Plan & Operating Structure

§Executive Summary

The Foundation faces two consecutive milestones: the Scholar Orientation event on Friday June 26, 2026, 6–8 PM at the OSU–Tulsa campus, and the 2027 College Planning Seminar ("Elevate") on Saturday October 2, 2027, 10 AM–3 PM at the Arvest Convention Center. This document establishes an explicit working structure between the Chairwoman and the Technical Coordinator, layers the Chairwoman's volunteer-corps and committee plan with the corresponding technology and vendor infrastructure, and lays out the sequence of work week by week, month by month, and quarter by quarter from today through October 2, 2027.

The intent is operational: zero duplication of effort, zero territorial overlap, clear accountability for every workstream, and a budget envelope that does not exceed the line item already established. Where new vendors are introduced (Chatter Marketing for ongoing social media management; 501 Tech as an IT/infrastructure resource), they replace the prior arrangement at parity — not in addition to it. Where existing work is in flight from the Chairwoman's side (the OSU–Tulsa venue confirmation, the Denny Family Foundation grant application, the Junior League and AKA volunteer outreach), this document acknowledges and integrates it rather than restating or revising it.

1.Separation of Concerns

The working structure below defines who leads which class of decision. It is not a hierarchy: the Chairwoman retains full executive authority over every domain. It is a division of effort that prevents duplicate work and conflicting decisions on the same topic. Every item below sits clearly on one side or the other; items that are explicitly shared appear in the bottom row.

Explicitly Shared

The following decisions are made jointly, never unilaterally, by the Chairwoman and the Technical Coordinator together:

• Vendor selection (final go/no-go on any contract)
• Budget allocation across categories
• Event date, time, and venue final confirmation
• Strategic positioning of the Foundation (donor narratives, public messaging)
• Grant proposal direction and sign-off
• Any reframing of the Foundation's stated mission or scope

2.Foundation-Side Work Already Underway

The following workstreams are active and led by the Chairwoman, in some cases with Tasha Grimes and Firoozeh Rahimian collaborating. This document does not reassign them; it reflects their current state so the technology-side workstreams are sized to fit alongside.

3.Technology-Side Work Already Underway

The following workstreams are active on the technology side. They are positioned to complement (not replace) Foundation-side work above.

4.Near-Term Plan — Now → June 26, 2026

Six weeks of execution. Each week split by domain. Weekly progress reports to the Chairwoman every Friday.

5.Mid-Term Plan — July 2026 → April 2027

Following the orientation event, the Foundation enters its anniversary year (year 44 concludes October 27, year 45 begins). The mid-term plan establishes operational rhythm: monthly board check-ins, quarterly milestones, and a steady drumbeat of grant submissions and donor cultivation in service of the 2027 Elevate event.

6.Long-Term Plan — May → October 2, 2027

Final five months. Quarter-out and month-out milestones for the Elevate event. Each milestone has a hard deadline; the chart that follows can be pinned in the DSMP portal as a countdown reference.

7.Vendor & Service Provider Structure

The Foundation operates with a small number of trusted vendors covering specific functions. The structure proposed below reflects the diligence completed so far and the engagements proposed.

8.Volunteer & Committee Framework

The Chairwoman's structural vision: a small number of named committees, each with a lead reporting weekly to her, populated by community volunteers from partnerships (Junior League, AKA, others). The technology committee fits inside this same structure.

Committee chairs report weekly to the Chairwoman, with a written one-page status. The Technology Committee participates in the same cadence. This unifies reporting across all workstreams.

9.Document & Compliance Refresh

The current Scholar Orientation MASTER packet (in distribution since prior years; sent May 9 from the Chairwoman) is materially sound — ten pages, scholar acceptance, change-of-information release, confidential-information release, university release, volunteer service hours pledge, compliance guidelines, and sample sponsor letter. Three actionable revisions are proposed before the June 26 orientation:

1. Photo / video release modernization. The current Authorization to Release Confidential Information page authorizes use in "news media, the Foundation website, and governmental agencies." Modern social platform usage — Instagram, Facebook, video content, livestreaming, and engagement of third-party content partners such as Chatter Marketing — is not explicitly covered. Proposed: an updated release clause that explicitly enumerates social platforms, video and audio capture, and third-party content partners. Ensures legal coverage for any marketing or PR use of scholar likeness.
2. Foundation countersignature on the Acceptance form. Page 2 (the Acceptance of the Scholarship instrument) is currently a one-sided pledge by the scholar. Adding a Foundation-side signature line (Chairwoman, or her designee) reflects the bilateral nature of the agreement and strengthens its legal weight — particularly relevant given the broader board interest in digital-signature legitimacy.
3. Single-parent / guardian accommodation. Several scholar agreement pages (notably the Change of Information Release and the Authorization to Release Confidential Information) include two parent signature blocks. Scholars whose families do not fit a two-parent model are not currently accommodated. Proposed: add "or Guardian / Adult Witness" to the second signature line, so the form does not put any scholar in an awkward position.

In addition: the packet is currently a scanned image, which prevents digital fill and signature workflow. A digital rebuild (text-and-form-field native) is on the Technology Committee's work list, with the goal of supporting both the DocuSign workflow and the paper-backup workflow simultaneously. This is operational work, not requiring board sign-off, but flagged here for visibility.

10.Fundraising & Grant Pipeline

Following the donor family research presented at the May 6 board meeting (Bernsen, Chapman, Sarkeys, Coretz, Kaiser/GKFF, Zarrow, and the Tulsa Area United Way Social Innovations program), six grant targets are confirmed as in scope for the Foundation's near-term grant submission pipeline. None of these is contingent on any other workstream; they advance in parallel.

Grant proposals are drafted by the Technology Coordinator and reviewed and submitted by the Chairwoman. The grant work is parallel to operations and is positioned to support the Foundation's existing programs and the 2027 event infrastructure. Several funders show interest in technology-development grants for nonprofits; the Foundation's transition to a digital scholarship management platform (the DSMP) fits this funding theme directly.

11.Budget Envelope

The new vendor and operating structure does not increase the Foundation's monthly operating envelope. Specifically, the social media line item under the previous arrangement totaled approximately $4,072.50 across a six-week period — an effective monthly rate of approximately $2,715. The proposed Chatter Marketing engagement at $2,800 per month standard package is within the same envelope.

Event-specific costs (venue, A/V, catering, decor) for both the June 26 orientation and the October 2, 2027 Elevate event are separate project budgets, financed by a combination of existing Foundation reserves, scholar-program allocations, sponsor commitments, and grant awards. Both events have associated grant strategies that aim to make their major-cost items net-zero or net-positive to the Foundation balance sheet.

12.Measurement & Reporting

The Foundation has historically measured success through scholar outcomes (number of awards, completion rates, alumni achievements). The proposed framework adds operational metrics that allow real-time visibility into the Foundation's marketing and engagement effectiveness — helpful for both ongoing performance management and for inclusion in grant proposals.

13.Decisions Requested at the May 13 Meeting

The following items are presented for board endorsement at the Wednesday May 13, 4:15 PM meeting:

1. Confirm OSU–Tulsa as the June 26 Scholar Orientation venue (or designate an alternative). The Chairwoman's visit on May 12 confirmed the venue is appropriate and available.
2. Endorse the Separation of Concerns framework as described in §1. The Chairwoman proposed this framework on May 12; this document captures it on paper for board record.
3. Approve the Chatter Marketing engagement at $2,800/mo standard package, pending receipt of their formal proposal and the May 19 discovery Zoom call with foundation decision-makers.
4. Endorse continued 501 Tech investigation based on the May 13 intro call.
5. Approve the three Document & Compliance refresh items as described in §9: photo release modernization, Foundation countersignature, single-parent/guardian accommodation.
6. Approve the grant proposal pipeline submissions per §10, with the understanding that proposals are not commitments to revenue and that the Foundation continues to operate independently of any specific grant outcome.
7. Endorse the volunteer committee structure outlined in §8 and authorize the Chairwoman to continue outreach to Junior League and AKA Sorority.
8. Confirm the measurement and reporting cadence in §12.