EDHE 6780 Notes

02.11.2008

Schedule Change:

• April 7th: no class
• April 21: attending scholarship event instead of class

Case Statements

• you don't have to be in the Development Office to see opportunities
  • Dr. Whitson emailing case stmt. for suggested Fellowship for COE/EDHE

Worth Text, Part III

Annual Giving Program (Ch. 7)

• common practice of setting up an annual time for giving
  • nonprofits often call these "drives"
• discussion of old-school United Way campaigns and pressure
• be reasonable and compassionate about expectations of percentage of givers
• methods:
  • direct mail
    • the easier you make it to respond, the more likely it is that they will respond
  • phone-a-thons
    • changed over time: people home less
    • but people have cell-phones; more accessible, but they get more annoyed about being contacted wherever, whenever
    • get pledges, vs. actual money; very small return on pledges
  • personal contact
    • door-to-door doesn't work anymore
      • people aren't home
      • they are more cautious about opening doors to strangers
      • is it a scam?
  • internet (email and online website giving) is a new source
  • distributing information at the workplace
• common "success" return rates are around 30% (sometimes as high as 50%)
  • drawn not only from alumni, but your target population (whatever that may be)
  • percentage for success rate is often averaged from past experience

Major Gift Programs (Ch. 8)

• factors for prospective donors:
  • need to have a sense that the prospective donor has the adequate financial ability to give
  • competing charitable interests; must decide which to prioritize and communicate internally
  • stage of life (both from age and from finances, ability/willingness to give)
  • charitable nature -- as well as motivations for giving
  • prospective donors' history with your institution
  • their current involvement with your institution
• may take awhile to develop that donor relationship (charts on p. 94 - 95)
• ultimate and principle gifts (they take a lot of preparation and deep relationship)
• core values, 108
• naming rights, 111
  • can be a very tricky business
  • these donors may want to dictate a lot of details
    • reasonable to accommodate some of this, but you don't let them hold you hostage
  • you get a lot of publicity out of naming rights; events, ribbon cutting, press for famous names, large donation
  • universities run a risk when they start giving away corporate naming rights

Planned Giving (Ch. 10)

• tax rules affecting planned gifts
  • your big donors will already know about this
• different forms of gifts; cash, in-kind, investments, real estate, personal property, trusts/estate giving, etc.

Special Events (Fund-raisers)

• discussed on p. 99
• events are probably the least profitable fund-raising activity
  • labor-intensive
  • takes a long time (at least 6 months)
  • must have enough "razzle-dazzle" to impress and be worth attending...
    • but it must not look "too rich," and look like you don't need $ or wasted $
  • usually pay for tickets, and also have a silent or live auction (donated items)
    • a lot of work to ask for those auction items
  • have food? entertainment?
  • have to set up the venue, activities
  • have a name-draw person speaking?
  • booths for vendors, sponsors, etc.?
• if you have an event every year, people anticipate it and it becomes more successful
• huge events are more successful
• Women's Foundation of Dallas
  • founded by truly wealthy women
  • already had a base of $ to work with
  • annual event: hotel ballroom with almost 1,000 people for a weekday lunch
  • raffle, silent auction, able to purchase table centerpieces, tickets to event = lots of fund-raising efforts at one event
  • big-name speaker and a speaker who benefited from the foundation (also a video showing what they did, purpose)
  • in June, they sent a save-the date for their November event
  • even without a big name, give attendees a welcome feeling -- let people who attend your event know that you're very glad that they are there

Other Topics

• "image marketing" or "image advertising"
  • university that changed to dress code policy (business casual Mon - Thurs; school colors Fri) for staff/faculty/students, to upgrade the school's image
  • got national attention
  • other examples: mastercard "priceless" ads
• Corrie ten Boom's estate: donated her memorabilia to Dallas Baptist University (donation of personal property that appreciates in value, although it will not be sold)
• Baylor has collection of Robert & Elizabeth Browning's material