it takes an investment, and yes, it takes approval from the top, but the ROI is well worth the effort. Examine the most lucrative decades to start with and learn how to build an alumni database with a limited budget. Get an understanding of FERPA rules and get help removing your roadblocks. Learn how to integrate your alumni records into the database in a way that makes sense and how to communicate with them in a way that results in donations.

Lisa H. Brooks, Executive Director, Glendale College Foundation

Creatively and Successfully Funding Innovative Projects
Discover the best way for development and communications professionals to collaborate creatively and successfully to fund innovative projects. Learn how HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College, has established funds for excellence--monies contributed by donors that allow the college to be more innovative. Review best practices for establishing the rationale for funds for excellence, how to promote them, how to develop activities in support of them, how to engage key stakeholders, and how to raise money for the funds for excellence.

Linnie Carter, Vice President of College Advancement; and John Sygielski, President, HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College

Engaging Your Foundation and College Leadership With (Easy to Do) Strategic Planning
We have all heard the mantra, "Plan your work, and work your plan," but what does that mean? How can you engage your college and foundation leadership in simple, effective planning that engages staff, board, and college leaders, active and prospective donors, volunteers, and other community stakeholders in a process that results in focused and active fundraising? Hear from Betheny Reid and David Davin who have worked together as consultant and executive director, respectively, on two strategic plans in recent years for different community college foundations. They share their successes, failures, and lessons so that you can embark on a strategic planning process that you, your board, and your entire community will use.

David Davin, Executive Director, Institutional Advancement and Foundation, Elgin Community College; and Betheny L. Reid, Principal, eAdvancement Consulting

Will You Be My Board Member?
It's the million-dollar question ... how do you engage members of your community college nonprofit board? After the transitions of two executive directors within six months, South Louisiana Community College needed to bring stability back to its foundation and reengage its board members. Without truly engaged board members, the SLCC Foundation would never grow from a good to a GREAT fundraising operation. From a skeptical and disengaged board to a board well on its way to ever-increasing engagement, the foundation's leadership may have found the secret to this age-old question. Learn the reasons and data behind why board members are not engaged and review simple strategies to reengage board members--and keep them engaged.

Lana M. Fontenot, Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement, South Louisiana Community College

Milwaukee Area Technical College: Building the MATC Promise for Adults
Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) launched Wisconsin’s first Promise Program in 2015 for new high school graduates and, in 2018, MATC expanded the program to serve returning adults through the MATC Promise for Adults. In Milwaukee County, more than 135,000 adults have earned some college credits but no degree, preventing far too many from accessing careers tied to family-supporting wages. Knowing that the average MATC associate degree graduate will earn an additional $400,000 over the course of his or her career compared to someone with a high school diploma alone, the Promise opens the doors to financial mobility. This session dives into the details of program design, fundraising strategy, digital marketing strategy, and community partnerships that have been instrumental to the program's success.

Laura Bray, Vice President of College Advancement and External Communications, Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC)

What Sayeth Your Crystal Ball? Ten Trends Likely to Impact Fundraising and What to Do About Them
While we may not be able to divine the future, we must pay attention to what is happening in the external environment and the related potential consequences for our profession. This focused discussion considers 10 trends with implications for fundraising--and what to do about them. As we think forward about the opportunities and challenges facing higher education, the community college sector and fundraising, it's time to pause, reflect, and strategize. Review current trends with "helping and hurting" implications for fundraising. You'll leave with a clearer understanding of the external landscape and how to either capitalize on emerging opportunities or minimize potential threats. Crystal balls not included!

Kathleen Guy, Founding Partner, Eaton Cummings Group; Dawn Dyer Magretta, Executive Director, Development and Schoolcraft College Foundation, Schoolcraft College; and Lisa Watson, Executive Director of COM Foundation and Resource Development, College of the Mainland

Strategic Idea Generation Session: Advancement Services - One Phrase with Many Meanings
Join us for an interactive session where we will gather in small groups to discuss and share functional areas of Advancement Services and strategies that work for our institutions. Network with fellow professionals in these areas who can provide you with fresh ideas and new ways of achieving your objectives – particularly if you are from a small shop and wear multiple hats. Functional areas discussed include alumni affairs, annual giving, events, data management, and stewardship.

Kris McPeak, Director of Operations, Foundation, Pasadena City College

12:45–2:00
Networking Luncheon and Awards Presentations

2:00–2:30
Dessert Reception in the Marketplace

2:30–3:30 
Elective Sessions (choose one)

Co-Pilots and a Twin-Engine Plane: Building and Flying All at Once
When it comes to rebuilding a community college advancement department, it often feels like you’re building the plane while flying it. Find out how a community college chancellor and an advancement executive successfully climbed to cruising altitude--the sweet spot in fundraising and development--while trying to rebuild the foundation’s structure. In this day of declining state support and enrollment challenges in higher education, community college professionals must out hustle, out think, out perform, and outlast other, sometimes larger advancement shops. This session is best for institutional leaders and advancement professionals who are beyond the basics but aiming to do a 180° and rebuild their plane. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight!

Chandler LeBoeuf, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement/Fletcher Foundation; and Kristine Strickland, Chancellor, Fletcher Technical Community College

Social Media Attacks: Strategies to Respond...or Not
Program elimination, be it academic or athletic, represents the most challenging and controversial decisions to be made on any campus. In today's world of social media, these decisions can foster highly charged and ongoing reactions from the program users, their constituencies, the media, and those who just like a good fight. CEOs need to be aware of how social media can be used to misrepresent the issue, as well as the breadth of support for the opposition. Additionally, what’s on social media can also influence the administration and trustees during the process. Learn how to consider the impact of social media on a professional and personal level. Review real-life examples of how one opposition group used social media to project and the response taken by the college to counteract it. You'll leave with a better understanding of the benefits of patience and having a thick skin!

Joseph Sopcich, President, Johnson County Community College

Turning Your Foundation Board into a Hyper-Philanthropic Board
Learn how to accelerate foundation board philanthropy through board culture leading to a culture of “hyper-philanthropy." In this culture, fund development is a value and a mission-aligned component of everything the board does. The new foundation board must live the philanthropic brand each day and delight in their service. Focus on strategies of engagement, streamlining structures, and personalized communication with the outcome and the creation of shared core values.

Bob Cahen, Executive Director, Lakeland Foundation; Russ Hodge III, Principal; and Kim Horton, Vice President, The Hodge Group

Timing Is Everything: When to Think about a Campaign, Select Leadership, Announce, and Declare Success
Children learn at an early age that there’s a right time (and a wrong time) to ask parents for permission. Applying that same intuition and timing can make the difference between a campaign being easy or difficult. Knowing when to suggest strategic planning, when to wait before asking individuals to serve as campaign leadership or for major gifts, how to decide when to announce significant giving to spur additional gifts and determine when to declare success is essential to building a successful campaign. Every step requires careful thinking. Two mega-campaign leaders share how they applied the subtle art of timing and solid planning and implementation to bring success to their campaigns.

Monica Champ, Director of Major Gifts, Tulsa Community College Foundation; Betheny L. Reid, Principal, eAdvancement Consulting; and Gretchen Wood, Chief Advancement Officer and Executive Director, Monroe Community College Foundation

Managing Mini-Campaigns in the Larger Fundraising Effort
Fundraising campaigns can be time consuming and overwhelming, and keeping campaign volunteers and donors motivated requires sustainable leadership. Find out how the Community College of Baltimore County made its $42M public/private capital campaign more manageable for its staff and volunteers by creating mini campaigns that were donor focused and achievable – in the end – raising $57M for the institution. 

Learn how mini campaigns can help to expand the donor base, energize donors and community leaders on a more focused and feasible goal, address changing donor priorities and unanticipated institutional needs, and provide a focused communication strategy through segmented messaging.

Ann-Marie Thornton, Director of Development and Alumni Relations; and Ken Westary, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Executive Director CCBC Foundation, Community College of Baltimore County

What's REALLY Involved in a Successful Alumni Relations Program
Transitioning from a four-year institution to a community college, Danielle Wilberg and Tracy Wahlfeldt walk you through the five key strategic areas needed to build a successful alumni relations campaign. Explore the internal functionality of data integrity, build a case for engagement, create a successful marketing campaign, determine realistic outreach tactics, and discuss what to do with alumni post-acquisition. Learn how Parkland College is using alumni relations to build new relationships across the district and expanding their donor pool for increased giving.

Tracy Wahlfeldt, Executive Director; and Danielle Wilberg, Associate Director, Annual Fund and Alumni Relations, Parkland College Foundation

Strategic Idea Generation Session: Working Across Campus:  Partnering with Colleagues for Fundraising Success
We all know that partnership and collaboration across campus in support of the fundraising mission is vital to our success.  But, do you sometimes feel like advancement and the foundation are alone on an island at your college?  Come and brainstorm with other colleagues who face the same challenge.  At this session we’ll identify and share strategies for increasing collaboration and gaining support across the institution.  Learn from your peers and share your gems of wisdom about campus collaboration that helps you raise more funds, make more friends, and increase the impact on students and community.

George Boodrookas, Dean of Advancement and Executive Director, Modesto Junior College Foundation

3:45–4:45
Elective Sessions (choose one)

Exploring the Impact of Today’s Philanthropic Landscape on Tomorrow’s Community College Fundraising Success
Powered by a booming stock market and a strong economy, charitable giving by American individuals, foundations, and corporations exceeded $400B in a single year. This represented a 5.2% increase over the total contributed the previous year. Giving to eight of the nine charitable subsectors increased. Education accounted for 14% of the overall philanthropic distribution and increased by 6.2 percent over the previous year. Looking beyond a single year, we see similar growth trends over time. Discuss philanthropic trends on a national level and within the community college sector, explore whether this pace of philanthropic growth is sustainable, discuss how to utilize the data and trends to best position your institution for success now, and debate the strategies to employ as you plan for the future. This session helps you navigate the philanthropic terrain in the United States and offers comprehensive, graphic displays imagery and talking points that help translate the complex issues into user-friendly tools for your staff, board, volunteers, and prospective donors.

Holly Clendenen, Executive Director, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Foundation; Nancy Michalko, Executive Director of Development, Salt Lake Community College; Robert Schwartz, Executive Director, Los Angeles City College Foundation; and Julia M. Siebel, Assistant Vice President, CCS Fundraising

Talent Management and Team Building
Recruiting the right talent for your development team is a challenge--focusing their diverse talents to work as a team can be just as challenging. Learn some of the tools available to help your team understand and appreciate their diversity in communication and information processing styles as well as key strengths each member brings to the advancement team. Identify multiple assessment tools and find out how you and your team can use these tools to increase communication and productivity.

Mary C. McQueen, Executive Director of Development, Del Mar College

Creatively and Effectively Collecting Student Stories
Learn how to creatively and effectively collect student stories, the “secret sauce” for fundraising and marketing at community colleges. Review best practices for identifying appropriate opportunities for collecting student stories. Learn how to develop a system for collecting stories, a system for tracking the stories, and a system for employing the stories.. 

Linnie Carter, Vice President of College Advancement; and John Sygielski, President, HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College

Restructuring Resource Development into Centralized Advancement Services
Identifying advancement services and initiatives at many community colleges is difficult. At times, where few exist, functions may be overseen by various departments and divisions of the organizational structure such as student life for alumni engagement, marketing and public relations for corporate and community engagement, business services for donations, or financial aid for scholarship management and coordination. As a result, community colleges are seldom recognized as facilitators of advancement as their counterparts at four-year institutions are, and functions of resource development offices are often more limited to and recognized as the grants office. This session enables participants who work in organizational structures where advancement initiatives are limited or scattered to identify strategies designed to restructure the functions and concept of a community college resource development office into an office of centralized advancement services for an institution.

Tricia Thomas Anderson, Dean of Resource Development, Eastfield College

The Magic in Building a Successful President’s Circle
Do you want to build a dynamic relationship with your president? Would you like to gain access to thousands of dollars of critical unrestricted funds that can build capacity for your foundation? Are you interested in cultivating a ground zero minefield of relationships with a dynamic group of important constituents, all while deepening your relationship with your president and foundation board of directors? Santa Ana College President Linda Rose and Foundation Executive Director Christina Romero take you through the tools, building blocks and objectives of a successful President’s Circle and the strength-based model that has worked for Santa Ana College.

Christina R. Romero, Executive Director, Office of College Advancement; and Linda Rose, President, Santa Ana College

CA Session: What was Passed, What It Means and How It Impacts Community College Foundations
The California legislature has recently passed a number of bills that make significant (some would say historic) changes to the way that California’s Community Colleges operate, are funded, and serve students. Many of these bills also have the potential to significantly impact the role of advancement and development within the colleges. In this session, we’ll take a look at some of the well-known and the lesser-known pieces of legislation, and hear from those who work on these issues day in and day out.

Geoff Green, CEO, SBCC Foundation

Strategic Idea Generation Session: Talent Management - A Challenge and an Opportunity!
With the typical “small shop” advancement operations in community colleges, it is challenging to attract top talent. We are consistently searching for high performing personnel and must retain them to ensure growth of resources for our institutions.

This interactive session will refocus your outlook on recruiting talent from searching for the “needle in a haystack” to attracting productive employees for rewarding careers as part of your advancement team.

Mitch Andrews, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, Tyler Junior College

4:45
Conference Adjourns for the Day

5:30–7:30
Welcome to California Networking Reception (optional)
Please join your colleagues from the Network of California Community College Foundations (Network) to welcome this year's CASE Conference for Community College Advancement attendees! The Welcome to CA Reception, hosted by the Network, is an opportunity to end day one of the conference in a relaxed environment with professionals from across the country. Meet new friends, connect with peers, and more.

Separate registration is required. Tickets include admission to the reception, appetizers, and two drink tickets.
Click here to register.

6:00-10:00
Visit San Diego Shuttle Buses (optional)
This is a free opportunity to visit different neighborhoods of San Diego. Two different shuttles are provided to visit the Gaslamp District and Little Italy. Both neighborhoods offer a variety of restaurants, shops, and places to visit. These shuttle buses will be on a rotation, beginning at 6:00 PM with the last shuttle returning to the hotel by 10:00 PM.

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8:00–9:00 AM
Breakfast in the Marketplace                                            

9:00–10:15
Featured Sessions (choose one):

Alumni Relations and Community Colleges: Silver Bullet or Unique Opportunity
Alumni relations is gradually emerging as a priority for community colleges. With declining resources impacting current needs, why invest limited time and resources to engage graduates? Aren’t former students more connected to their universities? Review best practices from community colleges across the nation and discover how alumni initiatives are uniquely used to bring graduates back to support their alma maters. This session includes data from colleges identified by the national VSE survey as excelling in alumni giving. Panelists include alumni and advancement leadership from the identified top ten.  

Mitch Andrews, Vice President, Institutional Advancement, Tyler Junior College and Executive Director, TJC Foundation; Greg Enloe,  Director of Alumni Relations and Associate Athletic Director, Montgomery Community College; Susan Farrington, Director, Alumni Relations, Tyler Junior College; Joel Munson, Chief Advancement Officer, Clark College; Mark Pastorella, Chief Development Officer, Monroe Community College

Benchmarking with the Best of 2019
Leaders from three 2019 CASE Educational Fundraising Award recipient institutions share factors that have contributed to their fundraising success. Attendees will come away with ideas, tips, and strategies for improving their own fundraising programs.

Chris Cates, Assistant Vice President, College Advancement, Walters State Community College; Shannon Hill, Executive Director, Cuesta College Foundation; Diana Pollard, Executive Director, Dutchess Community College Foundation; Moderated by Marc Westenburg, Director, Center for Community College Advancement, CASE

Digital Marketing: Trends, Tips and Tricks for Community Colleges and Higher Learning
It is becoming more and more competitive for Community and smaller State Colleges to find and attract the right students. Most Universities and Trade Schools have well-oiled direct-response marketing machines. How does a Community College compete in this environment? Join us for this featured session including a Q&A period with Larry Meador, a 25-year veteran of advertising and digital marketing communications and CEO of evok advertising agency, a full-service agency specializing in higher education marketing. Learn current trends, tips and even a few tricks that you can implement as soon as you leave the conference, even with the most modest budget.

Larry Meador, CEO, evok Advertising Agency

Legislative and IRS Update 2019
There is seemingly no end in sight when it comes to the IRS updating or changing rules pertaining to charitable giving and nonprofit management. Led by John Taylor and Brian Flahaven, this session examines the 2019 changes regarding rules for charitable giving and nonprofit management and assesses what is new as well as what's misunderstood. 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.

John H. Taylor, Principal, John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC; and Brian Flahaven, Senior Director for Advocacy, Council for Advancement and Support of Education

10:45 AM–NOON
Closing Keynote Session

Addressing Students’ Basic Needs with a Culture of Caring
Financial stability is critical to success in college. In this talk Dr. Goldrick-Rab discusses the new economics of college and how they create conditions of poverty.  Based on her extensive research, she documents the consequences for what she calls #RealCollege students and colleges, and describes approaches for addressing these challenges with a culture of caring. This includes a multi-level approach to shifting both practice and police, and that begins by recognizing that students are humans first.

Sara Goldrick-Rab, Professor of Higher Education Policy and Sociology, Temple University and Founding Director of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice

NOON
Conference Adjourns

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Fundraising success requires a strong working relationship between the college president and chief fundraiser, but dedicating quality time to the thoughtful development of that integral partnership can be challenging in the best of times. Take advantage of this one-day shared learning experience designed exclusively for community college presidents and their chief fundraisers to explore and discuss key issues pertaining to advancement, including but not limited to:

• Strategic alignment of fundraising plans and institutional goals
• Legislative strategies for college and advancement leadership
• Building a strong relationship between the campus CEO, chief advancement officer and foundation board chair
• The campus CEO’s role in capital campaigns, major gifts and donor cultivation
• An executive perspective of the value and ROI of alumni relations

View Program and Register

Registration is online only. CASE accepts payment by check or credit card for conference registration fees.

All prices shown above are in U.S. Dollars. If your preferred currency if not USD, the fee will display in your preferred currency at the start of the registration process. CASE accepts USD, CAD, AUD, SGD, EUR & GBP.

The hotel rate is not included in your conference registration fee. You are responsible for making your own hotel reservation.

Register Online and Pay by Credit Card

For Further Assistance

If you need assistance or to request an invoice, please visit the member support center, M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET.

The hotel rate is not included in your conference registration fees. You are responsible for making your own hotel reservation. Book your room online. Occasionally, room blocks fill before the hotel deadline, although hotels may have additional rooms at a higher rate. Please make your reservation immediately to ensure the discounted rate and availability.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED HOTEL

If you are in search of another hotel to stay during this conference, CASE recommends the Hilton San Diego Airport/Harbor Island. This neighboring property is a very short walk to the conference hotel.

ROOM BLOCK WARNING

CASE Conferences have recently become the target of wholesaler companies trying to sell rooms for CASE Conferences. If you receive a phone call offering to make your reservation and take credit card information over the phone for a CASE Conference, do not conduct this transaction! You run the risk of arriving at the hotel and not having a reservation, or being unable to change or cancel your reservation without penalty, and possibly compromising your credit card details. It is recommended CASE Conference attendees follow the suggested channels for booking accommodation within the conference block following the instructions on this page.