A CASE study of the University of
Sheffield over the last nine years –
focusing on philanthropy
Miles Stevenson
Director of Development
The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
9th March 2011
I aim to cover …
• How we built a Development
and Alumni Relations office
• Using Sheffield as a case
study – successes,
achievements and lessons
• Questions and discussion
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
The University of Sheffield
Founded in 1905
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
5 June 2002
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
18 November 2011
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Building a pipeline
A good team
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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.”
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Our aim was to create …
• a successful office
• which built a strong
alumni family and
brand
• supported my ViceChancellor
• Helped Sheffield
• enthused supporters
• and raised money
Marco Van Basten
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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 shortterm?
• Is it essential?
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Confront The “B” word - Begging
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Fundraisers and fundraising?
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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?
• Unique selling points – if any
• What is the institution good at?
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Why Education is Important
Ricketts – Penicillin – Viagra!
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Why Education is Important 2
Bailey Bridge – Stainless Steel – London Eye
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Institutional Audit 2
• What resources are available?
• Are senior management keen?
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What is your reporting structure?
How many alumni, how old, how famous?
What is the appetite to do this?
Any focus groups to test this?
What other supporters exist?
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Institutional Audit 3
• What does the institution really want?
• What are the expectations?
• How reasonable are these expectations?
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Donors won’t pay for …
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
The Strategic Plan
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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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Basic Ingredients
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Database
Time
Direction
Staff
Backing from the top
Training
Energy and enthusiasm
A budget
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
The University of
Sheffield: a case study
Sheffield
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
The University of Sheffield
Founded in 1905
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Sheffield - 1904
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Back to 1984
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What went wrong?
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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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
What did I do first?
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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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Public backing by Vice-Chancellor
Talk to all heads of
department on my
second day
Support from ViceChancellor
Acknowledgment of
difficulties
Immediate
expressions of interest
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Essential stakeholders
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You need key constituents on your team
Your Vice-Chancellor/your boss
The senior managers
Your staff
Your supporters/donors
The academic champions
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
My 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 from the past
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Teams
• Database and Research
• Fundraising – Annual Fund
Telephone and direct mail
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Fundraising – Projects
Fundraising – Major Gifts
Fundraising - Legacies
Finance and Stewardship
Alumni Relations
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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
Now 17 staff
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Sowing the seeds
Alumni Relations prepares
the ground for increased
reputation, brand
recognition, better
recruitment and ultimately
donations.
Don’t treat alumni as a
“cash cow”
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Ordinary alumni?
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Now worth $73 billion (ish)
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William Squire
• You need processes
• You need a little luck
• You can create luck
• You don’t need to convert everyone
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People invest in success
My first donor
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Our Alumni
Former
students, staff
and friends
130,000 +
Hard and soft benefits
Reputation
Word of
Mouth
Donations
Speakers
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Famous Alumni
David Blunkett, Sir Harry Kroto, Sir Richard Roberts, Eddie Izzard
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Addressable Alumni (02/02/2009)
UK
98,308
N. America
2,601
Europe
9,546
Russia & Central
Asia - 28
Middle
East/Gulf 1,888
Caribbea
n
443
S. America
338
Africa
1,497
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S.
Asia
1,194
E. Asia
4,580
S.E.
Asia
5,345
Australasia
849
Alumni Publications
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Building the communications
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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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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 overreliance on expensive productions
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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
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Centenary DVD to 25,000
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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
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Gift Clubs
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Building the processes
Stewardship
• Effective mechanisms to thank supporters
• Effective mechanisms to recognise supporters
• Regular cultivation devices
• Validation tools (newsletter)
• Thank, thank, THANK - Ευχαριστώ
• Your most likely future donor is a past donor
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Saying thank you
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Recognition
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Building the processes 2
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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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Building the processes 3
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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)
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Building the processes 4
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
• When gifts go wrong – the £1 million bounced
cheque
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Visibility
The Development Office must
be visible
People must be able to find this
office – 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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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
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Get measuring
You must also
have
non-financial
measureables
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Some recent successes
at Sheffield
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Gifts and Pledges
 £24 million raised since 2002
 Funds raised for every faculty
 9,500 donors
 c. 90% of the gifts were “untied”
 431 legacies confirmed
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SITraN
It is the research that counts …
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Opportunity does come knocking
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Exhibition Space
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Pro Bono Law
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Scholarships
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The Alumni Foundation
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Legacy figures
• 431 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 43 individuals
worth:
£3,395,776
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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
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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
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
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”
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Managing expectations
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You will need …
• Process
• Staff and resources
• Early successes
• Steady nerves
• Belief in the cause
• Patience
• And a bit of luck
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Short-term gains
versus long-term planning
“We build long-term
fundraising
relationships
in institutions that think
short-term.”
Scott Nichols
Harvard Law School
13/04/2015 © The University of Sheffield / Department of Marketing and Communications
Discussion and Questions