VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON

University Development Strategic Plan 2012 - 2014

DEVELOPMENT OFFICE MISSION: To create and nurture strong, collaborative and mutually beneficial relationships with alumni and supporters that will contribute to the reputation and success of the University.

VALUES: The values we will adhere to, collectively and individually, in reaching our mission are as follows: • • • •

Excellence – promoting and delivering high quality outcomes, efficiency and customer satisfaction. Innovation – always developing new ideas and applying best practice approaches. Collaboration – teamwork, partnerships and a pan-University approach. Integrity – valuing our relationships, treating our donors, alumni and colleagues with professional respect.

PURPOSE The purpose of the Development Office is twofold: 1. To raise private funds through the Victoria University Foundation for strategic priorities of the University. 2. To engage with alumni and stakeholders in on-going, mutually beneficial relationships that are supportive of the University.

AIMS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OFFICE: •

To raise private funds, through the Victoria University Foundation for strategic priorities.

•

To provide opportunities for alumni and other stakeholders to invest philanthropically in Victoria’s mission and goals.

•

To engage and build relationships with alumni in on-going, mutually beneficial relationships that will bring opportunities for alumni while also contributing to the reputation and success of the University.

•

To build and nurture a collaborative, co-ordinated and integrated internal alumni and development culture.

•

To provide knowledgeable and professional alumni and development advisory services to Victoria’s internal and external stakeholders.

•

To provide efficient management and systems in support of fundraising, alumni engagement, donation accountability and promotion of our successes.

•

To develop the Alumni database (Raiser’s Edge) into a vital tool that contains accurate and complete data on alumni, donors, staff and stakeholders; and to be able to research and identify successful alumni and prospects.

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BACKGROUND: As noted in the UK report prepared by Professor Eric Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of Bristol University, Increasing Voluntary Giving to Higher Education, Task Force Report to Government, fundraising should be approached systemically, professionally and strategically and invested in accordingly. It notes that the main success factors for fundraising are: (i) (ii) (iii)

those in leadership positions committing a substantial amount of time and energy towards fundraising; a professional office that follows established techniques well and is resourced properly; and Institutional acceptance over time that fundraising is an important activity.

Victoria University has been raising private funds in a targeted and co-ordinated manner since the establishment of the Victoria Foundation in 1990. $45 million has been raised through the Foundation over this time, with funds raised in recent years averaging $2 to $3 million per annum. These results have been achieved with a very modest but consistent level of professional fundraising staff, from a relatively small pool of donors, and with generally limited engagement by academic staff across the University. Even more can be achieved in the future with an increase in these three important components of university fundraising. With increasing pressure on the University’s finances, and a national financial situation that is likely to continue to put the tertiary sector under pressure, there is an urgent need for Victoria University to give greater emphasis to private fundraising. The role of fundraising is changing from being nice to have to being essential. It was with this need in mind that a restructure of the Alumni and Fundraising activities was undertaken in 2009/2010. There is also a need to revitalise the Alumni Relations strategy at Victoria. While the Alumni programme should offer benefits such as networking and services to alumni, the strategy needs to be aligned with the overall goals of the University, celebrate successful and influential alumni, and build relationships with other generous and philanthropic individuals. The Development Office was formally established in early 2010 with the a malgamation of staff from the Foundation and Alumni Relations and the establishment of three positions – an Executive Director of Development and the Foundation; a Development Database Research Administrator and a two-year fixed-term Director of Strategy. As a result of the increase in resources in the 2010 budget the Development Office has increased engagement with alumni; connected more with Faculties and Schools; developed the database and increased fundraising revenue for strategic priorities. In particular engagement with alumni and faculties/schools on alumni strategies which was lacking for several years has now been rejuvenated. It is important that there is ownership by Faculties and Schools of alumni activities; we act as a facilitator and work in conjunction with them on these activities. The Global Philanthropic Advancement tour of Californian Universities and Health organisations undertaken in July 2011 was an excellent opportunity to observe and learn 3

from some very successful organisations. The consistent key messages we received that are particularly applicable to us are outlined in appendix one. In particular it was demonstrated that investment in resources in this area results in increases in donations and contact/engagement with alumni, which in turn increases the prospect pool of donors. Other key principles were that connection and communication with academic staff was critical, that engagement with the academic leadership on their strategic priorities needs to be continual, that they need to commit substantial time to fundraising and development activities must be aligned with the University’s strategic plan. This three year strategic plan outlines key objectives and initiatives, and once approved, will be supported by an annual operating plan which will have detailed strategies and targets to be met. Key themes and priorities for fundraising are being developed in conjunction with the case for support as outlined in Current Objectives: Fundraising, Objective 8.

RESULTS 2011 TO DATE The investment of three new positions in Development over the past two years has had an immediate impact on the engagement we have with alumni and the fundraising revenue brought in. The appointment of the Development Database Research Administrator has in particular resulted in an alumni database that is now rated by NZ Post as being 92.7% accurate for the address records we hold (which is rated as excellent by NZ Post). Other achievements in 2011 have been:

Fundraising: • •

As at 31 August 2011 fundraised $3.197 million in cash compared to $1.212 million for same time last year. Confirmed pledges for the future currently totalling $14.6 million since the Foundation began.

Victoria Foundation total equity as at 31 August 2011 is $17.754 million. The following graph shows the portion of total funds that are endowed and non-endowed.: Endowed Non-endowed

$11,712 $6,042

Total

$17,754

Total Trust Funds

Non-endowed 34% Endowed 66%

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Of the total funds of $17,754 million currently in the Foundation, 96% ($17,099 million) has been given for specified purposes and 4% ($655,000) for unspecified purposes. Of the total funds donated, the majority has been specified to be used in funding prizes and scholarships (44%) with the next highest category of gifting being support for academic positions, including fellowships (28%). By Category

Total $'000 7,768 5,014 3,648 655 347 221 95 7 17,754

Prizes & Scholarships Academic Positions Academic Programme & Institutes General Unspecified General Specified Library and Art Collections Building Funds Student Services

Total Trust Funds

Endowed $'000 6,493 2,779 1,734 348 240 118

11,712

Non-endowed $'000 1,275 2,235 1,913 307 108 103 95 7 6,042

Total Trust Funds by Categories 1% 2%

0% 0% Prizes & Scholarships

4% Academic Positions Academic Programme & Institutes

21% 44%

General Unspecified General Specified Library and Art Collections Building Funds

28%

Student Services

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Key fundraising results in 2011 have included: • Chair of Public Finance • Chair in Business in Asia • Stephen Turnovsky Visiting Fellowship • Reserve Bank Macroeconomics funded position • Wade Thompson US$1 million donation for Malaghan Institute Fundraising Campaign pre planning has commenced with: • Green paper on new fundraising initiatives approved by Council, SMT and Foundation Board • Draft Case for Support being developed • Market Test of Case for Support – Nov 2011 Alumni outcomes: • Total valid addresses increased from 53,025 to 57,120 • Email addresses increased from 27,122 to 32,376 • Total records increased from 83,73 to 91,956 • 10 international events and four NZ events held with 1085 alumni having attended • Five alumni e-newsletters issued, 10 alumni articles in each of three issues of Victorious • Alumni representatives established in Beijing, Shanghai, Berlin, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and New York. • Alumni Facebook and LinkedIn groups established

CURRENT OBJECTIVES: We need to continue to build on the progress we have made in the past year through the following proven objectives: establishing effective and mutually beneficial relationships with alumni and donors, increasing our prospect pool and donor pipeline and increasing the annual fundraising revenue. The pre-planning work on a possible campaign has begun with the developing of a draft case for support and market test of this draft case.

Alumni: Objective 1. To engage alumni including donors and Victoria staff, and stakeholders so they feel loyalty, goodwill, and pride in being part of the larger Victoria family

Initiative

Timeline 1. Develop guidelines for Faculty staff On-going

2. 3.

4.

5.

involved with Alumni programmes including database sharing, newsletters and events. Develop an active body of alumni in Auckland. Increase engagement with Wellington alumni particularly targeting younger alumni. Continue to develop relationships with Vic Alumni Coordinators overseas. Increase visibility of alumni in University publications and increase the interaction between

On-going On-going On-going

On-going

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alumni. 6. Support of overseas and domestic On-going designated Alumni Contacts in their communications with their alumni cohort. 2. To identify and acknowledge successful alumni.

3.To develop the Raiser’s Edge database (RE) as the official alumni and donor system that contains accurate and complete data on alumni including donors and Victoria staff, and stakeholders

4.To assist the University in developing alternate revenue streams through Alumni Relations

5. To improve transition from student to loyal and supportive alumni

1. Acknowledge and celebrate successful alumni. 2. Encourage successful alumni to join Victoria national and international advisory boards. 3. Build the profile of the Alumni Relations programme through a strong presence at graduation. 4. Build relationships with alumni through the Distinguished Alumni Awards. 5. Work with Faculties to develop Faculty-based recognition awards or prizes for alumni and/or scholarships for students. 6. Work with Careers Office to raise profile of CareerHub with current students and alumni and Leading People programme.

On-going

1. Systematically research lost alumni with a focus on graduates of 1950 onwards. 2. Add and maintain a register of Victoria staff on RE. 3. Collect business details and other information on all alumni and volunteer groups. 4. Collect email addresses and ‘where are they now’ information.

On-going

1. Support sales of Victoria merchandise through VicBooks. 2. Identify fundraising opportunities through engagement with international alumni. 3. Identify successful alumni who can be prospective donors. 4. Undertake the annual appeal to alumni.

Q1 2012

1. Facilitate participation of appropriate alumni as speakers at graduation ceremonies and other appropriate events.

On-going

On-going

On-going Held every 2nd year On-going

On-going

On-going On-going

On-going

On-going

On-going Annually

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2. Facilitate opportunities for students to interact with alumni. 3. Open some alumni events to current students.

On-going

On-going

Fundraising: Objective Initiative 1. To increase University 1. Develop and implement internal participation in Development communication strategy. activities. 2. Develop and implement a Development training and education programme for senior staff and Foundation Trustees. 3. Engage Faculties and Schools through a “shared responsibility” model for Development.

Timeline Q4 2011

2. To establish an effective governance and management structure for fundraising and get the right people involved.

1. Ensure Development Steering Group (DSG) meetings are held every month to discuss and monitor strategy. 2. Ensure Victoria Foundation Board and sub-committee meetings are scheduled and effectively managed. 3. Ensure fundraising is supported by robust policies and procedures

On-going

1. Receipt and thank all donors/sponsors promptly. 2. Receive and disburse all project funds in the timeframe agreed with donors and sponsors and for the purposes specified and to communicate with donors the impact of their contribution. 3. Ensure that the UK and USA charities are well managed.

On-going

3. To provide appropriate project monitoring, accountability, public recognition and stewardship to donors and sponsors.

4. To grow revenue through major gifts

Q2 2012

On-going

Quarterly from 2012. On-going.

On-going

On-going

1. Develop with academic leaders On-going approved projects of potential interest to prospective donors and sponsors. 2. Initiate targeted and proactive On-going cultivation and solicitation 8

3.

4.

5.

6.

strategies for identified prospects. Submit applications regularly to grant making trusts and foundations for projects. Identify top international prospects for significant gifts (i.e. NZ$100,000 and over). Identify and solicit support from corporations and public sector organisations for the University. Grow the prospect pool and pipeline of donors.

On-going

On-going

On-going and as needed On-going

5. To grow support from current donors through effective stewardship.

1. Produce an annual report that Annually showcases our successes. 2. Engage selected donors and Q1 2012 significant alumni with senior leadership of University through a VC and PVC business luncheon programme. 3. Provide ongoing and effective On-going communication with donors on the value of their gift.

6. To grow the number of bequests to the University.

1. Identify potential bequestors and solicit bequests for the University. 2. Engage and provide ongoing stewardship to committed bequest donors through the Victoria legacy Club and individual stewardship. 3. Promote bequest giving to retired staff through the Hunter Club and hosting of five Club meeting per annum. 4. Advertise in University and external publications to target primary (alumni and former staff) and secondary (legal and financial advisors) audiences. 5. Present one seminar per annum for legal and/or financial advisors.

7. To develop an annual giving programme to increase donors and to strengthen the culture of philanthropy.

On-going

On-going

On-going

On-going

Annually

1. Improve the annual giving On-going strategy by better segmentation of the database, messaging and delivery. 2. Increase support for annual giving On-going 9

from within the University. 3. Achieve good results including a On-going high renewal rate of donors. 8. To work on implementing the structure, mechanism and a conducive environment to enable the University to undertake a major fundraising campaign.

1. Work with VC, SMT, DSG and Foundation Board to develop key themes and priorities for fundraising and alumni activities, including targets and timelines. 2. Work with Ocean Design on drafting and presenting a compelling and inspirational draft Case for Support. 3. Market test the draft Case for Support to receive feedback on the key themes and priorities and ascertain Victoria University’s readiness to undertake a major fundraising campaign. 4. Analyse results of market test and finalise Case for Support in the light of the feedback received. 5. Start to build an internal fundraising and asking culture as widely as possible. 6. Build and engage with the pool of prospective donors, including building on past and current activity.

On-going

Oct/Nov 2011

Feb 2012

March 2012 On-going

On-going

FUTURE OBJECTIVES We need to continue to build on the progress we have made in the past year: establishing effective and mutually beneficial relationships with alumni and donors, increasing our prospect pool and donor pipeline and increasing the annual fundraising revenue. Consideration is also being given to a major fundraising campaign, including a thematic endowment fund, and planning is well underway on this strategy. A key activity which will determine what the campaign will look like, and targets to be achieved, is the market test of the draft case for support (see objective 8 of Current Objectives: Fundraising above).

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Fundraising: Objective 1. To implement a campaign to raise substantial funds for agreed themes, priorities and endowments. Note: the market test will provide guidance on priorities for fundraising, targets and duration and timing of campaign.

2. To establish a structured and strategic system for prospect research and management.

Proposed Initiative 1. From the agreed Case for Support and analysis of market test feedback, develop a detailed campaign plan. 2. The campaign plan will include key themes, priorities, targets and implementation timelines. 3. Enlist volunteers to work on the campaign. 4. Increase donor identification and cultivation 5. Provide internal communications and training to ensure support from academic leadership. 6. Develop events and publications. 1. To actively work on tracing lost significant alumni and updating details on current. 2. Prospect rating system implemented to identify major gift prospects. 3. Comprehensive prospect profiles developed for top University prospects including international and top 5 prospects for each faculty. 4. Initiate targeted and pro-active cultivation and solicitation strategies for identified prospets.

Resource Implications Provide adequate resources (staffing and budget) for campaign, benchmark is 15% cost.

Timeline April 2012.

April 2012

Q2 2012 On-going Q2 2012 Q2 2012

Dependant Q1 2012. on budget bid for new prospect Q2 2012 research role Q2 2012

Q2 2012

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Alumni: Objective 1. To implement Raisers Edge Net Community in 2012 to increase online communication with alumni and donors, provide online event registrations and online donating and payments. 2. To establish an Alumni Hall of Fame that can be profiled on RE, website, Victorious and other University publications 4. Educate all students at Victoria about the Alumni programme so they are already a loyal and supportive alumni body.

Proposed Initiative

Resource Implications 1. Work with IT on the project plan for Capex the purchase and installation of Net funding from Community. IT confirmed.

Timeline Q1 2012

Project leader and IT resources confirmed.

1. Acknowledge and celebrate successful Part of the alumni. role of 2. Provide up to date and accurate requested

Q1 2012

information on significant alumni to new prospect faculties and schools. research 3. Identify significant alumni as position. prospective donors. 1. Educate all first year students about the term ‘alumni’ and the concept of being part of the Victoria community of scholars as a lifelong experience. 2. Engage students in alumni activities such as career expos and seminars, and other relevant events. 3. Cement the Alumni relationship through engagement before, during and following graduation ceremonies. 4. Develop a mentoring programme where alumni host students for dinner or a day trip. 5. Raise awareness of CareerHub and other career services. 6. Investigate successful models of receiving donations from current students to instil loyalty and culture of giving.

Work with student services and VUWSA

April 2012.

Work with CareerHub

April 2012

Work with the Events team

Q2 2012

Engage alumni volunteers

Q2 2012

On-going Research other university models

Q2 2012

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APPENDIX ONE WHAT WE LEARNT FROM GLOBAL PHILANTHROPIC ADVANCEMENT TOUR: Key messages that we consistently received were:  Investment in resources in this area results in increases in donations and contact/engagement with alumni.  Development and planning of case for support cannot be rushed.  Need to reconnect with the Academic Leadership about what we have heard from them, and through VC, these priorities need to be challenged and tested, and other strategic priorities need to be also considered.  The importance of the quiet phase, sometimes called the "leadership" phase in campaign planning.  Active involvement by academic leadership in building relationships with top prospects needed to be successful.  Need to connect/communicate with academic staff on development initiatives.  VC needs to commit substantial time to fundraising.  Most fundraising has activity goals and not income goals i.e. number of prospects contacted, number of donors stewarded, number of relationships in pipeline.  Donors want to be asked their opinions, kept informed and engaged continuously.  Use of volunteers is time consuming but worthwhile.  Academics need to be able to articulate with passion the vision and case for support.  Prospect pool has to be large enough to have a successful campaign.  Continuously tell your stories and communicate your successes.

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