North-American Interfraternity Conference - advocate • collaborate • educate

WHO: The chief fundraising officer from men's and women's fraternity foundations; Vendor partners; Invited special speakers/guests. 

Registration Fee:  The registration fee is $100 which goes to support the educational offerings of the institute and offset the cost of keynote presenters and facilitators.

Guest Registration Fee:  All guests who are NOT attending the educational programing are $50.  Fee includes transportation and dinner on Wednesday night.

Hotel:  The Marbella Suites offers single and double occupancy rooms.  Single rooms are $85/night.  Double Rooms are $145/night
The room rate includes a welcome dinner on Tuesday, breakfast and lunch on Wednesday, breakfast and lunch on Thursday, and breakfast on Friday
Additionally, rooms include free wifi/internet as well as access to the hotel's fitness and computer centers.  Free calls back to the U.S. are available from the hotel's phone room.

Once your registration is confirmed you will be added to he attendee list and assigned a room at the hotel

Foundations and vendors will be provided one suite per group. Spouses are welcome, but there is limited space for other guests.  If you have questions, please contact the NICF before purchasing tickets.

FAQ

The Institute for Greek Advancement (IGA) was founded in 2003 as a resource to professionals in the men's and women's fraternity foundations. It a program of the NIC Foundation (NICF). The IGA qualifies for continuing education credits toward keeping or achieving CFRE certification.  Since we've been doing this for a few years, let us try to answer some of the most common questions people have about the program and travel to Mexico.

Q:  What is the Institute for Greek Advancement (IGA)?

A:   Founded originally as a retreat and think-tank for foundation executives, the program has grown into an opportunity for education, skills building and the exchange of ideas and best practices, as well as the original purposes. Each year in late January, we meet in Los Cabos, Mexico to shake off the cold, regroup after the end of the giving year and refresh for the year ahead. Our speakers are top performers in the nonprofit and fundraising community and both teach and lead discussion on items of interest and importance to foundation success.

Q:  Who should attend?

A:   The program is designed for the chief fundraising officer from men's and women's fraternity foundations. Most commonly, the foundation executive director or, where the fraternity and foundation share the same executive, the foundation's director of development. In addition, our Alliance vendor partners also are invited. The IGA is an excellent opportunity for us to reward their support while also sharing ideas, identifying future opportunities and just get to know each other better.

Q:  How do I register?

A:   Registration will be done online each year. You may provide your contact info, flight info and any additional info we may need to be ready for your arrival.

Q:  Where will I stay?

A:   Marbella Suites en la Playa is a public beachfront hotel about 25 minutes from the Los Cabos airport. Located mid-way between San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas, it is on the public bus line and convenient to many of the activities which make Los Cabos so popular to tourists. The hotel has 40 suite-style rooms, meeting facilities, a restaurant, pool and bar, fitness room, computer lab and a phone room where you can make unlimited free calls back to the U.S.

Q:  How can I be reached, if there is an emergency at home?

A:   The hotel has a toll-free number for calls from the U.S and a direct line to the front desk, which always should be manned by someone with good English language skills. Complete contact information is as follows. Make sure to leave this with anyone who may need to reach you:                         Marbella Suites en la Playa

            Carret. Transpeninsular KM 17.5 S/N Col. Cabo Real
            San Jose del Cabo, BCS 23450   MEXICO
            Toll-Free Phone from U.S. (daytime - Mountain time zone): (866) 654-6160
            Front Desk (24/7 or after-hours from U.S.): (520) 232-2506
            Website: www.MarbellaSuites.com

Q:  What about ground transportation?

A:   For airport shuttles, we recommend TransCabo (www.transcabo.com). Round trip fare for shared service is $35 and you can reserve space and pay online. For maximum independence, rental cars are available at the airport from most U.S. vendors and rates are competitive. We recommend you purchase Mexican insurance from AAA or another travel vendor in the U.S. before you arrive. It will be less expensive. There is limited parking space at the hotel.

Q:  Do I need a passport?

A:   Yes. While the Mexican government does not require a passport for you to enter Mexico, the U.S. government requires a passport to enter the U.S. Most airlines will not allow you to board without a passport to insure you can return to the U.S.

Q:  Is travel to Mexico safe?

A:   Travel to any foreign country has its challenges, but travel to Los Cabos has become a regular event for many in the U.S. Los Cabos has ten major airlines and a modern airport that serves the region. As one of Mexico's most active and popular resort areas, the community caters to U.S. visitors, so English is spoken widely. Cabo has a Costco, Sam's, Wal-Mart, Home Depot and OfficeMax to serve the community, as well as many of the usual U.S. fast food establishments. It remains one of the safest tourist regions in all of Mexico.

As with a visit to any unfamiliar city, you need to act responsibly, be aware of your surroundings, stay in groups and don't carry or "flash" large amounts of cash. There is crime in Los Cabos, as in any resort area, but it is mostly petty crime on lone individuals. Cabo is over 1,000 miles from the border at Tijuana and 300 miles from the mainland. As such, it is far removed from many of the problems that plague the rest of the country.

Q:  Is the water safe to drink?  What about food?

A:   Yes. Unlike some other areas in Mexico, the water system in Los Cabos is very modern and water and ice at hotels and restaurants is safe. Our hotel has a biologic and ultraviolet filtering system for extra safety. The food staff are licensed professionals and regular health and safety checks are done in the restaurant and bar areas. Food is purchased from proven suppliers. The hotel and IGA veterans will be happy to provide you recommendations for restaurants in town.

Where there have been problems, they have been associated to food from street vendors in the towns, usually late at night, as bars and restaurants close. There are very few health or licensing regulations for these food carts and some keep serving food past its expiration date. We recommend you do not purchase from these vendors.

Q:  How much money should I bring?  Do I need to convert my dollars?

A:   Prices in Los Cabos are consistent with other resort areas - business owners know what you pay in the states for food and beverage and price accordingly, though there certainly are bargains available everywhere. Sport fishing can be expensive, and golf at many of the resort courses is $175-250 a round, but there also are many low cost activities - snorkeling, ATVs, horseback riding, jet skis or parasailing all are $50 or less. The hotel's concierge services can make recommendations and reservations.

It's not necessary to arrive in Los Cabos with pesos. Most restaurants and clubs take U.S. dollars (though at a low exchange rate), as well as most major credit cards. American Express cards and travelers checks are not as widely accepted as Visa and MasterCard, because of higher fees charged to redeem them. Also, most ATM cards will work in ATMs in Los Cabos. The bank ATMs are most reliable and will provide cash in pesos. The exchange rate will be the daily international banking rate, so is much better than currency exchange kiosks.

Q:  What about medical emergencies?

The local police and health care systems are very capable and the hotel has is a very reliable doctor on call. You should check to determine whether your home medical coverage is active while you are in Mexico. Then get the phone number and instructions needed to contact your provider, in case you are injured.

Q:  What do I need to pack?

Everything in Los Cabos is casual. Attire for IGA meetings and meals could be considered golf club attire - shorts, jeans or slacks, polos or tees are fine for everyone. Tennis shoes, sandals or flip-flops are acceptable. Coats and ties are relatively unknown here. Temperatures in late January average mid-70s during the day and low 60s during the evenings, so a light coat or sweater is a good idea.

Bring sunscreen! Cabo is at 22 degrees latitude, more south than Havana, Cuba, so the sun is intense - especially for those from the Midwest or northeast. Golf clubs, fishing equipment and scuba/snorkeling gear is readily available for rent here, so no need to bring your own unless you really want to.

Q:  Can I use my cell phone?  My laptop?

Los Cabos can accommodate most cell phones through local cell providers, but there is a considerable international roaming fee. Your U.S. provider may have an international service plan you can activate for a small fee (ATT's is $5 a month for Mexico). Then the roaming fee is waived and your per minute rate will be more affordable (usually 45-75 cents per minute) for short calls.

Data services also can be very expensive and can work in the background without your knowing it's downloading data. Our recommendation is to turn off cellular reception (phone and data) while here and use wifi for email and hotel phones for calls. For those who can handle it, there is a certain therapeutic calm to being off the grid for a few days.

The hotel has just completed a wifi installation that should allow you access almost anywhere on the property - including the restaurant and beach. If you use Skype or other similar VOIP services, you can make calls using the wifi services. Bandwidth is limited, so please be considerate of others in your usage.

Q:  Can I come early/stay late?

Our host hotel can usually provide additional nights before or after the session, at a special rate for NICF. Contact the hotel directly for availability and pricing. Tell them you're with the NICF program.

Contact Us.

If you have additional questions, we welcome your calls at 317-872-1112, or email Andy Huston. You can find out more about the IGA and our program on our website at http://www.nicindy.org/foundation/iga/  You also may write us at 3901 West 86th Street Suite 390, Indianapolis, IN 46268-1791.