March 2022

Strategic Planning Design Webinar Tuesday, April 26, 10:00 a.m. Join Oklahoma School Foundations Network Director Katy Leffel and Edmond Public Schools Foundation Executive Director Deanna Boston to talk about the importance of strategic planning to school foundation success, and how your foundation can use a strategic plan as a powerful communication and fundraising tool. Learn how to leverage free, widely available technology tools like Zoom and Google Suite to survey stakeholders, review and prioritize goals based on survey feedback and design a virtual, hybrid or in-person planning session that maximizes time spent on constructive tasks. Customizing a process that works for your foundation can be a game changer. Katy and Deanna will share the story of how the Edmond Public Schools Foundation board held a successful, completely virtual planning session in January 2021 at the height of the pandemic by designing a process utilizing these free technology tools.

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Certified Education Foundation Leader Course Registration Open NOW! The Certificate in Education Foundation Leadership, CEFL, is the professional standard and is the only certification program designed exclusively for education foundation leaders and executives. This program provides foundation leaders with specific skills and knowledge required to lead and manage an education foundation, regardless of size. Across the country, education foundations and their leaders need to operate more efficiently to impact the education community they serve, more effectively. The CEFL Certification Program strengthens an education foundation to succeed now and into the future with proven standards of excellence for the administration and management of an education foundation regardless of foundation size, geographic location, or education community served [IE: Public, Private, Charter, Magnet, and College]. Based on the Guiding Principles for Education Foundations, the CEFL Certification Program provides critical insights from subject matter experts in six domains. Specifically: Leadership & Planning, Marketing, Legal & Finance, Resource Development, Board Development, and Collaboration. This course is offered through the National Association of Education Foundations, and registration is open now!

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Tax Credit Q&A Zoom Tuesday, April 5, 10:00 a.m. The Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act allows Oklahomans that donate to eligible public school foundations or public school districts to reallocate tax liabilities and receive a portion of their gift back in state income tax credits. Gifts to designated educational improvement projects allow donors to support innovative educational opportunities for public school students and save on their state taxes. This law has the potential to create new donor opportunities for school foundations. Join OSFN Director Katy Leffel for an informal discussion of this law and a chance to ask questions about how school foundations can successfully implement this program. Information on the law and its potential for school foundations is available on our website. This Zoom is free and open to all school foundation leaders and volunteers. Please register at the link below to receive your link to this session.

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School Foundation Support for Homeless Students: A Panel Discussion Webinar Tuesday, May 10, 10:00 a.m. How can public school foundations advocate for and support homeless students? Join OSFN Director Katy Leffel in a discussion on this important topic with Mid-Del Public Schools Foundation Director Lindse Barks and Moore Public Schools Foundation Director Clayton Ramick. The Moore and Mid-Del foundations are both engaged in homeless student support and will share background on how they got started and the actions they are taking to make an impact.

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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.