Congratulations Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges!

Institutional Presidents and their respective Development Leaders met in-person/via ZOOM in December 2021 to explore best practices in fundraising, donor relations and campaign design/execution serving thier institutions.

Hats off and major kudos to Gary Davidson, President of Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges, for designing, fund-securing, arranging and hosting a full day of in-depth development 'bootcamp' benefitting 12 impressive community colleges across the state of Oklahoma. Highlights of topical presentation, discussion and best practice deliverables:

1. Campaign 101: Covered topics include key elements and successful strategies surrounding Capital Campaigns, Endowment Campaigns, Annual Giving Campaigns and Project/Program Campaigns.

Customer Feedback: "Craig puts on a wonderful and complete workshop. Thank you Craig for your work, experience, and willingness to share best practices. Your presentations helped generate ideas which I plan to adopt in growing innovative programs serving our campus/institution."

​

MICKEY JACK, MPA

Director of Special Projects

Grant Coordinator

Murray State College

2. Annual Giving: Covering Contact Acquisition, Frequency of Appeals, Year-End Giving, Themed 'Asks', CRM and Database management, Stewardship and Follow-up.

3. Fundraising Cycle: Covering topics include Identification, Qualification, Cultivation Strategies (and two mission-critical qualifiers), Solicitation Strategies and Stewardship Tactics/Plans.

4. Public Private Partnerships: Multi-million dollar projects can be capitalized (funded debt-free) in a myriad of ways including the strategic 'blending' of bonds, community foundations, donor matching program, leadership gifts, urban development funds, etc.

5. Donor Relations: Thanking and recognizing donors is a key component of any campaign and mission-critical to tee up contributions in the next campaign. Stewardship Plan, Naming Opportunities, VIP recognition and digital donor features...are all considerations for a solid strategic plan. Pro tip: In a Capital Campaign, work with the Architect/Designer to add a prospective donor's name to a representative space (renderings) within the new project. Use Photoshop or other software to help the donor 'see their name in lights' relative to the organization's exciting platform.

6. House Parties: Paramount to most of Clemons-Associates campaign consulting and key strategies/execution tactics is 'House Parties'. With history of high close rates (71% in one campaign) and high-energy/high-synergy dynamics led by the host/testimonial donor, 'House Parties' provide for a low-cost platform to a) tell the story; b) present the business case; c)

Thank You Oklahoma Association of Community Colleges and associated great leaders!

What a super workshop with high energy, synergies and compelling dialogue!

Seeking expert involvement from seasoned professionals?

Contact Craig Clemons at craig@clemons-associates.com or one of our rock star associates like Aaron Galindo at aaron@clemons-associates.com for more details. Clemons & Associates is on standby to help you with brand identity, campaigns, social media and/or strategic plans/projects.