JULY 25, 2013
Leadership Annual Giving: The Sum of The Parts
Laurie Carlin DavidsonDirector, Northwestern University Leadership Circle (NULC)
I. Introduction and OverviewLaurie Carlin Davidson, Director, NULCAmy George Oldfield, Director, Donor Relations
II. Direct AppealsKarla Del Angel, Assistant Director, NULC
III. Volunteer ManagementDavin Peelle, Associate Director, NULC
IV. Frontline FundraisingNicole Payton, Director, Major Gifts
V. Q&A
AGENDA
Northwestern University Leadership Circle (NULC) Introduction
Why have a leadership annual giving program?o “Bridge the gap” between direct response gifts and major giftso Foster a stronger donor communityo Build the base of the donor pyramid to improve fundraising results
now and in the future
Leadership annual giving at Northwestern University:o Partnerships are the key to our successo Nearly all teams in NU Alumni Relations and Development are
involved:o donor relations, direct appeals, reunions, major gifts,
schools/units, special events, young alumni, alumni relations, marketing/communications, etc.
NULC
NULCDonor Totals, FY06-FY13
5000
6000
7000
8000
9000
10000
11000
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 Goal
Don
or T
otal
s
Fiscal Years 2006-2013 (Sept 1 to August 31)*FY13 YTD total as of 7/15/13
donors
8,899YTD
7,042
10,000
NULCDollar Totals, FY06-FY13
$20,000,000
$25,000,000
$30,000,000
$35,000,000
$40,000,000
$45,000,000
$50,000,000
$55,000,000
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY09 FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 Goal
Dol
lars
Rai
sed
Fiscal Years 2006-2013 (Sept 1 to August 31)*FY13 YTD total as of 7/15/13
dollars
$30.9M
$42.5M YTD
$50M
NULC History
2004 Donor Recognition Task Force created to provide feedback on NU’s giving societies
o Task Force advised creating consistent giving levels across all schools and units
2005 Donor Giving Society Surveyo Donors want an understanding of how their gifts are usedo Donors want “insider” information
2006 Launch of NULCo Presidential letter to announceo First donor dinner in Chicago; receptions in NY and SFo Chicago Regional Council formed
NULC Overview
What is it?
o “Umbrella” for recognition/stewardship across the Universityo Each school/unit maintains a giving society name for
donors who give $1,000 or moreo Giving society levels consistent across all schools &
units
NULC Overview
What Counts?
o Outright gifts anywhere at Northwestern counto Aggregate giving across University counts for benefit levelo Matching gifts counto Pledges, in-kind, life insurance, annuity gifts do not counto Young alumni leadership levels (0-4 yrs; 5-9 yrs)
NULC Benefits
Benefits to Donorso Centralized baseline stewardship for all donors of $1000+
o Regional recognition events (9 per year)o Newsletters (3 per year)o Honor Roll of Donorso President’s Book Club mailing - annual donors of $25K+o Access
Benefits to NUo Increased dollars and donorso Fosters partnership with schools/units as they can build on
planned NULC stewardshipo More donor-centered fundraising environment
NULC Direct Appeals
Annual NULC Mailing Scheduleo Two Stewardship pieceso Four Solicitation pieces
o Sept, Nov, March and Juneo Coordination with Schools/Units – i.e., “Dean’s Letters,”
school challenges
Phonathono Tool for new donor acquisitions, $1k-5k upgrades
Room to fill in “holes” in our calendaro Email: New opportunities, lower cost!o Calendar Year End and Fiscal Year End Lybunt Mailings
NULC Direct Appeals
The All-StarsoStewardship brochure: 14,220 pieces mailed, 4.9% response rate,
$646,132.00 raisedoHonor Roll: 11,317 pieces mailed, 2% response rate, $307,992.00
raised
Exciting new initiativeoRetention Mailing
NULC Direct Appeals
NULC Direct Appeals
NULC Direct Appeals
NULC Direct Appeals
NULC Volunteers
NULC Regional Councils o Formed in Northwestern’s most significant metropolitan areas to conduct peer-to-peer fundraising activities
o Boston, Chicago, Florida, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.
Regional Council Strategic objectives:oIncrease dollarsoIncrease donors in key citiesoStrengthen regional communitiesoPrepare new group of volunteers for campaign
NULC Volunteers
Regional Council Job Descriptiono Increase awareness of and support for NU by engaging and
soliciting alumni with the capacity to join NU’s giving societieso Make an annual leadership gift of $5,000 or moreo Serve as an ambassador for NU and leadership givingo Solicit 5-10 leadership prospectso Identify potential leadership donors and facilitate
introductionso Attend annual recognition event and 2 business meetings per
year, held locally
NULC Volunteers
Regional Council Memberso Each Council’s membership reflects breadth of NU’s base and
the local communityo Class Year, Degree, School, Affinity, Parent o Industry, Geography, Social Circle, Philanthropic Interest
oQualities of a great Council Member:o Loves NU o Understands the importance of leadership givingo Well-networked with a large or strategic alumni baseo Big name that raises NU’s local visibilityo Bonus: needs stewardship
NULC Frontline Fundraising
NULC frontline officerso Focus on, but not limited to, geographic areas of the Regional Councilso Solicit prospects for annual gifts of $5,000-$24,999 o Discovery/qualification is top priorityo Refer key prospects to staff or volunteerso Close collaboration with central major gifts and schools/units
NULC Role in Regional Strategy
Major Gifts Team structureo Assistant directors
NULC Role in Regional Strategy
o Schools/Units
o Collaborative meetings
NULC Frontline Fundraising
NULC frontline officers come with 35-75 person regional “team”
o Four ways volunteers help build the major gift pipelineo “Not yet” – refer prospect to a volunteer o “Not now” – test leadership ask through volunteero “Undiscovered” – volunteer refers lost prospecto “Unresponsive” – volunteer opens door for staff
NULCSummary
o Leadership annual donors of $1,000 - $99,999 represent a significant portion of our annual fundraising goal
o Direct Appeals materials build NULC brand and boosts donor acquisition
o NULC volunteers represent future campaign/NU volunteer leaders
o Leadership donors represent a healthy pipeline for future major gifts
o NULC gift officers facilitate collaboration
NULC
Questions?
Thank you!