During the past few months, higher-education fundraisers supervised children’s schooling at home, co-worked with housemates, and managed all the crazy mood fluctuations of shelter-at-home while also reaching out to tens of thousands of donors with heartfelt messages of care, concern, and hope.
Counter to expectations, many have continued to close substantial gifts as well. Now, as states begin to open back up, many wonder what’s next.
When will donors be willing to meet in person? When will travel resume? When will colleagues chat at the water cooler again rather than by video?
Twenty fundraising leaders at universities across the country kindly answered these questions. And while each warned that their crystal ball is fuzzy at best, consensus — and optimism — is strong.
Fundraisers Are Adapting
Each leader interviewed believes a snap back to normal is unlikely in 2020. Medical concerns will persist, and the economy may sputter toward a long recovery, they say.
“Large events will take a back seat. Travel will be reduced — both due to budget cuts and because some of our best donors will be cautious about seeing us,” says Rebecca Smith, senior executive director at University of California at San Diego. Most believe regular travel schedules won’t resume until 2021.
These are big and concerning changes because in-person visits have long been the gold standard of major-gift fundraising — and the part of the job that most fundraisers love most.
However, fundraisers’ innovation and productivity over the last two months bodes well. For example, at colleges and universities around the country, when beloved scholarship dinners were canceled, fundraisers captured students’ gratitude using the popular “ThankView” software and sent donors thousands of thank-you videos.
With real visits on hold, virtual ones have proceeded apace, setting activity records at many universities. Many confess these conversations over social distance have proved to be surprisingly personal and productive.
Perhaps most promising, universities connected with alumni at home, sharing inspiration, trusted data, guidance, and engaging diversions. As University of Cincinnati Foundation President Peter Landgren says, “Innovations we make today, we won’t unlearn. We are creative beings, and we are a learning organization.”
Given all that’s changed, what does the future hold? Here are a few predictions the advancement leaders shared.
Next-Level Digital Engagement. Video calling, previously a rare exception, is now the rule, with rather surprising results. More board members have attended and participated in spring meetings than at any other time in recent memory, according to those interviewed. Many say these discussions have been better focused and informed than in the past and that decisions were reached quickly.
Deans and faculty members have been able to “meet” with many more donors because they don’t have to spend time traveling or tend to on-campus duties. And fundraising staffs report knowing one another better and receiving clear guidance from leadership.
Most of all, creative use of email, text, phone, and video has boosted fundraising activity and fostered engagement in important ways. For example, at the University of Wisconsin, digital-experience team members carry as many as 500 people in each of their portfolios. Now, they can have dramatically more conversations with more donors online compared with when they jumped on planes to meet just a few — and it costs much less.
Digital outreach seems to lend itself to more frequent and substantive communication, too. As Ohio University Foundation President Nico Karagosian said, “There’s a lot more activity in contact reports. Where previously there might be a visit every few months, a lot of it social, now there will be four to five little touches. I’d rather see those frequent, substantive contacts. The relationship is so much stronger, and more focused on engagement and giving.”
Most big donors will want to meet at least occasionally, says Lynnette Marshall, president of the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. “We’ll need to move to a hybrid model — use the phone and video much more for early conversations. But ultimately, donors want a trusted adviser and counselor.”
The importance of trust came up in numerous conversations. How can fundraisers build trust without in-person meetings?
A Focus on Content and Impact. In normal times, donors can attend all kinds of parties, but content that makes them think, helps them make big decisions, and inspires their imagination is much more valuable, and will remain so after the pandemic subsides.
Mike Knetter, noted economist, former business dean, and current president of the University of Wisconsin Foundation, started an online series when the crisis hit. On Tuesday evenings, he now hosts discussions on YouTube. Called “The UW Now,” the series covers topics such as the food supply during the pandemic, the economy, and medical advances against Covid-19. “We’ve had over 48,000 views, 28,000 unique viewers,” said Knetter. “Alumni events were drawing maybe 150. We take questions online and get real interaction.”
A webinar series at Marquette takes a similar approach. Aimed at donors whose evenings and weekends were unusually open, the series covered topics from Ignatian spirituality to real estate to the pandemic’s economic impact. The webinars have been so popular that the team is considering how to provide ongoing connection and community for the long haul.
Top donors to Case Western Reserve University’s last fundraising campaign indicated that they want substantive engagement in the future, says Carol Moss, senior vice president for university relations and development. Donors who were surveyed said they wanted to hear about research and discoveries and have opportunities to mentor students. They wanted their connection to be meaningful.
“Philanthropy should solve real-world problems,” says Texas A&M Foundation President Tyson Voelkel. He acknowledges that higher education does this, but notes that those stories often go untold. “Maybe that is part of our unique opportunity as fundraisers? It’s the university’s job to research and teach. Our job is to translate for them.”
Finding and telling human stories — stories of transformation that a donor can spur, stories that feel unique to your institution — those will give organizations the upper hand in the competitive fundraising environment ahead.
Renewed Appreciation for High-Quality Managers. One surprise outcome of this work-from-home season has been widespread recognition that management matters.
As in many professions, those who produce tend to be promoted in fundraising. But competitive, driven producers aren’t always endowed with the (quite distinct) skills and instincts to support team members’ success. And, sadly, most don’t receive training on how to manage. That’s especially unfortunate because fundraising is plagued by costly turnover (reports routinely indicate that half of all fundraisers plan to leave their jobs within two years) that often could be prevented by better management.
Enter coronavirus. Suddenly, managers must supervise remote staff. Many responded with personal concern, clear communication, and celebration of productivity. Oakland University Vice President for Advancement Mike Westfall conducted 15-minute calls with each of his 60 staff members, including part-timers, soon after everyone settled into work-from-home.
“We started with how they were doing personally. I acknowledged the anxiety out there and encouraged them to ask me anything. And then I asked how their work was going, how I could help. It was fantastic.”
At Alma College, “We start every staff meeting with good news,” says Vice President for Advancement Matt vandenBerg. “I work with every person to ensure they have something to report. Our new circumstances have heightened our feeling of partnership.”
At Macalester College, communication bubbled up from the staff, something that managers encouraged and applauded. For example, frontline fundraisers organized a popular online chat they called “Never Not Reaching Out” to share professional encouragement, lots of dog and cat pictures, and funny stories. The team also created a weekly newsletter dubbed Remote Possibilities to share advice on making the most of working from home. “These channels have been informative and also really fun. We’ve gotten to know each other so much better,” says Christine Solso, assistant vice president of development. “Creativity has been through the roof.”
On a more serious note, Steve Sokany, vice president of institutional advancement at Kent State University, says he makes it a priority “to share as much as we can, knowing full well a lot is fluid.” He feels it’s important to be forthright to prevent the rumor mill from running. He also ensures his staff members have the tools and training they need, such as practice for video calls.
Case Western Reserve’s Carol Moss says, “We meet every week for very focused moves-management sessions. We create strategies, talk through scenarios, consider what words to use, which faculty could be helpful.” The medical-school team is role-playing different scenarios and receiving feedback from the group to help them improve. “I want team members to feel like they can turn to any of their colleagues for help.”
Despite the disruption and anxiety experienced during the last two months, fundraisers around the country report feeling more connected with colleagues, a greater sense of purpose and clarity in their work, and surprisingly high satisfaction. “This is our moment to shine,” says Sheila Manion, vice president for development at Saint Louis University. “We really are needed; we can show the difference we’re making now. We have to buoy everybody right now.”
