AGB OnBoard Stories – Community College of Aurora Foundation: Technology Advancing Strategy

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Today we are taking a close look at the goals of the Community College of Aurora Foundation and how they have saved time and valuable resources through their recent implementation of AGB OnBoard – a move to increase productivity in the pursuit of providing a better future for the students in their community.

With a vision to see every student succeed and a mission to provide those tools necessary for post-graduate success, the Community College of Aurora (CCA) has cemented a reputation for academic achievement and inclusivity. The institution boasts campus locations in Aurora and Denver, Colorado, as well as online classes that serve a community of over 11,000 individuals from sixty different countries – offering more than 90 degrees and certificate programs to their diverse student population. It is the primary goal of the Community College of Aurora Foundation to support CCA’s priorities and provide life-changing opportunities for students by developing philanthropic resources, community connections, and industry partnerships. In an effort to streamline their business practices and improve communication, the CCA Foundation joined the AGB OnBoard family – and is already seeing performance improvements.

“The AGB OnBoard team was super helpful, they were always available to walk me through the portal – I used it for a couple of different meetings, for an executive committee and a finance committee meeting.”

As a non-profit organization governed by an independent board of directors who hold a wide array of positions throughout the community, the CCA Foundation had one thing in mind while choosing a board portal: performance. John Wolfkill, Executive Director of the CCA Foundation, explained how the decision was met with universal approval after having the chance to practice in a real-world setting. “It really came down to the functionality of the tool itself,” he stated. “The AGB OnBoard team was super helpful, they were always available to walk me through the portal – I used it for a couple of different meetings, for an executive committee and a finance committee meeting. The team helped me understand how to use the solution, walking me through how to customize the look and feel of the portal, and helped me build immediate muscle memory for utilizing the tool for multiple board meetings.”

Hitting the ground running was a communal theme within the CCA Foundation board, as Wolfkill was quick to share: “One of the board members uses it on a credit union board that they’re also on, so their experience with the portal was very helpful.” With multi-board functionality that allows directors to move effortlessly between organizations and the Passageways’ support team always readily accessible to answer any question, AGB OnBoard prides itself on being the cross-platform, multi-organization board portal with all the tools you need, in one location.

“With AGB OnBoard, we’re able to move more quickly through the typical business items every nonprofit board has and spend more time diving deep into more engaging content and discussions.”

For the CCA Foundation, the impact was immediate – Wolfkill related his experience after the implementation of AGB OnBoard with enthusiasm. “I’ve noticed we’re having richer conversations,” he said. “At the end of the day, that is why we purchased the tool – we wanted less conversation about day-to-day business items like the consent agenda and more conversation about strategy and organizational advancement. With AGB OnBoard, we’re able to move more quickly through the typical business items every nonprofit board has and spend more time diving deep into more engaging content and discussions.”

“I’m already seeing a difference in terms of the quality of the board experience, and the conversations that are happening… You want each board meeting to be a rich, intentional and purposeful time of engagement, and AGB OnBoard is unquestionably helping us do that.”

Using the notes and annotation functions – anywhere, anytime, and on any device – has revolutionized the way the board works throughout the meeting and beyond, a functionality Wolfkill notes is now imperative to the operations of their board. “I’m already seeing a difference in terms of the quality of the board experience, and the conversations that are happening during those times that we get together,” he stated, “which is really crucial, you’ve got a lot of CEO’s and community leaders, and you get them for an hour and a half every other month. Board members are reading and annotating their thoughts and questions on different documents, things that we’re going to deep dive into… You want each board meeting to be a rich, intentional and purposeful time of engagement, and AGB OnBoard is unquestionably helping us do that.”

As the academic year unfolds, the Community College of Aurora Foundation looks to use AGB OnBoard in even more innovative ways – having already incorporated the application into the fabric of their work life. “We’ve got a lot of things moving for the first part of the semester here,” Wolfkill remarks, “and we’re definitely using AGB OnBoard, almost on a weekly basis, already. Ninety percent of our board members quickly adopted the portal thanks to the easy interface and simple to navigate features.” In the end, John is thankful to have found the tool that helps his organization move past the daily minutiae that clogged their board meetings in the past and get to the heart of their endeavor: the philanthropic mission of strategic planning and scholarship fundraising that enables the pursuit of higher education for all.

AGB OnBoard will continue to strive toward enriching our university and nonprofit partners by being able to spend more time having conversations about strategy and organizational advancement.