FundSvcs Community

Hello, Hot Topic Friends, 

Can you believe it? 2025 marks the 5th anniversary of Hot Topics! It all started in 2020 with a simple idea: a monthly call to discuss compliance/donor relations/advancement services -focused "hot topics" in a more targeted, collaborative way. Back then, I thought 5 or 10 people would join. To my surprise, over the past five years, more than 700+ people have participated in these conversations. Thank you for making this community what it is today!

Exciting Updates for 2025

To better serve our growing community, Hot Topics is now hosted on a Google Groups platform. This change brings several benefits:

• Streamlined Communication: Send or receive group emails using a single address.

• Event Invitations Made Easy: Add everyone to events in one step.

• Effortless Document Sharing: Share resources with the group seamlessly.

• Simpler Member Management: Easily join or leave the group when needed.

Previously, adding or deleting members was a challenging process-believe it or not, deleting members wasn't even possible! We have already had more than 100+ people join. 

What You Need to Know

1. Check your inbox! Invitations were sent last Friday, but some may have ended up in spam or been blocked. Please double-check your spam folder.

2. Sign up or request manual addition:

• If you'd like to join the Google Group, please complete this form. You'll receive an email confirmation once added (no need to accept an invite this way).

3. What if I get an error message with my invitation?: Some universities and organizations restrict using Google Groups with institutional email addresses. We recommend you provide us with a Gmail address if this happens. A Gmail address ensures smooth access, and you can participate better in the group. 

If you have any issues with being added to the group, please contact donorservices@ncsu.edu.

4. Zoom participation option: Not ready to join the group but still want to drop in occasionally? Dates for calls for 2025: Feel free to add them to your calendar manually. You're always welcome! Here's the Zoom link: 

Meeting ID: 953 7695 9891

Passcode: 052024

5. Email the group: If you have questions or want to share something with the group, feel free to email us at hottopicsdonorrelations@googlegroups.com (must be a group member to join conversations). 

6. Help Us Build Our Resource Library! We're creating a resource library to make it easier to share and access documents frequently requested during our calls. We'd love your help in adding content! When uploading, create a new folder and label it as follows: [University/Organization Name: Subject].

Thank you for helping us make this a valuable resource for everyone!

February 7th, 2025 Call

Our topic this month will be naming recognition and signage standards. Please email me at srthoma3@ncsu.edu if you are interested in participating as a panel member.

This call is not recorded. This allows everyone to speak freely. 

We'd appreciate your help in building a collection of examples! Please add materials here. When uploading, please create a new folder and label it as follows: [University/Organization Name: Subject].

Thank you for contributing to this collaborative resource!

Upcoming Topics 

Document Access: 

• Add your questions here.

• Dates for calls for 2025. 

• Access to all folders. 

• Access to Endowment Level Survey Results 

• Access to the 2022 Gift Compliance/Donor Relations Salary Assessment Overview Results

Thank you for making Hot Topics such an incredible community!

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Sarah Thomas
NC State University
srthoma3@ncsu.edu
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