Boost Annual Giving Results in This Flagging Economy (Part 3)
NOT
MERELY YEAR OF GRADUATION, BUT SCHOOL OR ANOTHER SMALLER UNIT
Focusing
on alumni for just a second, remember to organize your annual giving not around
years of graduation, but also according to the school or a smaller unit from
which they graduated. Alumni can easily rebuff appeals from a larger entity
they feel less affinity to, but will have a tough time refusing an appeal from
the individual school or program from which they graduated. This is especially
true for adult students such as those who attended an executive MBA program.
ONCE
IS NOT ENOUGH
Interested
in a no-brainer? Try repeating your campaign every three to five months. lf,
for example, yours is a Big Ten school that just beat a competitor to become
the national champion, repeating the annual fund immediately afterward so that a many delirious
alumni and friends can give again, is a solid strategy. Try to secure two gifts each year from your
alumni. More than 50% of annual donors
will give at least twice a year if solicited well.
HIT
THEM WHERE THEY LIVE
And
no, it's not their wallet or purse, but their heart. A number of years ago,
after I had
graduated from the School of Journalism at the University of Oregon, I received a call from a student. "Do you remember those typewriters you
used in Basic News Writing?" (Remember, this was a long time ago.)
"Well, we're trying to replace them. Can we count on you to help?" Of
course I remembered those typewriters, and of course they could count on me.
WHY
WAIT UNTIL THEY GRADUATE?
If
the job of the Admissions office is to recruit young alumni, then the job of
the college is to begin working with freshmen so that they understand their
role as alumni. Rather than waiting until they graduate, begin involving
current students now. While they might not be in a position to give, they are
in an excellent position to ask. Put them on the phone. Many schools ask seniors
to contribute their first gift while still a student. Teach a giving tradition
to students. A program that gives students an opportunity to say thanks, and
helps to create a stronger campus culture of philanthropy and community is very
desrable.
INTEGRATE
MEDIA
One
excellent way to increase response is to integrate your institution's annual
fund appeals across multiple media. Rather than relying just on postal mail or
telephone, precede your annual fund campaign with some articles in the
institution’s publications. A letter from the president that announces the
campaign but does not make the ask. Use your Web site to reinforce and even
expand key messages. Remember that integrating across multiple platforms will
increase giving.
