We loved stepping back from our day-to-day routines together for fresh insights and inspiration. Thank you for joining us!
Looking for resources from Give, Grow, Grant? We’ve got you covered! Navigate to the sessions below and find the attachments. Click to download. Please note that not all sessions have resources. And check out pictures from the conference, too!
This track applies best to development and marketing roles.
We all know philanthropic giving is long-term community investment, like planting seeds for future generations. It’s our development and marketing friends who are tasked with clearly communicating our missions to current and potential donors to help differentiate us from other nonprofits.
While the Give track is geared at the marketing and development-minded attendees, anyone at the conference can choose to attend the following sessions.
Tools for Successful Planned Giving Campaigns: Building bridges to the future | Mykayla Dado
Community foundations everywhere are always looking to maximize their fundraising by asking for planned gifts. Attorney Mykayla Dado will lead participants through how to communicate with donors about their wealth and their financial assets – not just their cash – and how a planned gift can provide them with tax savings, an inheritance for their heirs, and a legacy through your foundation.
Communicating Your Story: Positioning and messaging to showcase your impact | Michelle Dejno
Michelle Dejno, Vice President of O’Connor Connective, will cover what you need to know about your donors by capturing their insight before finalizing a strategic marketing/communications plan. You’ll learn best practices for gathering that information, and we’ll discuss how to use that information once gathered. Michelle will review a case study and walk through the creation of a communications plan.
CommunitySuite Opportunities Are Endless – Foundant | Staci Mincks
Learn how to maximize the advantages of eliminating spreadsheets. Opportunities in CommunitySuite allow you to record the efforts and results of individual cultivation as you move towards a goal. Learn how to track and showcase your progress when establishing a new fund, securing a new board member, pursuing a fundraising goal, and more.
It’s Not If, But When: Crisis communications and response 101 | Megan Mulholland
The Covid-19 pandemic showed us a crisis can and will affect everyone. Businesses and organizations with a written crisis management response plan, and who then train and practice annually, are better prepared to weather a crisis. A plan includes initial actions, procedures and communications to respond to events that could impact critical business activities or your reputation. Consider your initial response to any unplanned business interruption, such as a loss of utility service or an employee being criminally charged or a catastrophic event such as a major fire or flood. We’ll discuss high-level strategies, the roles of your entire team, communications and training.
Building Unrestricted Assets 101 | Ralph Serpe
Building Unrestricted Assets focuses on those new to raising unrestricted endowment at community foundations. Open to any staff from any department, this session is designed to support participants personal professional development and comfort asking for unrestricted endowment, institutionalize unrestricted endowment building at their community foundation, and position their community foundations as unrestricted endowment builders in their community.
Building Unrestricted 201 | Ralph Serpe
Building Unrestricted 201 is designed for CEOs, senior level philanthropic advisors and front-line development staff. This session will help participants raise unrestricted assets through the standard fundraising process of qualifying, cultivating, asking, and thanking donors, prospects, and professional advisors. This session helps develop and expand core philanthropic advisory skills, identifies strategies to incorporate program, communication, and finance staff in unrestricted asset building, and helps participants lead their community foundation’s campaign to raise unrestricted assets.
Marketing and Development Open Discussion and Sharing Successes
This is set aside time for marketing and development attendees to connect and discuss current hurdles in their roles and new insights for effectiveness.
This track applies best to finance and accounting roles.
When our donors give of their financial resources to our funds, it’s like they’re planting seeds for future generations to enjoy. Those seeds need to be watered and cared for. It’s our finance and accounting friends who are tasked with responsibly managing donor generosity to cultivate maximum financial growth.
While the Grow track is geared at the fiscal attendees, anyone at the conference can choose to attend the following sessions.
Data and Performance Aggregation | William C. Thorpe
Over the past 25 years, Mason Investment Advisory Services has built a community foundation practice that includes over 45 clients. As part of Mason’s growth as a community foundation specialist, they developed a specialty in data aggregation and performance reporting. Mason’s aggregation service was launched in 2006. Today, Mason aggregates over $1.5B in third-party assets for community foundation clients across the country. Within their service, they capture and reconcile investment data, in most cases daily, from multiple national and regional custodians. With this data, they can produce multiple types of reports useful to finance officers and committees. Their reports capture investment allocation, performance, benchmarks, transactions, fee information, and more. In this session, William Thorpe will discuss their process, the report output, and their software. He will also discuss how their service has evolved since 2006 and their current service model offerings.
HR 101: Tips for minimizing workplace drama and litigation | Sara Ackerman
Conflict in the workplace is inevitable. How HR professionals deal with drama can make all the difference in whether the incident turns into litigation…or not. Employment Law Attorney Sara Ackermann will discuss why “at-will” employment is not a reason for termination, the importance of documentation, how to handle accommodation requests, why you should never overlook harassment claims, and best timekeeping practices in their presentation. Be prepared to learn tips and best practices that you can implement within your own organization.
Decoding the Independent Audit: What does it include and how to prepare | Jerry Frick
How to Create a Fiscally Responsible Board | Dean Dalzell
Is your financial reporting a neglected and unremarkable agenda item from the board? Are there gaps that create uncertainty? Learn how to evolve and present your financial reporting, showing how financial results tie directly to mission delivery and organizational sustainability.
Operational Risks: Anti-fraud awareness & banking updates | Shelly LaPoint and Robert Bergfeld
Organizations are losing billions of dollars to sophisticated scams, cyber fraud and old school stealing! This session will promote fraud awareness, help you understand the seriousness of this global problem, and assist you in protecting your Community Foundation from being a victim of fraud and monetary loss.
CommunitySuite Balance Swap and Cash Management – Foundant | Corey Getchell
Learn how CommunitySuite handles money movement at the fund and account levels. We’ll demonstrate how Balance Swap uses investment strategies to align money at the fund and account levels and show you how to process Revenue Share allocations. If you want to better understand money movement in CommunitySuite, this session is for you!
Telling Your Nonprofit’s Financial Story with Impact| Jerry Frick
This track applies best to program-oriented roles.
Donors gave their generosity “seeds,” and like watering a garden, we multiplied their generosity through wise investment for a more fruitful harvest. Now we get to do what we’re here for – making our communities brighter, better places for everyone through mindful granting.
While the Grant track is geared at the program-minded attendees, anyone at the conference can choose to attend the following sessions.
GLM/SLM Question Branching and Tables: Foundant | Maddi Hillis
Join us to walk through question branching logic by license type and table question use cases in grant and scholarship applications. You’ll learn how you can right-size your applications and improve your reporting with data collection through question branching and tables.
Capacity Building Opportunities – Panel Discussion | Carolyn Desrosier, Angie Pilgrim, and Ted Bilich
Capacity building develops the all-important infrastructure that supports and shapes charitable nonprofits into forces for good. Capacity building efforts, supported by community foundations, enables nonprofit organizations and their leaders to develop competencies and skills that can make them more effective and sustainable, thus increasing the potential for charitable nonprofits to enrich lives and address community issues. Join this session to learn from your peers and share ideas of what is working in your community.
Investing in Hope: The global landscape of universal children’s saving account programs | Chelsea Wunnicke and Paula Gruszynski
Universal Children’s Savings Account Programs are growing in popularity across the country to improve educational attainment rates, impact wealth gaps, and provide families with tangible hope for their children’s futures. Based on work between University of Wisconsin Extension’s Youth Forward Wisconsin team, community foundations in multiple areas of the state, and the Wisconsin 529 College Savings Program, this session will focus on research and interesting collaborations being done in Wisconsin as well as with community foundations in Michigan.
Engaging Youth in Philanthropic Leadership – Panel Discussion | Cheryl Goetsch and Kelly Price
Community foundations are spearheading the cultivation and encouragement of the next generation of philanthropic leaders. In this session, we will discuss how community foundations can take the lead in engaging youth in fundraising, charitable giving, and service project activities in their communities.
You Want to Launch a Grant Catalog? Now what? | Lexi Oestreich and Corey Getchell
Are you looking for ways to maximize functionality or have questions about how to build your Grant Catalog? Join us for open dialog and show-in-tell with the Grant Catalog.
Racial Equity in Philanthropy | Mallory Mitchell
Mallory Mitchell (she/her), Co-Founder of Aligned Strategy Group, will help you align your actions with your values and deepen your commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Using real, common grantmaking practices as examples, you’ll review scenarios and brainstorm ways foundations can increase accessibility, promote inclusion and continue to meet the needs of community members most impacted by injustice. You’ll gain a better understanding of the unintended consequences of traditional approaches to grantmaking and the ways in which they present systemic barriers to Black folks, Indigenous folks and other people of color.
Program Open Forum
This is set aside time for program and grant-making attendees to connect and discuss current hurdles in their roles and new insights for effectiveness.
Grace Stanke, Miss America 2023
Right Now | Aaron Sadoff
It is time to harness the power of gratitude and being present, building your capacity and others through the power of happiness.
From Chaos to Cohesion: Creating an effective board structure | Amy Ebeling
Boards savvy about board governance are more effective, efficient, and engaged. But what is board governance and what does it entail? Attorney Amy Ebeling will cover legal requirements, best practices, and recommended policies for organizational documents. She’ll also address key players and their roles and responsibilities (and what makes an effective director), board structure, and lastly board operations.
CommunitySuite Software Demonstration: Foundant | Corey Getchell
Is your foundation looking for an integrated solution to manage your funds, donors, grants, and scholarships? Join our demo of CommunitySuite, a comprehensive software solution designed specifically for place-based, faith-based, and other community foundations. Key features include fund accounting, a donor portal, online donations, events management, CRM, and grants and scholarship management.
Exploring Fiscal Sponsorship Models for Community Foundations: Harnessing the power of partnerships | Amy Ebeling
Fiscal sponsorship provides organizations management and administrative support so program leadership and staff can focus on achieving their mission and reaching program goals. Attorney Amy Ebeling will address what is fiscal sponsorship, pros and cons of approved fiscal sponsorship models, how to vet fiscal sponsor relationships/organizations, and how to set up fiscal sponsorship agreements.
Communication Templates in CommunitySuite: Foundant | Staci Mincks
Join us as we walk through the various template resources, best practices, and workflows for communicating transactions to donors, fund advisors, and grantees.
CommunitySuite Event Management: Foundant | Staci Mincks
Learn how you can manage events and track attendees in-house. Campaigns in CommunitySuite enable you to communicate and coordinate event details with large-scale audiences. This is a great companion session to Opportunities are Endless.
New CommunitySuite Functionality: Recent Releases and What’s Coming: Foundant | Corey Getchell, Maddi Hillis, and Staci Mincks
Have you missed a product release or two? Hear about all the great new features offered in CommunitySuite. This session is for users wanting to learn about recent changes in the software and preview new functionality coming soon.
Maintaining CRM Data in CommunitySuite: Foundant | Staci Mincks
Wondering how to maintain the integrity of your data? CommunitySuite offers bulk actions throughout the system to ease data tracking and clean-up efforts. Learn tricks, tips, and best practices for maintaining your profile and CRM data.
Ask Foundant | Corey Getchell, Maddi Hillis, and Staci Mincks
Ask our experts your questions about Foundant solutions. Our team members will assist you with process questions, workflow tips, system clean-up items, or other questions about your Foundant site(s).
Foundation Leadership Open Forum
This is set aside time for those in leadership positions to connect and discuss current hurdles in their roles and new insights for effectiveness.
Conference Speakers
Look at this lineup! Read more about each speaker by clicking on their picture.
Ralph Serpe
President & CEO
Adams County Community Foundation
Megan Mulholland
Director of Marketing and Communications, Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region
Michelle Dejno
Vice President, O’Connor Connective
Aaron Sadoff
Executive Director
Fond du Lac Area Foundation
Grace Stanke
Miss America 2023
Corey Getchell
Functional Consultant, Foundant
Staci Mincks
Strategic Advancement Implementation Specialist, Foundant
Maddi Hillis
Implementation Specialist, Foundant
Lexi Oestreich
Director of Philanthropy, Fargo-Moorhead Area Foundation
Paula Guszynski
Executive Director, M&M Community Foundation
Chelsea Wunnicke
Wisconsin College Savings Program Finance Officer, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions
Kelly Price
Program Associate, Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin
Amy Ebeling
Attorney, Ruder Ware
Sara Ackermann
Attorney, Ruder Ware
Mykayla Dado
Attorney, Ruder Ware
Mallory Mitchell
Co-Founder, Aligned Strategy Group
Shelly LaPoint
VP and Senior Treasury Management Officer, Associated Bank
Robert Bergfeld
VP and Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Associated Bank
Jerry Frick
Director, Operations – Controller/CFO, Veracity Pros
Dean Dalzell
Director, Operations – Controller/CFO, Veracity Pros
Cheryl Goetsch
Founder & President, Be Amazing
Ted Bilich
Founder & CEO, Risk Alternatives, LLC
Carolyn Desrosier
Community Engagement Manager, Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region
Angie Pilgrim
Director of Community Impact, St. Croix Valley Foundation
William C. Thorpe
Chief Marketing and Development Officer, Mason Investment Services
Questions about the conference?
Signing up for a conference (or sending teammates) can be a big decision. Whatever questions you have about Give, Grow, Grant, we’re here to help!
Or call us at (715) 845-9555
