Promoting Access
and Success at
South African
Universities
Concept Paper Guidelines
The Kresge Foundation
Troy, Michigan
ADVANCEMENT INITIATIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA
ROUND II
CONCEPT PAPER GUIDELINES
The Concept Paper is your institution’s condensed “case for support.” All concept papers must be
submitted via The Kresge Foundation’s online application portal.
In no more than six pages (excluding attachments) please include responses to the following guideline
questions when completing the Call for Concept Papers:
I.
INFORMATION RELATING TO YOUR INSTITUTION
Please provide a brief but comprehensive overview of your university, and why it should be
considered as a prospective candidate for Advancement support.
1. Provide a brief historical overview of your institution.
2. Briefly describe the institution in terms of its mission statement, vision and aims; as well as
academic offerings, academic/professional staff, and students. Also include results and
findings of institutional surveys and ratings
3. What is the current status of the institution’s financial position and performance? Please
include comments on surplus/deficits of operating budgets and going concern status.
4. Address how your institution meets the eligibility criteria described in the Call for Concept
Papers, and make the case for why your university should be selected for support in the
Kresge-Inyathelo Advancement Initiative in South Africa.
II.
THE CURRENT STATE OF ADVANCEMENT AT YOUR INSTITUTION
Please provide a brief and candid assessment of the current state of private fundraising at your
institution; including strengths and weaknesses.
1. Please describe your university’s commitment to Advancement and what it has done to
invest, support and enhance Advancement capacity.
2. What role does the Vice-Chancellor perform in institutional Advancement?
3. Please describe the fundraising role performed by members of the university’s council,
board or foundation. (Do they regularly donate to the university? Do they participate in
fundraising? Are there other volunteers involved in fundraising?)
4. What Advancement training, if any, have Advancement staff attended?
5. What types of fundraising programmes does the Advancement office currently support (e.g.:
alumni or annual fund, foundation giving, corporate giving, individual giving, bequest
programme, capital or endowment campaign, etc.)? Please also indicate how many new
donors these programmes have yielded during the past year.
6. Discuss the current strengths and weaknesses in your Advancement operations. Also
highlight significant trends and/or changes that have impacted positively or negatively on
Advancement operations over the recent past.
III.
YOUR VISION FOR YOUR UNIVERSITY’S PROPOSED INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
PROGRAMME.
Please outline your plans and vision for your future institutional Advancement efforts given your
goals and the competitive criteria described in the Call for Concept Papers.
1. Describe why your institution needs to raise private funds and how your participation in the
Kresge-Inyathelo Advancement Initiative in South Africa will support your goals.
2. How would you use this opportunity to participate in the Kresge-Inyathelo Advancement
Initiative in South Africa and what would you hope to accomplish over the five-years of
the programme? How do these plans, and the support offered by the Kresge-Inyathelo
Advancement Initiative in South Africa, address the weaknesses and build upon the
3.
4.
5.
6.
strengths you identified in Section II above?
How would you measure and monitor programme success and results?
What has been the role of your institution and volunteer leadership in the development of
this concept paper and your future Advancement plans?
Has your institution formulated any current or future plans to access and reach individual
supporters?
Does the institution plan on running a capital campaign during the next five year period? If
so, please give detail (projects, time frame, and possible fundraising goal).
7. What other sources of income or support would be available, including the institution’s own
operations budget or foundation, to enhance institutional Advancement?
IV.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Attachments:
a) Six-page Concept Paper narrative.
b) Cover letter of support from Vice-Chancellor.
c) Letter of support from Council/Board Chairperson.
d) Copy of the institution’s most recent audited financial statements.
e) Copy of the institution’s current operating budget with a discussion of any deficits.
f) Copy of the institution’s most recent annual report.
g) List of governing council/board/foundation trustees, indicating chairperson.
h) Organogram indicating structure and size of current Advancement operations and
organogram representing proposed structure.
i) Current budget for Advancement/development/fundraising unit.
j) CV of your Vice-Chancellor
k) CV of your head of fundraising.
l) Completed Organisational Profile Questionnaire
m) A two-page overview and summary on any institutional merger process that has taken place
in the past eight years.
n) Any other supporting documents deemed relevant to demonstrate eligibility and/or
meeting specific criterion as outlined in the Call for Concept Papers, including a current
strategic plan for the university or for the advancement program.
Please submit your Concept Paper via Kresge’s online letter of inquiry process.
Visit www.Kresge.org to find the South Africa online application portal, or contact Inyathelo for
additional information.