Panel discussion and dialogue with Corporate Grantmakers|St. Louis, MO|03/10/2009

Panel discussion and dialogue with Corporate Grantmakers

As the grant seeking process becomes more and more competitive, it is essential to understand what corporate grantmakers are actually looking for when they decide whether or not to fund a nonprofit organization. This session offers an unusual opportunity to hear directly from a variety of corporate foundation and corporate giving funders. Grantmakers will participate in a panel discussion. Issues we will explore with the panelists include:

Corporate partnerships: why are corporations looking to partner with nonprofits?
Getting your foot in the door: how to start a relationship with a corporation when you don't have a relationship
Building an ongoing relationship with a corporation: how to keep the dollars flowing beyond the first check

Whether you have been securing grants for decades or are just starting out, the panel discussion will provide you with a valuable view of the grantmaking world from the point of view of the grantmaker.

Speakers for this session:

Janet Bandera

President

Bandera Law Firm, PC/Foundation Mentors

Janet Nava Bandera, President of the Bandera Law Firm, PC., is engaged in the practice of law specializing in estate planning and family and corporate philanthropy. She was a columnist for the Journal of Practical Estate Planning, published by CCH, writing on charitable giving from 2003-2008. She was appointed by Gov. Blunt to the Missouri Women’s Council in 2008 and serves on the Ronald McDonald House Planned Giving Committee. She is a prior board member of Gilda’s Club, AMC Cancer Research Center, American Cancer Society Planned Giving Board, 1904 World’s Fair Charitable Foundation and past Member of Gateway Center for Giving (formerly MAP). As a trustee for the Moneta Group Charitable Foundation, Janet serves with the other board members to review and make grant determinations. In 2008, Janet founded FOUNDATION MENTORS, a consulting firm for family foundations.

Mary Deverman

Manager, Corporate Community Relations

Centene Corporation

Mary Deverman joined Centene Corporation in 2006 as manager, corporate community relations. In this role Mary provides oversight of the company’s two foundations: Centene Charitable Foundation and the Centene Foundation for Quality Healthcare. She also manages workplace giving initiatives, such as United Way, and serves as a general liaison between Centene and the community. Prior to joining Centene, Mary was the executive director of the St. Louis Family Justice Center, an organization in which numerous independent agencies collaborate to provide comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence and their children. Mary graduated from Saint Louis University School of Public Health with a master’s degree in public health. She is currently a member of several nonprofit boards, including St. Louis Arc, St. Louis Sports Commission and Cultural Festivals.

Kevin Miquelon

President

Pfoodman Holdings, LLC

Kevin Miquelon is President of Pfoodman and guides the company’s organizational & leadership development, strategic planning & execution, brand & program development, and oversees business development. He is heavily involved in customer satisfaction and continuous improvement in all areas of the company. Pfoodman is in the “good food” business and works diligently to partner with their customers and achieve a culture that produces the highest quality in the product and services that they offer. The Pfoodman company’s portfolio includes accounts in Higher Education, Upscale Independent Senior Living, Private K-12 schools, and Consulting. The company is involved in charitable marketing efforts and has worked with a number of organizations via in kind donations including, time, product and services, and money. They choose organizations that are aligned with their "missions" and have recently had some significant success working with Trailnet to promote community and active living.

Matt Oldani

Manager, Foundation Bear

Build-A-Bear Workshop

In his role as Foundation Bear at Build-A-Bear Workshop, Matt Oldani promotes the company’s teddy bear philosophy of being good members of the community and the world by managing the company’s two corporate foundations: the Build-A-Bear Workshop Foundation and the Build-A-Bear Workshop Bear Hugs Foundation. The foundations support children’s health and wellness, animals, the environment, and literacy and education. Oldani’s responsibilities include managing the foundations and its grant making activity, community relations, and other corporate charitable initiatives. After 15 years as a development officer for various organizations in Washington and St. Louis, Oldani has been with Build-A-Bear Workshop for 2 years. Oldani holds a bachelor of science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and a master of business administration and a master of arts in American Studies from Saint Louis University.

Kathy Osborn

Executive Director

The Regional Business Council

Kathleen T. Osborn is Executive Director of the Regional Business Council, a consortium of 100 presidents and CEOs of mid-cap companies in the region. Formerly, she was Vice Chancellor of University Relations at the University of Missouri at St. Louis. Osborn spearheaded the establishment of the Regional Business Council in 1999 while serving as a Senior Vice President at the RCGA. Since 2001, the RBC has granted over $1.2 million in grants and in-kind services through its philanthropic arm, St. Louis Social Venture Partners, which leverages the business expertise of its Partners to build capacity in non-profit organizations. In addition, the RBC makes annual contributions to non-profit organizations in the region in areas of education, diversity, and quality of life.

St Louis Fundraising Summit

A relationship approach to fundraising
Nonprofit fundraising has become highly specialized, and each segment of your donor market requires a different set of relationship management skills. Whether you are reaching out to private foundations, wealthy individuals or your own members, you need to understand who they give to, and why. The St. Louis Summit focuses on the relationship aspects of fundraising, and offers you several ways to enhance your relationship management skills:

Day One:
In the morning, listen to a panel of private, corporate and community grantmakers who will openly discuss their philosophy on grantmaking, how they operate, and most important, how you can build a more successful relationship with the grantmaking community. In the afternoon, participate in seminars led by experienced grant seekers who have successfully secured many corporate and foundation grants, and have built successful relationships with the grantmaking community.

Day Two:
Attend a series of fundraising seminars covering the hottest areas of fundraising (capital campaigns, major gifts, annual giving campaigns, and many more). Panels of experts will discuss the latest developments in these fields, and then enter into a dialogue with the participants that addresses their most pressing questions.

WHY ATTEND THE FUNDRAISING SUMMIT?
Fundraising is primarily a relationship business, and with increasing pressures facing all nonprofit professionals to build key relationships, it is becoming more important, though much more difficult to meet people face-to-face. Our innovative Summit format provides the most efficient and cost effective use of time away from the office by enabling attendees to interact with experts in the field, as well as other nonprofit leaders.

CAN ONE ATTEND SPECIFIC SESSIONS ONLY?
We understand the demands that are placed on you and on your time. That’s why you can attend only the seminars that are of interest to you. Come for the day or stop by for a couple of hours. You pay for only the seminars you wish to attend and only for the information relevant to you. It’s a novel approach to learning that allows you to get exactly what you’re looking for in a short amount of time. In 2009, we are introducing a two-day pass so that attendees can attend all sessions at a reduced price.

WHAT IS THE FORMAT OF THE SEMINARS?
Each seminar features a panel of 3-4 experts who will break down the fundraising process into a series of phases with measurable outcomes and action steps for each phase. During the seminar, panelists will engage with the audience in an interactive manner to ensure that the sessions are educational and also fun to attend.

ONE-ON-ONE MENTORING SESSIONS
In 2009, we are adding an exciting new component to our Summits: one on mentoring sessions. In these 30 minute sessions, you can sit down with an experienced nonprofit fundraiser to discuss specific questions not addressed by the seminars. Mentoring sessions will cover the same topics as the seminar topics.

HOW IS THE SUMMIT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER EDUCATIONAL EVENTS?
The Summit offers a unique format to help you accomplish the following:

Build relationships: to ensure maximum exposure to the experts and other nonprofit leaders, each seminar offers structured networking before the session starts
Hear different perspectives: the experts are drawn from different sectors of the nonprofit community to ensure cross-pollination of ideas and practices
Provide a global view: speakers give an overview of key issues so that you can eliminate any gaps in your understanding of the subject
Drill down to the specifics: speakers will also focus on providing specific answers to real-world questions that are common to most attendees
Obtain information you can use: the emphasis in all sessions is on avoiding theoretical discussions in favor of practical tools and techniques that nonprofit leaders can actually use

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUMMIT?
The Summit is organized by the Center for Nonprofit Success, a nonprofit organization that specializes in bringing highly relevant information that nonprofit leaders need to run their organizations successfully. We developed the Fundraising Summit series as a follow-on to the Nonprofit Success Forum, a highly successful educational series on grantmaking that has been taking place around the country for the past two years. The Fundraising Summit drills down into specific areas of fundraising to give nonproft leaders cutting edge tools and techniques.

HOW DO I REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT?
Simply click on the seminars listed below to learn more about the topics that will be covered in each seminar. Then select only those seminars that you wish to attend.

Location/Directions

The Summit will take place at the Busch Student Center, which is located on the St. Louis University Campus. The Busch Center is easy to reach by public or private transportation, and the full address is:
St. Louis University, Busch Student Center
20 North Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103

Public Transportation
The Busch Student Center is MetroLink accessible. The Grand station is the MetroLink station closest to St. Louis University (SLU). From there, the University offers two transportation options to campus: the SLU Shuttle or SLU Ride.

SLU Shuttle
This service operates 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday - Friday during the academic year. Shuttles are clearly marked with SLU colors and images, and they stop 4 times an hour on both sides of Grand Boulevard near MetroLink's Grand station. For the complete SLU Shuttle schedule and route, click here.
To catch the SLU Shuttle:
1.    Get oriented. After you exit the train, look for the street beyond the train tracks. When you're facing the street, you're facing north. To your right is east.
2.    Take the east staircase or elevator up to Grand Boulevard.
3.    Once you're on Grand Boulevard, wait on the platform for the next shuttle.

SLU Ride
This program offers prompt rides to campus. Depending on the time of day, you'll ride in a car or a van. All SLU Ride vehicles are clearly marked as University vehicles.
To arrange a SLU Ride:
1.    Get oriented. After you exit the train, look for the street beyond the train tracks. When you're facing the street, you're facing north. To your right is east.
2.    Look for the metal SLU Escort call box on the backside of the east elevator shaft. Press the button to call the dispatcher. OR Use your cell phone to call the dispatcher: (314) 977-3000.
3.    When the dispatcher answers, identify yourself as a SLU visitor who wants to be taken either to the north end of campus.
4.    Take the east staircase or elevator up to Grand Boulevard.
5.    Once you're on Grand Boulevard, wait on the platform for the SLU car/van.

Directions by Car

NORTHEAST: I-55/70 south across the Poplar Street Bridge; I-64 west to
Grand Boulevard exit. Right on Grand. Right on Lindell and
then right into Olive/Compton Garage (visitor lot).

NORTHWEST: I-70 east to I-170 south to I-64 east to Grand Boulevard
exit. Right on Grand. Right on Lindell and then right into
Olive/Compton Garage (visitor lot).

SOUTH: I-55 north to I-44 west to Grand Boulevard exit. Left at the
stop sign, right on Grand. Right on Lindell and then right
into Olive/Compton Garage (visitor lot).

SOUTHWEST: I-44 east to Grand Boulevard exit. Left on Grand; left on
Laclede into Laclede Parking Grand. Right on Lindell and
then right into Olive/Compton Garage (visitor lot).

Parking at the Busch Student Center
Visitor parking is available at Olive Compton Garage at the cost of $5 per day- cash only.

Hotel Accommodations
Most hotels near the Busch Student Center venue are within the $145-230 per night range. The following hotels are within a 2 ½ mile radius of the hotel.

1.    Residence Inn by Marriott            Book Now        1 mile from venue
2.    Courtyard by Marriott St. Louis Downtown    Book Now        1.1 miles from venue
3.    The Hampton Inn St. Louis Downtown/Union Station       Book Now        1.2 miles from venue
4.    St. Louis Union Station Marriott                           Book Now        1.5 miles from venue
5.    Sheraton St. Louis City Center Hotel & Suites                 Book Now        1.8 miles from venue

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One-on-one mentoring

Click on any seminar title or the arrow on the right side to learn more about that seminar

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