19th Annual Fall Forum for Local Education Foundations

Back to Basics: Building Blocks for Successful Schools
Oklahoma’s Premiere Event for LEF Volunteers and Educators

Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Oklahoma Memorial Union
University of Oklahoma, Norman

Presented by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence

Join us for our biggest and best Fall Forum yet! We’ve added more sessions, a wider range of topics and some “back-to-basics” presentations to help strengthen the day-to-day operations of your public school foundation and enhance the quality of education in your community.

Keynote Speaker Chancellor Johnson

Our featured keynote speaker will be Glen D. Johnson Jr., chancellor of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and former speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Sponsored by the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, the Fall Forum for Local Education Foundations (LEFs) is Oklahoma’s premiere training and networking event for LEF volunteers, educators, public education leaders and youth advocates. For LEF volunteers, the Fall Forum is an opportunity to receive training and resources, energize board members, network with foundation leaders across the state and celebrate successes. For educators, the Forum offers new grant ideas and techniques for successful interaction with their school foundations.

Fall Forum Schedule and Session Descriptions

8-8:45 a.m. Registration, Continental Breakfast, Visit Exhibits
Beaird Lounge, 2nd Floor
Visit exhibits in the Beaird Lounge with information on services, products and partnership opportunities for foundations.

8:45-9:30 a.m. Opening General Session
Meacham Auditorium, 2nd Floor
Educators and LEF volunteers alike will benefit from hearing about innovative programs, from the Payne Educational Center to DonorsChoose, that are
supporting and encouraging academic achievement in our schools.

New! Our opening general session will provide a sneak preview of several programs that are helping strengthen public schools, including DonorsChoose, the Oklahoma After-School Network, Payne Education Center and the Oklahoma School Performance Review. Each of the presenters will offer breakout sessions later in the day for those who want more details.

Session A: 9:40-10:25 a.m.

Friend

Effective Board Development and Recruitment
Meacham Auditorium, 2nd Floor
Dallas-based nonprofit consultant Kathy Friend, senior director of development for Children’s Medical Center, will share effective strategies for recruiting great board members and inspiring shared vision and excitement among your team.

DonorsChoose: Opening New Doors for Classroom Funding
Scholars Room, 3rd Floor
Robert Boyd, regional director of DonorsChoose, will explain how this revolutionary online nonprofit is helping teachers find funding for innovative classroom projects. Find out what it means for your LEF and how you can partner with DonorsChoose to increase support for students in your district.

Taking Stock: Measuring the Effectiveness of Your School District
Governors Room, 3rd Floor
The Oklahoma School Performance Review program, administered by the Office of Accountability, was created in 2001 to identify ways districts could hold the line on costs, reduce administrative overhead, streamline operations and improve educational services. Program coordinator Daniel Craig will explain how your district can benefit from the review process and how your LEF can support the effort.

Where Do We Begin? Tips for Starting Your Public School Foundation
Regents Room, 3rd Floor
What are the steps for starting a public school foundation? Representatives from successful foundations in Blanchard and Coyle will share the victories and pitfalls of their start-up experiences. Nonprofit consultant Frank Merrick, president of Foundation Management Inc., will facilitate this panel discussion.

Mentoring Programs that Work: Understanding Best Practices
Associates Room, 3rd Floor
As part of its David and Molly Boren Mentoring Initiative, the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence encourages local education foundations to support and promote quality mentoring in their school districts. Hear from coordinators of successful mentoring programs in Yukon, El Reno and Oklahoma City as they describe their procedures for creating a safe and effective youth mentoring program. Jennifer Geren, director of the Boren Mentoring Initiative, will facilitate.

Winning Grant Ideas for Teachers: Round One
Elementary Teachers: Frontier Room, 2nd Floor
Secondary Teachers: Heritage Room, 2nd Floor
Successful teacher grant recipients from throughout the state will share their award-winning ideas and proposal-writing strategies in a round-table format in a variety of subject areas.

Session B: 10:35-11:20 a.m.

Board Policies and Procedures
Meacham Auditorium, 2nd Floor
Clearly defined policies and procedures are important for any successful nonprofit board. Kathy Friend, a nonprofit consultant from Dallas, addresses common problems that boards face and offers proven solutions for effective board governance.

After School in Oklahoma
Scholars Room, 3rd Floor
It’s been proven that children who regularly attend quality after-school programs have better grades and conduct in school, more academic and enrichment opportunities and better peer relations. Katie Fitzgerald, director of the Oklahoma Afterschool Network, will explain why quality after-school programming is important to Oklahoma children and how LEF volunteers and educators can support such programs, boosting academic excellence in their districts.

Keeping Up With IRS Regulations and Sarbanes-Oxley
Governors Room, 3rd Floor
Nonprofit accountant and consultant Monica Swink will bring you up to speed on the latest IRS regulations impacting nonprofits, including the newly updated IRS Form 990. She will also explain the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and how it impacts your public school foundation.

Collogan

Great Fundraising Ideas
Regents Room, 3rd Floor
What are the most cost-effective and creative ways to raise funds for your LEF? Jim Collogan, project director for the National School Foundation Association, will share ideas and best practices garnered from foundations around the country.

Farley

Donor Management Software 101
Associates Room, 3rd Floor
Are your foundation’s donor records in a spreadsheet or maybe even in a shoe box? Gayle Farley, charitable organization endowment funds manager for the Oklahoma City Community Foundation, will decipher the complex world of donor management software and guide you in which factors to consider when choosing such software for your foundation. Learn how the right donor management software can save your foundation time and money.

Winning Grant Ideas for Teachers: Round Two
Elementary Teachers: Frontier Room, 2nd Floor
Secondary Teachers: Heritage Room, 2nd Floor
Successful teacher grant recipients from throughout the state will share their award-winning ideas and proposal-writing strategies in a round-table format in a variety of subject areas.

Session C: 11:30 a.m. -12:15 p.m.

Cartwright

Foundation Grants: How to Find Them and How to Get Funded
Meacham Auditorium, 2nd Floor
As the executive director of the Sarkeys Foundation of Norman, Cheri Cartwright brings practical advice and humor from the funder’s perspective on how to identify the right funding sources for your organization and how to write a successful grant proposal. She also brings a wealth of experience as a nonprofit management trainer and consultant.

DonorsChoose: Opening New Doors for Classroom Funding (Repeat Session)
Scholars Room, 3rd Floor
Robert Boyd, regional director of DonorsChoose, will explain how this revolutionary online nonprofit is helping teachers find funding for innovative classroom projects. Find out what it means for your LEF and how you can partner with DonorsChoose to increase support for students in your district.

Brown

Building Better Readers: Payne Education Center Programs
Governors Room, 3rd Floor
Payne Education Center, a nonprofit founded in 1984, provides training in Multisensory Alphabetic Phonics to teachers serving all children, especially those with dyslexia. Payne Education Center’s professional development opportunities to teachers include core reading, intervention and remediation of language learning differences. Center Director Carrie Brown will discuss how their programs, supported by the State Department of Education’s Special Education Programs, can help reading education in your district.

Where Do We Go From Here? Strategic Planning for LEFs
Regents Room, 3rd Floor
Is your foundation “stuck in a rut” or growing and changing to meet the needs of your school district? Join Jim Collogan, program director for the National School Foundation Association, as he explains the process of strategic planning and how it can help your new or long-established LEF better serve the students and educators in your district.

Marketing Your Foundation on a Shoestring Budget
Associates Room, 3rd Floor
Promoting the mission and accomplishments of your LEF is as critical to your mission as fundraising. Brenda Wheelock, director of development and communications for the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, will explore several low-cost ways to market your foundation while increasing community involvement in your public schools.

Put the Learner First!
Elementary Teachers: Frontier Room, 2nd Floor
Secondary Teachers: Heritage Room, 2nd Floor
A panel of Medal for Excellence-winning educators will facilitate an interactive session on current trends in education and ways the school, community and state can join in the quest for academic excellence.

Fall Forum Luncheon, 12:30 p.m.
Ballroom, 3rd Floor
The Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence will recognize the winners of the 2007 Outstanding Program Awards for Local Education Foundations. State Regents Chancellor Glen D. Johnson will deliver the forum’s keynote address, discussing the challenges facing education and the need for all levels of education to be accountable.

Registration
When you register for the Fall Forum, you will receive admission for all sessions, continental breakfast, lunch and handouts – all for just $50 per person, if you register by Oct. 8. Late registration is $60 per person. Tickets will not be mailed. Reservations will be held at the door.

Complete the registration form (PDF, 661k), making a separate copy for each person who plans to attend. Include payment by check or school district purchase order. This form must arrive at the Foundation office by Monday, Oct. 8, to avoid the late registration fee.

Sponsorships
Your sponsorship helps underwrite the cost of the Fall Forum. Any amount over $50 per person is a tax-deductible contribution to the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. All donors will be recognized in the Fall Forum luncheon program.

A $75 Individual Sponsorship includes registration for one person and a $25 charitable contribution.
A $200 Team Sponsorship includes registration for two and a $100 charitable contribution.
A $500 Corporate Sponsorship includes registration for four and a $300 charitable contribution.

Directions
From I-35 take the Main Street exit (downtown) to University Boulevard. Turn right (south) on University to Boyd. Turn left (east) on Boyd to Asp if parking at the Union Parking Garage. Turn right (west) on Boyd to Elm if parking at the Elm Avenue Garage. *Note: Maximum clearance of Union Garage is 6’8.”

Parking
Free parking for the Fall Forum is available in the Elm Avenue Parking Garage, located south of Catlett Music Center, between Boyd Street and Brooks Street. The metered parking between the first and second levels will be flagged for you.

A limited number of free, close-up parking passes to the Union Parking Garage are available to the first 100 people who complete the Early-Bird Parking request with their registration. Important: Early Birds will be notified by mail and receive their Union parking passes by Oct. 18. All others must park at the Elm Avenue Garage. Click here to view a map of the parking area.

Questions? Call us at (405) 236-0006 or e-mail us at info@ofe.org.