Building Fundraising Programs
- 1. Building fundraising programs Tim Weidmann Throughout my career, I have been building fundraising programs: 1. Yales corporate fundraising from $4.5 million to $17.5 million/year, 2. Northwesterns medical fund-raising from $8 million to $60 million/year, 3. Northwestern Universitys fundraising from $37 million to $200+ million/year, and 4. Loyola Medicines fundraising from $8 million to $46 million/ year. This presentation tells how.
- 2. Corporate gifts for Yale Researched best practices for corporate giving, then implemented those practices Doubled corporate giving But came to believe Yale could raise more Researched state-of-the-art corporate giving nationwide Discovered creative techniques at MIT, Wash U, Stanford, and Harvard
- 3. State-of-the-art Techniques To utilize the MIT/Wash U/Stanford/Harvard techniques, worked closely with Yales Office of Grants and Contracts (sponsored programs) Developed a corporate agreement that provided general research dollars to departments for first right of refusal on any patents they developed Using this technique, again doubled corporate giving So overall quadrupled corporate fundraising at Yale
- 4. Northwesterns medical fund-raising: $8M to $60M/year Med School stuck at raising $8M/year Converted Med School fundraising to wealthy grateful patients Worked initially with Department chairs to identify wealthy grateful patients After raising 3 mega-gifts, top physicians at Med School began telling Development Office of their wealthy grateful patients After five years, medical school was raising $60M/year
- 5. Quintupling Northwestern Fundraising Story has many aspects Arrived at Northwestern in 1987, when University had raised $37M Left Northwestern in 2001 raising $200M Believed Northwestern had the potential to raise at least as much as University of Chicago To build the fundraising program took: a. Internal organization b. Internal team building b. External expectations of alumni and friends
- 6. a. Internal team building (1) Initially built strong fundraising teams for Medical and Law Schools Both Schools had strong potential for fundraising Both could be used as models for other schools to emulate Built medical program on grateful patient gifts Built law program in three parts: Tripled the annual fund Recruited key volunteers Solicited named chairs from wealthy alumni and local firms
- 7. b. Internal Organization (1) In 1987, Northwestern could not be char- acterized as best practices fundraising shop Re-engineered Prospect Research department Used top researcher from Harvard as counsel Transformed department to best practices Hired new Director, recruited mostly new staff
- 8. b. Internal Organization (2) Brought PCs onto desks of all fundraisers Automated Development Office using Ethernet networking For the first time shared files, shared printers, used email, used templates, and trimmed clerical staff Automated prospect management Incorporated Prospect Research analysis, defined prospect ownership, determined prospect lists, defined stages of interaction
- 9. b. Internal Organization (3) Defined stewardship process and require- ments No gift >$25,000 goes unstewarded The larger the gift, the more elaborate the stewardship Wrote RFP for new Development database University purchased BSR Advance for $billion campaign
- 10. a. Internal Team Building (2) Continual recruitment of fundraisers at all levels, and restructuring as needed Constant mentoring of staff Goal = find and keep top performers Organizational limits to making that happen The more we raised, the more we attracted good fundraisers
- 11. c. External Expectations of Alumni and Friends Built good communication with alumni and friends The alumni magazine, school newsletters, campaign newsletters, letters from the President, university annual reports Articles about large gifts were key So alumni and friends who were capable of doing the same were shown the way Constant message = importance of private philanth- ropy to maintain and enhance university excellence Alumni and friends came to expect philanthropy in a big way
- 12. Conclusion with Northwestern Created a Culture of Philanthropy Throughout the university over 14 years Undertook 12 specific and sweeping actions to bring Northwesterns fundraising from $37M to $200+M/year Actions were all team efforts Would have failed, if I werent a team player
- 13. Built Loyola Medical Fundraising Was hired to create independent medical fundraising arm 7 staff members when I arrived, and Medical Development Office raising $8M/year 31 professionals, when I left, raising $46M/year Variables to create results with: CFR and individual fundraising, wealthy grateful patients, Med School, hospital, coming campaign
- 14. Loyola Medical Center Introduced best practices Created hospital annual fund Increased and stabilized Med School annual fund Quadrupled CFR fundraising for Med School Built patient database Did wealth-screening to identify wealthy patients Worked with Department chairs to identify wealthy grateful patients Wealth-screened Med alumni for wealthy alums Defined prospects and met with them regularly
- 15. Loyola Medical Center Communicated effectively with external constituencies Publicized large gifts and importance of private philanthropy to excellence of medical center Created internal Culture of Philanthropy Appeared before faculty regularly to expound the value of philanthropy Drove campaign planning for $300M medical research campaign
- 16. Conclusion Why so successful at building fundraising programs? Had excellent liberal arts education Believe in value of American philanthropy Got strong business education at IBM Robust technology training at IBM Extensive sales experience throughout college and grad school AND with IBM HAD to succeed Worked for institutions I believed in Extensive fundraising experience Success breeds success