Leading Cultural and Process Changes to Optimize Results: A Peek Inside Alumni Relations and Development Karyn Reif and David Lively
Agenda Background Early Steps for Organizational Change Operations Culture Fundraising Culture Results Key Takeaways
Background Sept 2011 Quiet Phase of fundraising campaign Nov 2011 -- Completed major database conversion Jan 2012 -- VP of 15 months rounded out leadership team with two new AVPs Feb 2012 New AVPs charged with assembling materials for ARD s budget presentation Data didn t exist to understand past performance or to predict future success Sept 2012 ARD was moving to new space 2012-2013 ARD staff size was increasing
Leadership Charge Set goals and assess progress differently Quantifiable goals Measure results Develop culture to take ARD team from good to great Ensure staff understand goals and expectations Provide tools to optimize performance individually and overall Integrate new staff quickly and effectively How do we create change, effectively and efficiently?
Organizational Assessment Spring/Summer 2012 Taking the temperature of existing staff Conducting employee engagement survey; learning what ARD leadership should know Identifying methods for employee engagement Office of Change Management provided assistance in conjunction with our office move
Focus on Building Staff Capacity New efforts for setting goals, disseminating throughout ARD, and monitoring progress Strategic hiring to fill new positions Consistent onboarding for new staff Increased internal learning and development opportunities for all staff Developed staff as teachers and learners Focused on what staff need to know
Changing the Operations Culture Creating platform for change in fundraising through system improvements Developing policies and procedures Changing team structures to support fundraising ambitions Measuring/reporting all teams work Sharing information to empower staff Moving to 1201 Davis (open work environment) improved collaboration and communication
Changing the Fundraising Culture Changes in the operations culture directly supported change in fundraising culture The systems and process changes in operations created the ecosystem to make substantive changes to the fundraising culture Building a culture of philanthropy
February 2012 Fundraising Program Assessment Giving Totals from All Sources: FY06-FY11 ($ in Millions) Number of Major Gifts from Individuals ($100k+) $300 180 $250 $268 $247 160 140 147 167 $200 $192 $221 $198 $220 120 125 126 127 130 100 $150 80 $100 60 40 $50 20 $ 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 0 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11
February 2012 Fundraising Program Assessment Identified Fundraising Needs: Grow annual fundraising totals from ~$220M to greater than $500M+ Significantly increase major gift outcomes in campaign Need ~50-70% increase in gifts of $100K Need ~60-80% increase in gifts of $1M+ Increase number of major gift fundraisers to help achieve these ambitious goals Qualify and engage large number of prospective major donors
February 2012 Fundraising Program Assessment Initial Fundraising Assessment: Fundraisers were more focused on getting visits than making solicitations and raising major gifts As a result, overall productivity was mediocre Fundraisers often focused on lower-level prospects to get visits Fundraiser portfolios were too large to manage effectively As a result we were not prioritizing our best prospects to be solicited Fundraisers had no incentive to release idle prospects for others to solicit Subsequently, nearly half of our top prospects lay fallow Most proposal data were old and inaccurate We had no accurate baseline for major gift activity It was nearly impossible to make accurate projections or track routine fundraising activity
Changing the Fundraising Culture Primary Goals: Raise significantly more money! Build the pipeline for a comprehensive, multi-year fundraising campaign Increase the base of donors for the We Will Campaign as well as the next campaign Broadly increase productivity of all existing and new fundraisers Secondary Goals: Create a more robust but sustainable fundraising culture Improve fundraiser morale
Changing the Fundraising Culture Critical First Steps Necessary to Achieve These Goals Employ new fundraising metrics and accountability Improve portfolio management (i.e. how fundraisers organize lists of prospective donors) Improve use of existing tools & resources (e.g. CATracks alumni database) Review recent fundraising history (and all relevant data) to create a baseline against which to measure future performance Improve database accuracy
Major Gift Solicitations of $100K+: FY12-FY17* (Individuals Only) 700 600 583 500 459 515 474 400 451 300 200 Implementation of Metrics and Portfolio Management System in FY13 189 100 0 September October November December January February March April May June July August FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 * FY17 Through March 31, 2017
Major Gift Activity ($100K+) from Individuals: FY06-FY16 350 Number of Major Gifts of $100K+ (Individuals Only) $400 Dollars from Major Gifts of $100K+ (Individuals Only) ($ in Millions) 300 330 $350 $379 $346 289 289 $300 250 200 Full Implementation of Metrics In FY13 223 $250 $289 150 100 125 147 167 126 127 130 185 $200 $150 $100 Full Implementation of Metrics In FY13 $119 $143 $219 50 $50 $62 $66 $76 $48 $82 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 $ 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Fundraising Highlights: FY14 vs. FY12 Recurring Activity for our Central Major Gift Officers* (20 fundraisers with more than one year in position in schools/programs & regional teams) Compared with FY12 activity, these same fundraisers in FY14 Increased the number of solicitations by 170% (178 vs. 66) Increased the number of $100K+ gifts by 211% (84 vs. 27) Increased $ from major gifts by 595% ($124.7M vs. $17.9M) Additional Highlights in FY14: 9 of 15 Schools/Programs at NU raised a record number of major gifts from individual donors in FY14 8 of 15 Schools/Programs at NU raised a record amount of major gift dollars from individual donors in FY14
Key Takeaways Use data and analytics to inform decisions Identify what works and what doesn t (and stop doing what doesn t!) Communication and collaboration Partnerships between operations and fundraising are essential When making change engage stakeholders in the decision-making and the implementation Illustrate how changes have improved outcomes along the way
Q&A