Commonwealth's National Conference on November 11–13, 2020, was built around the core strengths of the firm—its relationships and its unique community—to deliver the quality experience today's advisors expect in an immersive digital event. Over the course of the three-day event, attendees participated in more than 100 breakout sessions, connected during peer-to-peer networking roundtables, heard from 10 dynamic keynote speakers, and gave back in inspiring ways.

To make a deep impact despite social distancing, more than $100,000 in registration fees from the event were donated to the following nonprofit organizations:

• American Cancer Society

• Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

• New England Center and Home for Veterans

• Semper Fi & America's Fund

Commonwealth chose these charities with the keynote speakers in mind, honoring what each of them is passionate about as well as their ongoing contributions. The American Cancer Society was chosen for a speaker who is a prominent co-anchor of a morning television show and is close to the disease. The Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program was chosen in honor of Liz Murray, who was homeless in her younger years. The New England Center and Home for Veterans was selected to honor General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) and his service to the country. Lastly, the Semper Fi & America's Fund was chosen to recognize Simon Sinek's dedication to leadership.

"Commonwealth's foundation is rooted in our communities and the strength we all derive from being a part of something greater than ourselves. It is all about helping others where we live, work, and play. We always seek to give back at our conferences, and I was so excited that our team found unique and meaningful ways to weave giving back into our virtual gathering," said Commonwealth President and COO Trap Kloman. "It was so cool to see how our community rallied, as it always does, and to make a profound difference—sadly separated this year but still together."

Attendees had the chance to participate in Commonwealth's Miles to Make a Difference Fitness Challenge, where each mile logged generated $1 for charity. The 200+ competitors surpassed 4,500 miles in the friendly challenge, with funds going directly to the four partner charities. In addition, attendees received a gift box prior to the event that included a variety of items made by community-based businesses that match their sales with donations to those in need and prioritize giving back and making our world a better place.

This year's Special Service Award honored 214 COVID-19 frontline heroes identified within the Commonwealth community—immediate family members of the home office team, advisors, and staff who work in the medical field. During the conference, in direct response to attendee feedback on keynote speaker Liz Murray, Commonwealth announced it will match donations to The Arthur Project, cofounded by Murray, up to $25,000 through Thanksgiving.

"Pivoting an event of this magnitude was an exciting challenge," said Jessica Fougere, vice president, conferences, events, and community engagement. "In addition to providing exceptional content from our internal experts and industry partners, it was most important that our attendees felt connected to each other and inspired after participating in our first virtual National Conference. With this as our beacon, the team created an online experience fostering connectivity and highlighting the impact we are able to make when we come together."