Advancing Advocacy:

Webinar:

Lessons Learned From How Community Foundations Drive Civic Engagement in 2026 and Beyond.

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 | 2 p.m. ET

Lasting change doesn’t just happen. It requires trusted organizations that can bring people together, elevate community voice, inform public conversations, and help create the conditions for systems to policy and social change.

Community foundations are uniquely positioned to do that work. And the strategies and tactics some of those foundations currently deploy can inform and inspire any social good organization committed to advocating for greater community engagement and change.

Civic engagement campaigns and Get Out The Vote efforts are an important part of that work — but they are only one element of a broader advocacy approach. Done right, nonpartisan, mission aligned voter education, communications, research, convening, and policy engagement can work together to strengthen communities and advance long-term change.

Join us on Wednesday, July 22, at 2 p.m. ET for a practical, one-hour webinar exploring how to support civic engagement as part of a holistic advocacy and systems-change strategy.

We’ll draw on real-world examples from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s advocacy and civic engagement work, as well as Turn Two’s experience helping organizations employ communication and PR strategies to clarify their role, engage key audiences, and move people to action.

Together, we’ll explore how community foundations can use strategic communications to support nonpartisan advocacy, build trust, and help communities navigate critical moments with clarity and purpose.

Sign me up!

Together, we’ll discuss:

  • How social good organizations can position civic engagement and GOTV work within a broader advocacy and systems-change strategy

  • How to talk about democracy, voting, and community voice in a nonpartisan way

  • How to become a trusted advocate and convener across policy, philanthropy, nonprofits, and community

  • What communications tools and messages foundations can use to activate advocacy locally

  • How voter education, research, convening, and public communications can reinforce one another

  • What you can learn from peer examples, including Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s GOTV campaigns, its 2026 advocacy report, and The New York Community Trust’s “Go Vote NYC” PR campaign

We’ll also leave plenty of time to answer your questions.

  • Community foundation CEOs and senior leaders

  • Nonprofit or advocacy organization communications and marketing leaders

  • Program, policy, and civic engagement staff

  • Donor engagement and advancement professionals

  • Foundation board leaders

  • Philanthropy-serving organization leaders

  • Nonprofit and civic engagement partners interested in foundation-led nonpartisan advocacy and voter engagement

Who Should Attend

Speakers

Elaine Mintz

Vice President, Strategy & External Relations, FCCF

Elaine joined Fairfield County’s Community Foundation in 2011 as the Center for Nonprofit Excellence Director and currently serves as Vice President of Strategy and External Relations. Elaine is responsible for the Foundation’s external relations, communications, community engagement, advocacy, and strategic learning and evaluation.

Before joining the Community Foundation, Elaine served as Director of the Greater Danbury Nonprofit Resource Center, leading the organization from its inception in 2005 to its merger with Fairfield County’s Community Foundation’s Center for Nonprofit Excellence in 2011. At the state level, Elaine was a research consultant with the Justice Planning Division of the Office of Policy & Management and a Connecticut General Assembly Appropriations Committee staff member. She was an adjunct faculty member at Norwalk Community College, teaching political science courses.

Elaine is an active member of the board for the Norwalk River Valley Trail. She dedicated six years to the Connecticut Council for Philanthropy (CCP) board, including two years as Board Chair, and continues to contribute as a member of CCP’s Policy Committee. Additionally, Elaine co-chaired the Fairfield County’s Funders Network for six years, served on the advisory board for the MPA program at Sacred Heart University, and was a member of the Redding Board of Ethics.

Elaine holds a master’s degree in Public Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut. She lives in Norwalk with her husband, Doug. She enjoys hiking, movies, travel, and cooking.

Lauren A. Stewart, M.S.

Director of Public Relations + Influencer Marketing, Turn Two

Throughout her 14 years as a PR pro, she has held key roles at Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as launching her own firm, Stewart Media.

Lauren has a lifelong passion for learning and teaching. While at VCU she earned the top award of the National Honor Society in Journalism and Mass Communications and had the highest academic ranking in her graduating class. Today, she’s focused on inspiring the next generation of PR pros, as an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University, teaching strategic communications marketing in the PR and Advertising Master’s Program. 

Lauren is an active member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and serves on the National Capital Chapter Marcomm Committee. She has also served on the PRSA DE&I Committee and has held the Director of Special Events position on the board of the American Marketing Association Virginia Chapter. 

She also serves on the National Alzheimer’s Association’s Community Leaders Summit Council and as chair of the Community Outreach Committee for the Alzheimer’s Association Virginia Chapter.

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