copyright marts & lundy the annual fund our gateway to all giving and the foundation of the fund...
TRANSCRIPT
Copyright Marts & Lundy
The Annual FundOur gateway to all giving and the
foundation of the fund raising program
Kathleen Hanson
Senior Consultant and PrincipalLeader – Schools Practice Group
Editor, The NAIS Handbook on Marketing Independent SchoolsNESA Leadership Conference – October 2011
2
Our focus
The Annual Fund
Purpose and ValueStructure & Planning
Creativity in Approach
3
Annual Fund’s Function
Provide operating incomeAcquire new donorsRe-acquire lapsed donorsUpgrade current donors Identify and involve future volunteers Identify and engage major donor prospectsProvide a training ground for “givers” and
“getters”
4
Most Importantly
Provides the school with a venue for illustrating its worthiness on an annual basis.
5
Today’s Annual Fund
Purist view: all dollars must go to
the operating budget
Reality view: today’s donor likes to see the impact of his or her gift-some
gifts are designated
6
Benefits of the Annual Fund
Revenue is often significantOpportunity to educatePromotes the “case for support” and
the culture of philanthropyStrengthens relationshipsDonors often move from annual
support to capital support
7
Data Needed for Planning
Three years of annual fund giving dataDonor acquisition; retention and attrition
Results of screeningDiscussions with Admission regarding new
families entering the schoolLeadership donor pipelineReunion class prospectsPledge fulfillment over past five years
8
Material Needed
Volunteer role description Training materialsAnnual Fund FactsMatching Gift OpportunitiesPayment optionsFrequently Asked questionsSchool Statistics
9
Structure
Depends upon your constituency…….
You can organize by gift levels: Leadership Gifts Non-Leadership Gifts Reunion Giving
10
Structure
You can organize by constituency:
AlumniReunion Classes
Current Parents – by division or gradeParents of AlumniGrandparentsFriends
11
Giving Levels
a) $1,000 and upa) Some schools have levels up to $25,000
b) Special levels for young alumnic) Special levels for continuous donors
12
The volunteer leadership structure
The volunteer leadership of the annual fund is a vitally important component in achieving success. They need to be part of the planning They need to recruit other volunteers They need to assist with stewardship
13
Leadership Gift Committee
For large institutions, consider a Leadership Gift Committee Composed of trustees, alumni, and
parent leaders to help identify, qualify, and solicit $1,000 prospects and above
Set a goal of soliciting as many leadership donors as possible face-to-face
14
The Annual Fund Business Plan
Begins with the case for support
Moves to setting strategy
Becomes a blueprint with a timeline
Is evaluated after each annual fund cycle
15
Gift Scale or not?
Some schools develop a scale of gifts to inform their planning
Other schools develop specific strategies for leadership donors to move them to the next levelLeadership giving, for the most part, will
drive the success of the annual fund
16
Making the Case
oThe case for supporting the annual fund is vitally importantoOne page, if possibleoCarried in all materialsoUnderstood by the volunteersoAuthentic to the prospective donors
17
Where should time and $$ go?
The plan for the annual fund will direct staff time and energy. There is good research which suggests there is no difference in outcome when an annual fund appeal is in a letter format or a four-color brochure.
A personal approach to leadership giving does suggest a more positive outcome
18
Acknowledgement Gifts must be acknowledged immediately Set up a process for gift crediting and
acknowledgement When does the Head of School write a personal
note? Who signs which letters?
Donors need to feel as though their gift matters
19
Tracking Progress
Track against prior year or prior two yearsTrack donors who typically give at a certain
time of yearTrack % of giving at each level Track average size of gift against prior yearTrack results from every approach
Don’t be afraid to “test” an approach
20
Reporting Process
What will your reports of progress look like?
To whom do they go and how frequently?Manage expectations up front
What do you wish the report to accomplish?
21
Creativity
Models for Faculty and Staff SolicitationsCan create real energy internally
Models for “get it done in 31” for parent participationFocused approach on parents in a single month,
with high visibility for the fundModels for Grandparent solicitations
22
Creativity
Letters to donors on impact of their gift
Special letters to first-time donors
Special letters to donors who have made five years of consecutive gifts; 10 years
Video clips with students expressing thanks
23
Creativity
Social Media
On Line Giving
Challenges
24
Q & A