Seminar 2020

THANK YOU!

FFE’s flagship program is dedicated to education and professional development for fraternal organization staff and volunteers. We are proud that we were able further this mission in a virtual setting for 2020. This year’s event was our largest ever, with almost 750 interfraternal colleagues participating. For questions about the event, email FFE.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Seminar benefits fraternal organization staff in all functional areas, foundation and fraternity, as well as volunteer leadership. This shared educational experience offers staff and volunteers a full slate of programming aimed toward expanded knowledge across the organization that drives greater benefit for each attendee and greater overall impact.

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT?

Programming features a mix of keynote content, focused breakout sessions, guided small group discussions and online networking over the agenda spanning three half-days. The curriculum is designed to help participants advance our organizations’ missions while also offering an opportunity to learn new strategies and tools, dig into shared business problems and collaborate in a variety of settings.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Seminar content is curated specifically to cover a variety of curriculum areas for fraternal industry professional development, including membership data, communications, engagement, fundraising, management and stewardship.

VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE DETAILS

How can I watch recordings of Seminar sessions?

Registered attendees can access recordings, handouts, slides and more via the Seminar online program book hosted in the the Whova platform. Please check your email for login assistance or contact us. Anyone who wishes to view recordings of Seminar sessions but did not register for the program should email FFE.

Can I watch the Awards of Distinction program?

FFE is proud to recognize outstanding achievements of member organizations and individuals through Awards of Distinction. See more on winners and watch the program recording here!

NIC Meeting of Members

We’ve been great partners with the North American Interfraternity Conference for many years. We look forward to returning to a dual meeting setting in 2021. Mark your calendars and plan now to join us:

2021: August 22-25, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown

The NIC also is offering no-cost professional development opportunities online that pair with Seminar education.
VIEW NIC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

Who do I contact for questions?

Please see below the best contact for specific questions by topic.

Contact FFE Executive Director Ashley VanDewark with questions about:

General Seminar registration, programming or technology
FFE Board of Directors Meeting
FFE Awards of Distinction nominations or winners
FFE Membership

Contact NIC Chief Operating Officer Mike McRee with questions about Alliance Partner membership and registration.

Contact Chief Financial Officer Michael Wilson with questions about invoicing and registration payments.

Contact NIC Chief Executive Officer Jud Horras with questions about the NIC Annual Meeting of Members.

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KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS

DISRUPTION AND CREATIVITY

Gregory Offner

Offner is a professional speaker on the topic of Disruption. Greg’s deep experience in corporate leadership, sales, marketing, risk management, and the entertainment industry make him one of the most sought after “edu-tainers” on Disruption & Creativity. As an dueling piano performer, Greg has performed for audiences on 4 continents, in 9 countries, and in over 15 U.S. States.

2020 FRATERNITY/SORORITY RESEARCH RESULTS

Dr. Gary Pike, Indiana University; Dr. Dawn Watkins Wiese, Plaid; Justin Kirk, NIC Research Committee Chair/Delta Upsilon Executive Director; and Judson Horras, NIC President and CEO (Moderator)

The North American Interfraternity Conference has pursued an aggressive research agenda since August 2019 in areas including the value of the single sex experience; student success and fraternities; mental health and fraternities; the impact of fraternities on first generation students; and substance use and fraternities. This panel will discuss initial findings of The Impact of Fraternal Membership on Student Engagement and Educational Outcomes Study 2.0 in an exclusive session for Seminar attendees.

CYGNUS RESEARCH RESULTS

Jeff Dubberley, Vice President, Cygnus Applied Research

This session will provide a detailed recap of the responses of your members and donors from the 2020 Foundation for Fraternal Excellence Alumni & Donor Engagement Survey, exploring the opportunity that exists to grow both supporter numbers and contributions; identify the messages members and donors find the most compelling; and determine how fraternities and sororities can forge stronger relationships with members at all stages of their lives.

THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

Patrick Alderdice, President and CEO, and Aaron Parker, Vice President, Pennington & Co.

Pennington & Company has researched, compiled and evaluated the IRS Form 990 (c)(3) filings for fraternal foundations for the past 17 years. Pennington has assessed and analyzed this data to find trends from both the administrative and donor perspectives, as well identify the opportunities and challenges that fraternal foundations face in regard to operations and fundraising. This session provides baseline data in regard to assets, revenue and various expenses, in order to provide the State of the Industry.

Foundation officers, staff, board members and volunteers are encouraged to attend this presentation to learn what’s impacting our organizations while collaborating how to strengthen the State of the Industry. Attendees will be emailed a full copy of the report data at the conclusion of the session.

ADVOCATING FOR OUR FUTURE

Dani Weatherford, NPC; Cindy Stellhorn, Fraternity/Sorority Action Fund; Clark Brown, NIC; and Ben Satcher, FFE Board of Directors President (moderator)

This session will recap how a wide variety of collaborators come together for successful recent advocacy campaigns like Stand Up to Harvard and offer tactical solutions and thoughtful perspectives on the future of fraternity/sorority advocacy.

FUNDRAISING AND LEADERSHIP IN 2020

Jason Lewis, Founder, responsivefundraising.com

This active session will look ahead to the fall semester and beyond. How can we as fundraisers plan to support our organizations through the unique challenges of 2020?