Miles stevenson 2010 presentatie naar utrecht 2

FORMEDIA CongressUtrecht

“Bezint eer gij begint”

“Think before you start …”

Miles Stevenson

Director of Development

The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom

4th November 2010

01/11/2010 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications

I aim to cover …

• Building a Development and Alumni Relations office

• Using Sheffield as a case study – successes, achievements and lessons

• Questions and discussion


Congratulations!

You have responsibility for a

fascinating area of work


Your aim is to create …

• a successful office

• builds a strong alumni family and brand

• pleases your Rector

• helps your institution

• makes supporters happy

• (maybe) which raises money and

• … and gives you fulfilment

Marco Van Basten


Your University is sceptical/nervous

• Can it succeed?

• How much will it cost?

• Can you recruit good staff?

• Will you raise any support?

• Realistically, what can be achieved in the short-term?

• Is it essential?


And you are nervous!


Dutch Proverbs

• Als je moet, dan kun je veel.

“Necessity is the mother of invention”

• De kost gaat voor de baat uit

You have to invest time, effort or money before you can

expect anything

• Een brutaal mens heeft de halve

wereld

“A cheeky person has more opportunities”


Dutch Proverbs 2

• Een goed begin is het halve werk.• “If you start something off well, you're already half on

your way.“

• Geen geld, geen Zwitsers.

(“No money, no Swiss.”!!!!!!)

“Don't expect something for nothing”

• Niet geschoten is altijd mis

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained."


Institutional Audit 1

• Check out the history – why haven’t they

had one before?

• Who is the head of the institution?

• What is his/her (real!) commitment?

• How much charisma?

• Are senior management keen?

• What is your reporting structure?



• What resources are available?

• What is the institution good at?

• Unique selling points – if any

• What is its reputation?

• How many alumni, how old, how famous?

• What is the group feeling?

• Any focus groups?

• Who will really back you?



• What do they really want?

• Is it connections or money .. or what?

• How “savvy” are they?

• What are the expectations?

• How reasonable are their expectations?

• If you haven’t taken the job yet – then know your

new institution before you jump


William Squire

• You need processes

• You need a little luck

• You can create luck

• You don’t need to convert everyone


Key Objectives

• Building the

processes

• Building the

communications

• Building participation

• Defining targets

• Achieving results


Building the processes

Stewardship

• Effective mechanisms to thank supporters

• Effective mechanisms to recognise supporters

• Regular cultivation devices

• Validation tools (newsletter)

• Thank, thank, THANK

• Your most likely future donor is a past donor

Hartelijk dank


Saying thank you


Recognition


Gift Clubs

Donor Pin Badges


Building the processes 2

Your database

• The database is your most important resource –it is crucial for “corporate memory”

• Buy an “off the shelf model” – resist in-house designs

• Send out questionnaires

• Link your website to the database

• Use it to record information, gifts, stewardship and events

• Track and record affinity - attendance



Prospect Management

• Build a prospect identification process

• Establish rigorous and thorough prospect cultivation and tracking processes

• Prospect profiles, meeting reports and data collection methods

• Programme of prospect cultivation meetings

• Prepare ways to invite prospects back (dinners, lectures, careers advice, mentor)



Finance and gift tracking

• Make friends with the Finance Office or Bursar

• Clear guidelines for responsibility and actions

• Appropriate gift aid reclamation processes

• Agreement on who deals with general donations

• Agreement on who deals with bequests/queries


Building the communications

Your Alumni Magazine

• Establish a brand identity

• Make it interesting – not just propaganda!

• Regular publishing

• Ensure a mention of philanthropy/beneficiaries

Your Website

• Websites do not replace magazines – they complement them

• Websites can provide information/new/services

• Use it to collect information - link to your database


Alumni Publications


Centenary DVD to 25,000


Building the communications 2

Donor Publications

• Donor newsletter – validates and motivates

• Legacy/Bequest guide – important to attain big

gifts (Amsterdam example)

• Guides to giving – avoid one size fits all – tailor

each one

• Project/Campaign publications – avoid over-

reliance on expensive productions


Blow your own trumpet

Building personal rapport with key people


Visibility

You, your office and your staff must be visible

People must be able to find you – and quickly

You need to know all tax issues and documentation perfectly

You must inspire trust and confidence – some people are actually just “testing” you


Building participation

• Leadership to agree on objectives

• Case for support

• Communication to departments and faculties

• Champions – internal and external

• Determine past and current supporters

• Find new supporters

• Create gift clubs and donor recognition points


Defining targets

• Set time frame over next 4 – 5 years

• “10p to gain £1” or 20p or 30p …

• Establish key stages when budget/staff can be

increased

• Track and measure donations and legacy pledges

• Improve accuracy of database (fewer returns)

• Improve database content (emails, phone

numbers)

• Growth in number of donors and value of gifts

You should be able to count it


You must also havenon-financialmeasureables

Get measuring


The Strategic Plan

A plan will involve the whole range of activity

• Prospect research, identification and cultivation

• Publications – e-bulletins

• Volunteers

• Events/Reunions

• Database

• Alumni Ambassadors

• Legacies/Major gifts

• Annual Fund

• Mailshots and tele-campaigns


Het gras zal altijd groener zijn aan de

andere kant van de heuvel

All shapes and sizes – accept it

Nine in ten DON’T give

Oxford and Cambridge


Lots of different options


Gurus/Charlatans?


Basic Ingredients

• Database

• Time

• Direction

• Support – budget

• Support – staff

• Backing from the top

• Training

• Energy and enthusiasm


You need a budget

Al draagt een aap een gouden ring,

het is en blijft een lelijk ding

"Even if a monkey wears a gold ring,

it is and remains an ugly creature“

'You cannot make a silk purse

from a sow’s ear"


You mix the ingredients


Obvious points

• Visibility - make it easy to find you (and give to your institution)

• You must ask people to help

• You must cultivate

• Persistence and patience

• What will be your first supporter or gift?

• Where are your allies?

• Where are your threats?


You MUST …

1. Believe in the cause – this will give you conviction and passion

2. Make your own gift – you can look the donor in the eye

3. Get out of the office and meet people


Why Education is Important

Ricketts – Penicillin – Viagra!


Why Education is Important 2

Bailey Bridge – Stainless Steel – London Eye


Go out and cultivate people

Show them youare not like this!


Skills of persuasion - conversion


You MUST …

1. Know your University inside out – history, facts, achievements

2. Identify what makes your University special –its U.S.P. (Unique selling point/s)

3. Win the trust (and time) of the senior management and academics


You MUST …

1. Have good “saleable” projects –on two sides of paper!

2. Put these through a vigorous testing

3. Identify and research who might support you

4. Get out and “sell”


You MUST …

1. “Chase” the opportunity

2. Follow your gut instincts/integrity

3. Don’t waste time on silly projects or time wasters

4. Assessment of impact – what is a good use of time?


You are notsuperhuman …but expectationscan be very high

Manage expectations


What’s your boss like?


The right to say “No”


Explain that things do go wrong


Ordinary alumni?


Now worth $73 billion


Short-term gains versus long-term planning

“We build long-termfundraising relationshipsin institutions that think short-term.”

Scott NicholsHarvard Law School


Sowing the seeds

Alumni Relations prepares the ground for increased reputation, brand recognition, better recruitment and ultimately donations.


Quotation

“I like to think that our alumni

relations programme is laying

the foundations for a

successful programme …

in twenty years time.”


Confront The “B” word - Begging


Fundraisers and fundraising?


It is not just about fundraising

Pure Development –short-term results

Alumni are not “cash cows” - if every approach is just about money, they’ll run away

You must treat them as individuals

The University of Sheffield: a case study


Sheffield


The University of SheffieldFounded in 1905


Sheffield - 1904


Sheffield’s first office closed in 1994


What went wrong?

Unrealistic expectations

Lack of commitment at the top

Ownership – “someone else will provide the money”

Parties and publications versus fundraising

Ever growing costs

No early successes = destroying confidence

Too much “choice” for donations

Alumni groups preserving independence

Staff not really believing in it - apologetic

Ultimately the cost – benefit ratio


Starting point

• Some data – no database

• 1 ½ alumni relations staff

• No magazine – limited website

• 6 regular donors – c. £100 p.a.

• No organised fundraising

• But … evidence of

philanthropy


Starting point

No one was asking

No Development Office

– so no co-ordination

No thanking of existing

donors = withering away

No publicity to raise any

awareness of why

someone should give


Development and Alumni Relations Office

Office established June 2002:

• To reconnect with alumni, staff and

friends of the University

• To raise donations

• To build up endowments


What did I do first?

• Scoping – pause for thought

• Database – expensive

• Questionnaire and research

• Internet site – with donation form

• Quality publications

• Fundraising priorities and plan

• Alumni Relations programme

• Agreed projects


Public backing by Vice-Chancellor

Talk to all heads of department on my second day

Support from Vice-Chancellor

Acknowledgment of difficulties

Immediate expressions of interest


Essential stakeholders

You need key constituents on your team

1. Your Vice-Chancellor/your boss

2. The senior managers

3. Your staff

4. Your supporters/donors

5. The academic champions


Teams

• Database and Research

• Alumni Relations

• Fundraising – Annual Fund

• Fundraising – Projects

• Fundraising – Major Gifts

• Finance and Stewardship

01/11/2010 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications01/11/2010 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications 73

Make your gift first!

The number one rule …

If you can’t persuade

yourself, you won’t

persuade anyone

Gifts that “hurt” – not

token gifts

All part of the training


Light a fire

• Go and see people

• Get the senior

people to give

• Demonstrate results


Sort out publicity!

You need to start working

on all your audiences

immediately – every

medium

Switchboard

Home web page

Donation Form

Cases for giving

You need a success story

01/11/2010 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications 76

Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919)

“The rich man who dies rich dies disgraced.”

“I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious and difficult task of wise distribution.”


My first donor

People invest in success


Collective donations mount up into

something impressive


The Alumni Foundation


Gifts and Pledges

£24 million raised since 2002

Funds raised for every faculty

8,500 donors

c. 90% of the gifts were “untied”

421 legacies confirmed


University of SheffieldDonations 2008/09

Donor Proportions

Alumni 91.13%

Parents and guardians 0.91%

Friends and other individuals 5.86%

Companies 0.51%

Foundations and other organisations 1.02%

Legacies 0.57%

Source of Funds

Alumni 19.78%

Parents and guardians 0.09%

Friends and other individuals 8.95%

Companies 12.70%

Foundations and other organisations 15.60%

Legacies 42.88%

Donor Proportions represents the percentage of each donor group giving to the UniversitySource of funds represents the percentage of funds contributed by each donor group.1,681 individuals gave £1.3 million in cash (£5.6 million raised in pledges that year)


Some recent successes at Sheffield

01/11/2010 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications01/11/2010 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications

The Steinway Grand Piano


SITraN

It is the research that counts …


Pro Bono Law

01/11/2010 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications01/11/2010 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications

Scholarships


Exhibition Space


Legacy figures

• 421 confirmations that Sheffield is remembered in a will

• A further 1,370 people have requested a legacy brochure

• Since 2000, we have received legacies from 41 individuals worth:

£3,395,776


You will need …

• Process

• Staff and resources

• Early successes

• Steady nerves

• Belief in the cause

• Patience

• And a bit of luck


Opportunity does come knocking


What can you expect in the Advancement profession?

Meeting remarkable people

Making things happen

Making a difference

Discussion and Questions

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