On June 25-27, 2024, Emily Nicholson, the Executive Director of the Land of Sky P20 Council, attended the second annual Financial Aid Summit in Concord, NC, where she co-presented with Brandi Kennedy, the Director of Secondary and Postsecondary Programs for shift_ed.
Our close collaborator and frequent partner, Devon McCarthy-James, Regional Director for the 828 West region for the College Foundation of North Carolina (CFNC), also presented at the event. Emily and Devon are shown in the photo below, bookending a lighted sign with the three “e’s” for post-graduation options: enroll, enlist, or employ. The three “e’s” came out of Operation Polaris, a project spearheaded by NC State Superintendent Catherine Truitt that aims to prepare all North Carolina’s public K-12 students for life after high school, whichever “e” they choose.
Devon McCarthy-James, CFNC Regional Representative for 828 West, and Emily Nicholson, Executive Director of the Land of Sky P20 Council, at the Financial Aid Summit 2024 in Concord, NC, in June, 2024
On the second day of the summit, Emily and Brandi gave their presentation titled Asset Mapping in Your Community. They informed the audience about the definitions of the terms assets, community assets, and asset mapping. Then, they explained the goals of asset mapping and the process used to identify existing community resources. Next, Emily provided several real-life examples of the benefits of community-based asset mapping and collaboration through several of the P20 Council’s initiatives, including our Student Ambassador program, FAFSA PACK, and FAFSA sweepstakes.
Brandi Kennedy, Director of Secondary and Postsecondary Programs at shift_ed, and Emily Nicholson, Executive Director of the Land of Sky P20 Council, presenting at the Financial Aid Summit 2024 in Concord, NC, on June 26, 2024
For these initiatives, and any successful other asset mapping project, it’s important to identify your key performance indicators (KPIs). Emily explained the P20 Council’s eight KPIs, two for each of our four strategic directions. She emphasized the importance of tracking those KPIs and keeping stakeholders informed about your progress. To illustrate her point, she used the example of our Pathways to Enrollment through FAFSA Action Team, which had a goal of increasing FAFSA awareness and completion rates in our four-county region. To keep track of our progress toward this goal, we regularly analyze and report on data for FAFSA submission and completion rates in our region.
Emily then walked the audience through a three-step process for asset mapping:
- Establish the big question (i.e., What problem are we trying to solve?)
- Identify the purpose (i.e., What current gap guides our work?)
- Decide on outcomes (i.e., How will our work be felt by the community?)
For our FAFSA Action Team, our Student Ambassador program, FAFSA PACK, and FAFSA sweepstakes were all outcomes of this process. Each of these initiatives included collaboration with stakeholders in our community, who provided input and clarification about the needs and gap in our community.
Emily was humbled to be able to present alongside shift-ed and to be among so many passionate counselors, career advisors, and other financial aid professionals from around the state.
Check out the full presentation below.
