January 2021

Free Board Training Available Oklahoma School Foundations Network Director Katy Leffel offers free board retreat training, available to all public school foundations in Oklahoma. Katy has several presentations ready to go, and can tailor a message to suit your board needs. Here are a few comments from Oklahoma foundation leaders on their board training experience with Katy: "Having the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence in our corner is one of the best tools we have. I was asked to bring a few relevant guests to our board meetings for a small training and Katy helped out perfectly! She gave some tips and tricks to my board about coming up with their elevator speech and gave several real-life examples of how beneficial this could be. Additionally, she gave us a big picture lesson on Robert's Rules of Order. Each board meeting since her attendance we have spoken about things we learned from her expertise. We can't recommend enough for OFE and Katy to be a part of your board training!" – Clayton Ramick, Moore Public Schools Foundation "Our board was not only grateful that Katy was willing to provide training as part of our yearly orientation but impressed with her level of knowledge and insight. In addition to laying out the roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit board member, she inspired strategic thinking and tied it back to the NSFA Guiding Principles. We are looking forward to working with her as a facilitator for the board of director's strategic planning this winter." – Deanna Boston, Edmond Public Schools Foundation   "The Putnam City Schools Foundation was so grateful to have Katy as a trainer during one of our board meetings. Her presentation was exactly what our board needed to hear, and they came away with a better understanding of their role in promoting and fundraising for our organization. Her natural warmth and knowledge translated effectively in our virtual meeting." – Jennifer Seal, Putnam City Schools Foundation If you are interested in scheduling a free retreat or training for your board, reach out to Katy- kleffel@ofe.org, (405) 922-5420.

Networking Zoom for Volunteer Foundation Leaders Are you looking to share ideas and grow your school foundation? The Oklahoma School Foundation Network is planning to start an hour long bi-monthly networking opportunity for volunteer foundation leaders. We would love to have a group of 20 interested volunteers to get this group started. Meetings would be held on Zoom, and time and day of the week will be decided by the majority of the group. If you would like to join this group, please email Katy Leffel, kleffel@ofe.org to indicate your interest!

NEW- NSFA Leader's Edge Newsletter The National School Foundation Association is producing a bi-monthly e-newsletter, Leader's Edge, for school foundation leaders across the country. This resource is free, available to both members and non-members and will be a great resource for foundations. Head over to the NSFA website to view the January issue.

National School Foundation Association Virtual Conference Slated February 23-26

By moving the annual conference to a virtual format, the 2021 National School Foundation Association will provide foundations across the country the opportunity to participate in this year's event remotely. The conference will take place Feb. 23 through 26, with sessions available from noon to 3 p.m. each day. Conference registration is open now, with discounts for NSFA members. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from and be inspired by school foundation experts from across the country. The Oklahoma School Foundations Network offers half-price memberships to the National School Foundation Association. Our 2020-21 membership renewals are underway now. You should have received a letter from the Oklahoma School Foundations Network with renewal information at the beginning of September. The forms from that letter are available via the links below. PLUS membership, based on your foundation size, is just half of what it would cost your organization to join NSFA separately. In addition to conference discounts NSFA offers its members a large array of benefits. Check out the links below to view the benefits and start your application!

NSFA Conference Information

NSFA Member Benefits

NSFA Plus Membership Application

Welcome to our new 2020-21 PLUS members: The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools Edmond Public Schools Foundation Mid-Del Public Schools Foundation Union Schools Education Foundation Jenks Public Schools Foundation Norman Public School Foundation Bartlesville Public Schools Foundation Claremore Public Schools Foundation Clinton Public School Foundation Foundation for Tulsa Schools Great Plains Technology Center Foundation Metro-Tech Foundation Pryor Academic Excellence Foundation Enid Public School Foundation Duke School Foundation Education Foundation of Muskogee Sayre Public School Foundation Grove Education Foundation for Excellence

On-Call Help for Foundations Oklahoma School Foundations Network Director Katy Leffel provides FREE on-call help to all Oklahoma foundations. Have a question or need a sample document? Call or email Katy for support: (405) 922-5420, kleffel@ofe.org. Katy is also available to lead board retreats and strategic planning sessions.

The Oklahoma School Foundations Network is a program of the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. Follow us on Facebook, and find more information at www.ofe.org.