Are your Board of Directors an active part of your Fundraising and Philanthropy plans? Participate in an active panel discussion on June 20th led by 3 regional not-for-profit professionals representing the small, medium, and large scales of successful board engagement in fundraising ideas and best practices. Explore the practical approaches to build collective buy in with your board members for small and large fundraising goals, and how to best communicate and track involvement to achieve the best results.
Panel Members:
Jason Altenbern - Vice President of Agency Advancement, Little Friends, Inc.
Jason has 20 years of experience in creating small- and large-scale community engagement opportunities with a large spectrum of business, civic and governmental partners. Strong familiarity with development including individual giving, grants, special events and corporate partnerships; research, marketing and communications, supervising diverse teams, public speaking and strategic planning. Self-starter with extensive volunteer experience in local non-profit organizations. As Vice President of Agency Advancement, he is responsible for planning, organizing and directing all of Little Friend's fundraising, including the major gifts program, annual fund, planned giving, special events and any capital campaigns.
Courtney Simek - Executive Director, Senior Home Sharing
Courtney is a certified strategic planning consultant and is beginning her 6th year as school board president in School District 44 in Lombard. During her time as president, Courtney has led the board through changing leadership, innovative solutions for student growth and achievement and has been the primary champion for the district’s strategic planning process. She brings with her over 15 years of experience as executive director in the nonprofit sector of Illinois. Her areas of expertise include professional and grassroots fundraising, collaborations and mergers. Courtney has successfully launched county wide initiatives in early childhood and affordable housing.
Kathleen Spiess, CFRE - Vice President of Development, The Morton Arboretum
Kathleen oversees all aspects of development, including giving and membership programs, to support the growth and advancement of the Arboretum as The Champion of Trees. Under her direction was the successful conclusion of the Growing Brilliantly campaign, which raised $73.9 million to ensure the future of trees and the benefits they provide for people, communities, and the environment.
The Morton Arboretum is the world’s leading tree-focused botanical garden, the Arboretum advances initiatives locally and globally for the planting and protection of trees through plant collections, education and public outreach programs, and scientific research. Among its supporters are 53,000 members and 1.3 million annual visitors.
Ms. Spiess joined the Arboretum in 2014 after holding development positions in higher education and health care. She is a Certified Fund Raising Executive with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Communication from Western Michigan University. She resides in Elmhurst, IL.
