Building an active and diverse Board of Trustees at The Children’s Foundation.
Managing a communications crisis at the University of Toledo involving a gambling accusation.
Developing a recognizable brand for The Children’s Foundation as it became a “new” foundation.
A presentation Larry has given to students at several universities.
Creating a new chapter of the national nonprofit organization First Tee in the Detroit area
Developing an innovative strategy to increase enrollment at The University of Toledo.
Helping a family strategically create an impact and honor a legacy through The Jamie Daniels Foundation.
It is crucial for every nonprofit organization to have a strong, committed and empowered board of trustees. I had the opportunity to recruit many new board members at The Children’s Foundation over the last several years. This process was a very strategic component of our evolution as a “new” foundation, helping children and families.
One of the first things we did was establish a written criteria for board members--to make it very clear when talking with candidates what was expected if they became a board member. It was a critical first step that also helped us determine what we were looking for in individuals.
We then developed a plan to become a more diverse board in many aspects, including geography, professional backgrounds, age, and most importantly developing a board that represented the diversity of our community. This was another important step that allowed us to strategically begin our process.
I would then help identify individuals that I thought would be excellent prospects for future board membership. This was achieved either through my own observation or with the input of trustees and staff. After identifying possible candidates, I would spend a great deal of time meeting with the prospective board members and making sure they understood the strategic initiatives of The Children’s Foundation and most importantly, what their role would be if they indeed became a trustee.
The process then proceeded to the Nominating and Governance Committee. An informal breakfast meeting took place with the candidate and members of the Committee. Once this was successfully completed, the nomination went to the full Board of Trustees.
This strategy worked extremely well as we were able to recruit several new board members that expanded our reach within the state of Michigan. Backed by a more diverse and active group of leaders on the Board of Trustees, the Foundation was better equipped to help children and families.
During my tenure as Vice President at the University of Toledo, I encountered many significant communication challenges. One extremely challenging project included a gambling accusation involving athletes at the University. This accusation involved football and basketball players shaving points, and became a national story very quickly.
As the Vice President in charge of communications, I worked very closely with our Athletics Director, coaches, and the President of University to manage the situation.
The first thing we did when the story was made public was gather as many facts as possible. We immediately communicated internally and to the media that I would be the lone spokesperson for the University. Therefore, no coaches, players, or other administrators would be speaking on behalf of the University regarding this topic. The one spokesman method ensured that our messages were clear and consistent, and clearly worked to our benefit.
Then, I gathered as many facts as possible and informed the President of the University and the Athletics Director of what I learned.
We then scheduled a press conference that included the Athletics Director, the football coach, and the basketball coach, as well as myself. I led the discussion, indicated as much as we knew, and then took questions. We made ourselves available and open to the media, which helped us to receive fair coverage.
I was also willing to talk to ESPN and other national media personnel regarding the situation. I believe this openness and transparency allowed us to gain credibility with the public and the media and served us well.
Major takeaways resulting from this challenge were not to panic, gather all the facts as soon as possible, institute a one spokesperson policy, and be as open and available to the media as reasonable.
One of the initial challenges I faced when I became the President and CEO of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation was developing a new brand and strategic vision. This was a foundation that found itself in an awkward place due to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan becoming a for-profit entity. Therefore, the foundation was basically an orphan with no recognizable brand or identity
We needed to create a brand for the “new” foundation. So, the first thing we did was to interview key stakeholders about their vision of the future of the Foundation. It had been struggling for many years due to the fact thatit no longer was part of the hospital. This interview process was done in partnership with Hammond & Associates.
The interview process confirmed the thoughts that I had regarding the current situation. There was no strategic plan for the foundation, very few board members were engaged, and the staff was extremely confused about which direction to take. This was no one‘s fault—it was due to the fact that the hospital was now owned by a for-profit company. Regardless, the foundation needed a strategic branding plan to revive it.
The next step was beginning to develop a creative platform for the foundation. Douglas Marketing Group has been a very important part of this process for the Children’s Foundation and has strategically implemented a compelling and dynamic brand that continues today. A new logo was created along with five strategic initiatives, which allowed the foundation to have a clear “look” and direction.
Early on, it was suggested we change the name of the foundation to reflect our new brand, but we collectively felt it was too soon. We continued developing the new brand and vision for the foundation–the name change would come eventually.
Several months later, after we had communicated our new brand strategy to our Trustees, employees and key constituents, we made a public announcement sharing news about a number of new grants, a new logo, and a new name. This strategy proved to be extremely successful and was a critical step of our overall success in launching The Children’s Foundation’s new name and brand. We were On the Move!
In early 2019, I was approached by the CEO of First Tee nationally, Greg McLaughlin, to inquire about our willingness to create a new chapter in the greater Detroit area.
First Tee exemplifies many of the attributes that The Children’s Foundation was committed to funding in similar organizations throughout the State, so this seemed to be a natural fit.
During COVID-19, we negotiated the arrangement. I successfully got the trustees at The Children’s Foundation on board and completely supportive of making The First Tee Greater Detroit an affiliate organization of The Children’s Foundation.
Once the agreement was in place, I began to assemble a Board of Trustees for First Tee Greater Detroit. We naturally looked for a few interested leaders on The Children’s Foundation board, and then we searched the community at large for outstanding ambassadors to cultivate an exemplary Board of Trustees.
Once the new board was in place, the next step I took was to recruit a CEO. This proved to be a little bit more challenging, with a few obstacles along the way until we finally found our right leader.
During this time, we knew that fundraising was going to be a major part of our success. Therefore, we created a number of partnerships that also included fundraising activities. These partners included Detroit PAL, Rocket Mortgage Classic, The Pulte Family Charitable Foundation, The Ben Hogan Foundation, and the Detroit Pistons--just to name a few.
First Tee Greater Detroit is now on solid ground with a very engaged board and equally important numerous growing programs throughout the Tri-County area at municipal and private golf courses. The organization is impacting underserved kids during the golf season as well as the winter months.
Enrollment is a key financial indicator of how well a college or university is doing each year. For non-flagship colleges and universities, enrollment is the most important strategic initiative for each organization.
At the University of Toledo (UT), enrollment had been declining for several years and it became clear that their financial well-being was dependent on enrollment growth. I had the opportunity to lead enrollment strategy for undergraduate students at UT and was fortunate to hire a true leader in enrollment growth. Kevin Kucera, most recently of Eastern Michigan University, was instrumental in helping design a strategy that proved to be enormously successful.
Below are the key initiatives and ingredients of the strategy that produced record enrollment numbers for several years running.
A). It was important that I put the right team together to lead each area. We had recently created a new university logo and marketing campaign for enrollment as well as for our health system.
B). I asked Kevin Kucera to put together a strategy that harmonized our financial aid budget along with all of our marketing initiatives. As one integrated department, it became more likely that all teams would work together. Universities and colleges are notoriously siloed, and the integration of these departments is critical
C). To increase enrollment at the University of Toledo, we also had to think outside of the box. Since UT is only a short drive away from the Michigan border, Kevin and I developed an innovative strategy to give in-state tuition to Michiganders, providing opportunities for these students and increasing our enrollment numbers.
D). We then developed a marketing strategy in the Detroit area and partnered with iconic brands, such as the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Detroit Lions. This paired well with our new in-state tuition for Michiganders strategy and proved to be the first-of-its-kind initiative that continues today with many universities.
With a combination of an in-state scholarship program, utilizing our financial aid budget, predictive modeling, and working with our team on a branding and marketing campaign we were on the move.
The results were outstanding. We had several years of record enrollment, not only from Michigan but also from Ohio.
The key message in this case is that integrating departments such as marketing, communications, enrollment, and athletics creates a combination that can produce record-breaking results.
One of the most rewarding activities I’ve been involved in is helping families create a foundation, and then develop a strategic plan for the foundation to grow, prosper, and live in perpetuity. A great example of this is what is now known as The Jamie Daniels Foundation.
Roughly 4 years ago, Ken Daniels approached me along with our chairman Matt Friedman to talk about creating a foundation in memory of his beloved son, Jamie. Jamie tragically died of a drug overdose at a very young age. Jamie was a wonderful young man and a graduate of Michigan State University.
Ken and Jamie’s mother Lisa wanted to create a lasting memory to honor Jamie, but they were unsure of the best way to move forward. Within 30 minutes of conversation, Ken was convinced that The Children’s Foundation could create this foundation.
The first thing we were able to establish was a purpose—Ken and Lisa wanted to help young people suffering from substance use disorder. The Daniels’ hoped to help prevent the tragic incidents resulting from this disease that occur daily throughout our country. With this goal in mind, we created a mission statement for the foundation and started to think strategically about ways to raise the funds to create their desired impact.
I also recommended that we create a board of trustees that would expand the Foundation beyond just the family. We started with a small board of five or six individuals with expertise and passion for the cause. We also began to create a brand primarily utilizing social media. We then came up with a series of fundraising events that not only helped to get the word out about The Jamie Daniels Foundation, but also raised funds that would be added to what was already established in Jamie‘s honor and memory.
Over the last three years, we’ve been able to raise well over $1.5 million for the Foundation, which currently supports several collegiate recovery programs throughout the state of Michigan. The Jamie Daniels Foundation has also made a major commitment to the Adolescent Addiction Recovery Center at Children’s Hospital of Michigan. The Jamie Daniels Foundation is helping students suffering from substance use disorder stay in school, graduate, and have happy and fulfilling lives.
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