Our Giving Community Online Conference Center
Past Conferences  Monday, December 1, 2008

2009 National Workplace Giving Summit

New Orleans, Louisiana January 28-30, 2009

"Following the Currents"

 Welcome to Our Giving Community’s annual

 gathering of workplace giving professionals,

 volunteers, employers and other stakeholders.  

 Come to New Orleans next January to share best

 practices, identify the latest trends, and find points

 of collaboration in our shared quest to grow

 workplace giving as a long-term resource for improving

 the human condition and protecting the environment. 

 We will meet at the International House Hotel, conveniently

 located in New Orleans' Central Business District, a short

 walk from the French Quarter.

Look Who's Coming!

Register online or pay by check

The registration link above allows you to enroll online and make payment with your Visa or Master Card.  Our Giving Community members

receive discounted rates. To pay by check download the registration form and mail with your check.

Reserve your hotel room today

The conference room rate is $119/night single/double or $149/night double/double. You may reserve your room by calling (800) 633-5770

and indicating you are with the "National Workplace Giving Summit."

If you have questions about the 2009 Summit or would like to get involved in the planning process, contact our

Training Committee Chair Perry Bird

2009 Sponsors (as of 11/25/08)

Agenda & Curriculum as of November 25th, 2008 (subject to change)

Wednesday, January 28th

2:00 pm  Conference Registration Center & Internet Café Open

5:00 – 6:30 pm  Welcome Reception in Exhibitor’s Hall

6:30 – 8:00 pm  A Celebration of the Life of Greg Truog

 The 2009 Summit will begin with a tribute and party to honor

 and remember Greg Truog, who passed away suddenly on

 April 2, 2008.  Please join us for an evening of music, memories,

 laughter and tears as we give thanks for the gifts that Greg shared

 with us as a colleague, mentor and friend.

Thursday, January 29th

7:30 a.m.  Breakfast

8:30 a.m.   Conference Keynote – David Domke – “The Hope Covenant”

  Following the praise for David Domke’s “Speaking American” workshop at the 2008 Workplace Giving Summit

  in Los Angeles, we have invited David to join us in New Orleans to build on the material he presented last year. 

  A professor of journalism at the University of Washington in Seattle, David helps nonprofit organizations and

  others faced with the challenges of mass communication understand the core values that underlie American life

  and how to shape messages that will resonate among diverse audiences.  In his keynote address, David will

 share his perspective on Americans' yearning for hope. To have hope is to believe that good things are coming

 and that one’s trajectory in life is leading toward positive outcomes. The importance of such an outlook has been

 recognized and emphasized by transformative leaders for time immemorial, including some of the United States’

 most inspiring presidents. It is hope that stirs people to do things they never imagined. It is hope that gets people

 out of bed on difficult mornings. And it is hope that compels people to cross dividing lines and overcome fears and

 prejudices. So, what have we done today to offer a sense of hope—to both ourselves and others? It is time to reflect

                                                 upon and renew our commitments, to take steps anew to do the things we can do.

 10:00  a.m.  BREAK

10:30 a.m.  Think Out Loud – Open Space Roundtables

  Attendees of past conferences have placed a high value on opportunities for

 networking and organizing informal discussions on topics of pressing concern. 

 After David Domke’s presentation, we’ll devote the remainder of the morning to

 an open roundtable setting in which you are free to roam.  We’ll have some

 facilitated tables planned in advance on topics such as “Introduction to Workplace

 Giving,” “the value of federations,” “workplace access 101,” and “Collaboration: What’s

 Working?,” along with tables where groups can form spontaneously.  Groups will be

 asked to take notes and report back on the Our Giving Community web site.

12:30 pm   2009 Our Giving Community Annual Awards Luncheon

 Our annual awards luncheon honors excellence, innovation and

 leadership among workplace giving charities and the employers

 who sponsor campaigns.  In 2008, Victoria Pipken-Lane

 (center, holding award) and the County of Los Angeles were

 honored for their commitment to promoting charitable giving and

 community service among Los Angeles County employees. 

 With appreciation to awards luncheon sponsor America's Charities.

2:00 PM – Afternoon Breakout Sessions

The afternoon offers three separate tracks, each of them integrated learning experiences offering the most value if you

attend the entire track.  Each session will break at 3:30, resume at 4:00, and conclude at 5:30 p.m.

Track I: New Business Development

The goal of this afternoon program is to help staff and board members who are relatively new to the field understand the organizational systems they need to have in place and learn the most effective strategies for encouraging employers to expand their traditional campaign.  Topics will include:

Session 1- Focuses on working with your board and members

• The Board’s role in new business development – how to engage your board and secure their commitment to the process

• Your member groups’ role in new business development – how to engage your member groups and secure their commitment to the process

• Training board members, staff and other volunteers to be effective organizers for new campaigns

• Best practices in new campaign development

• Creating a new business development plan for your organization

Presenters to include:  Mary MacDonald, Earth Share of New York; Hilde Lipson, MaineShare

Session 2- Focuses on working with workplaces

• How to deepen the relationship with a potential workplace giving employer with the goal of eventually being including in the campaign
• Specific challenges in accessing large national companies
• Specific challenges in accessing midsize companies

Track 2:  Best Practices in Workplace Campaigns

Over the course of the afternoon you will:

• Learn what a workplace giving campaigns are (public vs. private) and get a sense of best practices for managing workplace giving campaigns

• Examine public campaigns more in-depth; learn their specific challenges and how to work within the rules

• Learn effective “customer service” techniques for building relationships with workplaces and campaign coordinators there

• Connect with colleagues who have similar organizations, and possibly, similar challenges in their work

 Presenters to be announced

Track 3:  “Speaking American” 

An encore seminar by David Domke, Professor and Head of Journalism, Department of Communication,  University of Washington.

Research on the strategic communications of U.S. organizations and political leaders shows that public opinion and behavior are driven by

those who identify a small number of culturally resonant values and then emphasize the values consistently, persistently, and with a unified

voice. In this workshop we will work on the process of articulation — the use of language in purposeful ways to create clear connections

between guiding principles and social priorities. The workshop will present a framework known as Talking American, which emphasizes

the importance of moral and nation-enhancing values and offers a set of tried-and-tested techniques for communicating these views.

The workshop will be highly interactive and hands-on, drawing upon examples from contemporary American culture and providing participants

with a template they can use in their communications with colleagues.

5:30 pm  Afternoon Tracks Adjourn

6:00 pm Our Giving Community Annual Benefit Auction & Dinner

 The price of admission is included in your conference registration! 

 Join us for a festive evening and important annual fundraiser for Our Giving

 Community.   Greg Truog was our auctioneer in Los Angeles, pictured here

 with 2008 Auction Co-Chair Lisa Doucett of Community Shares of New England.

 In 2009 we are pleased to welcome back Shelley Wascom, Community Shares

Tennessee, as our auctioneer.

8:30 pm  Auction concludes

Friday, January 30th

7:30 a.m.  Breakfast

8:00 a.m.  Our Giving Community Annual Membership Meeting

All conference attendees are welcome to attend our annual meeting .This is also your opportunity to sign up for 2008 committee membership!

9:00  Break

9:15 a.m.  Technology Plenary Part I: The future of e-giving in workplace campaigns

A panel comprised of e-giving specialists and technology vendors will offer their insights on the evolution of electronic giving in the workplace

campaign environment.  Who are the leading technology providers in this space today?  What have we learned about e-campaigns, what

models are most popular among employers and employees, and where is improvement most needed?  How can charities partner effectively

with employers and technology providers to ensure their success in paperless campaigns?

Presenters will include:

Mylo Carbia, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Amerigives, Inc.

Real R. Bedard, Vice President, Helix Ltd. (Developer of Andar360)

10:15 a.m.   BREAK

10:30 a.m.  Technology Plenary Part II: Internet Innovations to grow your organization

We'll conclude the morning full plenary session with a panel of technology entrepreneurs and workplace giving leaders who are using the Internet in creative ways to

heighten visibility, reach new audiences, and raise new money.  Case studies will include www.good2gether.com, which connects nonprofits to millions

of Internet users through dynamic links to online news feeds, and www.mycoloradoproject.org, a new venture by Community Shares of Colorado to

reach and engage young professionals throughout the state.

Speakers will include:

Greg McHale, CEO, good2gether.com

Alyssa Kopf, CEO, Community Shares of Colorado

11:30  Lunch

1:00 Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Track 1 Best Practices in Workplace Campaigns – Advanced

Part I: Using E-Mails and e-Newsletters to build campaigns

The goal of this session is to learn how you can keep your organization fresh in donors’ minds and cultivate a year-round connection with them.  You will hear how OGC member organizations have developed e-mail / e-newsletter campaigns and plans that have built donor loyalty and relationships, and you will find outhow to integrate e-mail outreach with workplace giving campaign milestones and other fundraising plans.  The session also will cover how you can write and design e-newsletters and emails that are readable, compelling and sure to engage employees.

Presenters to be announced

Part II: Engaging donors beyond the traditional campaign

What happens when your donor leaves the workplace?  Or works for a small employer with no workplace giving campaign? Or is

self-employed?  Attracting and keeping non-traditional donors when they leave a workplace giving campaign requires a new approach. 

In this session you will learn how to recruit and retain non-traditional donors and explore ways to effectively use online giving and

non-traditional donor events (happy hours, house parties, etc) to retain donors.

Presenters to be announced

Track 2 Technology Product Demonstrations

Presenters from the morning technology panels will conduct 30 minute demonstrations of their pledging systems and other online services.

Schedule to be announced.

2:30 BREAK

2:45 pm  Afternoon Tracks 1 and 2 resume

4:00 pm  Conference Adjourns