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Session 4E
A Year in Hot Topics: A Review of Compliance
Sarah Thomas, Mary Weingarnter, Mandy L. Smith, and Serena Livingston
Thursday, September 23
11:00 – 12:00 PM (PT) | 2:00 – 3:00 PM (ET)
Gone are the days of donors saying to organizations, “Here’s my check. I trust you to use to it legally and ethically to make a difference in the world.” As scrutiny of fundraising operations increases, so do demands for transparency and compliance. This session will discuss this year's hottest compliance topics, as industry experts explore how they approach these topics from a variety of viewpoints. Some areas they will focus on are the IRS, federal regulations, donor influence, naming policies, and gift agreements. This panel will also share examples, and tricks and tips.
Learning Objectives
Attendees will learn:
- What are this year's hot topics in donor relations compliance and gift compliance
- How various organizations and institutions are addressing these issues.
- What can impact their organization or institution if they are not keeping up with these hot topics in donor relation compliance and gift compliance.
Keywords: Networking Opportunities, Scholarships, Gift Management Policies and Process, Endowment, Gift Documentation
Track: Industry Trends & Hot Topics
| About the Speakers |
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 Sarah Thomas
Director of Donor Services
North Carolina State University
With more than 15 years of non-profit and six years of higher education experience, Sarah oversees gift agreements, naming opportunities, endowment reporting, the distinguished professorship program and gift acceptance. Previously, she was project manager of gift management at the University of Houston, focusing on process improvement, implementing large projects and creating policy. She has worked with Girl Scouts, Camp Fire USA, American Red Cross and the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Sarah also hosts the monthly call "Hot Topics in Donor Relations/Gift Administration Compliance" to help collaborate with other organizations. She holds a bachelor's degree in cultural anthropology from Baylor University and has completed graduate coursework in applied cultural anthropology. Sarah's expertise is in program building, process improvement, gift compliance, gift agreements, team development, policy creation and partnership building. She takes an interdisciplinary approach to solve problems, deploying research techniques to find root cause issues to improve processes.
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Mary Weingartner
Director of Donor Relations
University of Chicago
TBD
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Mandy L. Smith
Director of Gifts and Records Management, Development & Alumni Relations
Virginia Commonwealth University
Mandy has worked in the advancement services field for 15 years. She began her career in gift management at Clemson University, learning as much as possible about all things gift processing and compliance. In 2014 Mandy took a position with Presbyterian College to lead their small but mighty advancement services shop. Her role at PC allowed her to learn the ins and outs of donor relations and revamped endowment reporting as a piece of that program. From PC, Mandy joined Virginia Commonwealth University to lead their gifts and records management team of 22.Mandy enjoys collaborating with colleagues across all of advancement to improve processes and the donor experiences that make meaningful impacts on people’s lives.
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 Serena Livingston
Recording Secretary, Director of Gift Administration, Institutional Engagement
Rhode Island School of Design
TBD
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