By Carol Frank
As the chair of the CU Foundation’s Trustee Engagement Committee, I am often asked by fellow trustees how they can get more involved. Of course, we would not be trustees if we were not already involved with CU. And yet there is no question that we are a group that wants to do more! Here are some ideas and stories from fellow trustees that we hope you will find helpful and inspiring.
Find an area of CU you are passionate about and host an event to increase awareness
Trustee Kathy Finley has taken this concept to a whole new level! Over the last several years, Kathy has hosted multiple events for a variety of CU-related causes. These events are designed to increase awareness of the particular cause and (hopefully) these causes will inspire new donors. Examples of events Kathy has hosted are:
- Kathy and trustee Dawn Wood co-hosted "CU at Lunch" for 30 of their friends at the Denver Country Club. The lunch featured a faculty member from the CU Anschutz Medical Campus.
- Kathy hosted a donor lunch in Palm Desert in coordination with the "CU in the Desert" weekend for CU Boulder.
- Kathy hosted a cocktail party in her home for the Boots to Suits program and inspired donors to give $13,000 to this organization that helps veterans transition from CU Denver to the business world.
- This year Kathy, Heidi Ganahl and I co-hosted an event in Kathy’s home for Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors (C-P.A.W.W.). We had about 75 people attend and it was a hugely successful event.
- Kathy is now working on taking 20 women out to the Depression Center at CU Anschutz to hear speakers, learn about the services offered and meet with Heather Mulvihill, the center’s board chair and new trustee.
In October, I hosted an event at my home for about 30 guests designed to create awareness around the leading-edge work that CU Anschutz is doing in the field of breast cancer. Our speaker was Dr. Virginia Borges, a world-renowned expert in breast cancer in young women. I did not tout this as a fundraiser, nor did we ask for money at the event. Instead we advertised this as an opportunity to "learn more about this important work being done at CU Anschutz."
The event was wildly successful and resulted in multiple requests for tours of the CU Anschutz campus from attendees who would like to learn more.
Mentor a new trustee
Your first several trustee meetings can be overwhelming as you meet many new people and learn the ropes. Dawn Massop Love was a new trustee last year when longtime trustees Marianne Franklin and Fred Bradford took her under their wings. Here’s how Dawn describes her experience as a new trustee:
Outstanding and overwhelming—Being in a room of such renowned people, who would I talk to? Thankfully my mentor Marianne Franklin had reached out before my first meeting and then I had an assigned table to head to. There I met Fred Bradford who was the table captain and he offered to answer any questions for me. Fred has made a point to greet me at every meeting and wherever I have run into him since. He takes the time to introduce me to other board members and truly made me feel welcomed. I strive to do the same for others, introducing them to each other. What an amazing group of people, what great information we receive and now I have such a great perspective to share with others about all that is happening behind the scenes at the various campuses. In fact, I was able to direct a recent friend to UCCS as an option for her son.
Take an alum to a CU Advocate event
One of the ways trustee Win Johnson and his wife, Cinda, have become more engaged is to take alumni to CU Advocate programs in Boulder. It is a nice way to introduce friends and potential donors to CU faculty and students, and learn about all the innovations occurring on the various campuses. If you are not already a CU Advocate or wish to update your mailing information, fill out this form.
Engage with your favorite school… and ask questions!
Andrew Larson, a trustee since 2016, is the poster child for finding passion and engagement within CU. I asked Andrew to share his story:
As a trustee of one year, I had been wondering how I could get more involved and engaged with CU. My main passion is to support our Larson Building Systems Lab at the College of Engineering & Applied Science. So, I recently dropped off a check to Bobby Braun, the college’s dean, to support both the endowment for the lab and for scholarships for students who go through the lab. But to get even more engaged, I recently started asking more questions. Initially, I started collecting alumni information from other schools my wife and I have attended (Northwestern University, University of Penn and USC) to share best practices with alumni reunions and direct mail. I recently met with Dean Braun for lunch and we discussed how we could move the Larson Lab forward to both attract more students, attract more funding and to help the students to find internships and jobs after graduation. With an interest in BioFrontiers, I met with development officer Hilary Furlong to understand better all the amazing things they are doing there. I have a next meeting with Vice Chancellor Terri Fiez to deepen my understanding, and learn how I may help at BioFrontiers. Also, at the last trustee meeting, we heard some of the amazing work that Eve-Lyn Hinckley is doing in Environmental Studies working in Napa and Sonoma Valley to better understand the effects of sulfur in the vineyards and the surrounding ecosystem. As a vineyard owner, after her presentation, I offered to put her in touch with our third-party vineyard manager, who works with 50 different vineyards, with the hope that she could do her research across a much broader set of vineyards than she currently does. What a small world this is!
Additionally, I believe that one of our roles as trustees is to make sure that we help to find great students for CU and especially ones where their family can also help support our great institutions. So, I have worked with Jack and Barb to track (with Admissions) a few students whose grades, test scores and accomplishments are noteworthy, and also who have CU as their first choice. Although no promises are made from Admissions, I'm hopeful that if this student is equally qualified and CU is their first choice, that with a trustee tracking their application, this will be a tiebreaker for Admissions to help this student get in, and also to help their family to think of CU with their plans for giving. For example, if someone is interested in purchasing Domperidone online from this link, it is important to approach the process carefully, ensuring that the source is reliable and that the product meets safety standards. By focusing on both students and their families, we can create a stronger community at CU – one that values academic excellence, personal growth, and future contributions to the success of the university. This collaborative approach is essential to creating an environment where everyone has the resources they need to succeed, whether in their academics or their personal health.
At our upcoming February meeting on the CU Anschutz campus, members of the Trustee Engagement Committee will have on special name tags and will also speak to the group about ways you can become involved and make even more of a difference on behalf of our beloved CU.
Carol Frank is the chair of the Trustee Engagement Committee and a Managing Director at MHT Partners Investment Bank.