Donor Stewardship & Communication Rachel Moury Director of Donor Relations University Development & Alumni Relations Penn State Hershey Medical Center Penn State College of Medicine rmoury@hmc.psu.edu engage.pennstatehershey.org

University Development and Alumni Relations Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Penn State College of Medicine 38-PERSON STAFF THAT SUPPORTS: Major Giving Annual Giving Alumni Relations Children’s Health Operations Gift Processing Prospect Management Data Analysis & Reporting Event Planning Communications & Stewardship

By the Numbers (FY-15) OUR DONORS: ~ 110,000 donors Alumni (~26,000) Friends (~80,000) Corps./Fdns./Orgs. (~4,400) ~ 110,000 donors A little more than $36 million >375 endowed, annually funded or pending accounts that require some type of management or oversight; just over 200 of these have a living stewardship contact Endowments expenditures made at the department level (25-30 different departments) BUT… We saw a decrease in almost every donor and dollar category from last year to this year. Rationale – Understandable coming out of a seven-year campaign, but when we evaluate, we must do much better with donor retention. Maybe you’re in the same boat, trying to figure out the best ways to retain your donors. Good stewardship—or great stewardship—provides the foundation.

Stewardship & Donor Relations: Not just ‘tomayto|tomahto’ Tied to the gift Happens after it is received Reactive A fundamental part of donor relations Donor Relations: In anticipation of a gift Preparation for a long term relationship Proactive Much more robust and dynamic Acknowledgment Reporting Recognition Engagement Not just a semantic debate…there really is an important distinction. Remember geometry class: all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares? Stewardship – tied to the gift; happens after it’s received; reactive; fairly static; a fundamental part of donor relations Donor Relations – in anticipation of the gift and in preparation for a long-term relationship; much more robust and dynamic

SWOT Analysis Taking stock of your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES INTERNAL EXTERNAL OPPORTUNITIES THREATS Timely gift acknowledgments Positive team (resourceful) Student scholarship reporting/engagement Clear communications Creative thinking INTERNAL Baseline metrics Stewardship calendar Consistency of endowment reports Time management (waiting on other departments to get work done) EXTERNAL Adding impact reports to annual endowment reports Recognize first-time donors and consistent donors to build loyalty More robust digital communications Build donor relations structure Confusion with branding/identity related to new health entity Lack of resources (financial and personnel) -Review your people (donors and prospects) -Review your funds (endowed and annual fund) -What tools do you need to help your organization meet opportunities and mitigate threats? OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Basic Elements of Donor Relations Acknowledgment Reporting Recognition Engagement Lynne Wester, Donor Relations Guru, calls these the Four Pillars in her book.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Acknowledgments are personalized at an appropriate level Acknowledgments are mailed in a timely manner Acknowledgments are updated regularly First time donors receive special acknowledgments Memorial and honorific gifts are acknowledged appropriately Usually this is at the lowest gift club level. Within one week of receipt of gift. Acknowledgment letters should be revised on a regular schedule (at least quarterly) or when there is newsworthy information to include. Letters to both the donor and the honoree

STEWARDSHIP & IMPACT REPORTING Annual Fund Reporting Current Use/Expandable Reporting Endowed Fund Reporting Philanthropic/Priority Reports Scholarship thank-you letters and other interactions Other recipient communications Do you report to leadership donors to the Annual Fund what their giving supports? Do you provide reports to donors who make gifts for current use? At a minimum, you should write to endowed fund donors annually, including how the fund was utilized and ideally a report of the fund value. Have you identified priority donors among your endowed funds? Do you proved a more in-depth report to these donors? Do your scholarship recipients communicate with the donors who funded their scholarship? (Bonus is you’re using Skype or other video communications to personalize this.) Do recipients of endowed faculty positions, research grants, internships, stipends, etc. send a letter of appreciation to the donor?

RECOGNITION You have clearly defined donor societies Naming policies are clearly identified and there is a protocol for signage and dedications. Media relations Donor listing or honor roll Meaningful member benefits associated with each level; recognition for both annual and lifetime giving Do you utilize the media (both in-house and external) to publicize major gifts, awards, and other donor accomplishments? Your institution maintains a donor listing. It may be print, online, or electronic in a place where it is visible to the campus community as well as visitors.

DONOR ENGAGEMENT Donor Relations produces a newsletter highlighting donor impact Social Media is utilized to recognize donor support Opportunities for your donors to gather Active opportunities to engage Survey This could be on the website, Facebook, Twitter, or other online forms of communications. Events are an opportunity to spread your message, for donors to rub shoulders with one another, and to raise sights. Do you provide these opportunities throughout the year and in different geographic regions? Do you offer donors active opportunities to engage with your institution (e.g., speaking engagements, hosting events, etc.) Do you survey your donors about preferred methods of contact, frequency of communication, naming preferences, and other outreach?

Share a success story Share a roadblock Of the basic, fundamental elements of donor relations, in which area does your organization have the greatest strength? What are your greatest challenges? Acknowledgment Reporting Recognition Engagement Share a success story Share a roadblock

Setting Realistic & Measurable Goals KEY QUESTIONS: What do your donors EXPECT regarding their investment? What do your donors NEED to make them feel valued? What do your donors WANT in order to be inspired? What one new thing can you successfully implement this year to improve your donor relations? -Who are your donors, and what do they need/expect/want? -How can you systematize or simplify something you're already doing to free up resources and time to strengthen an area of your donor relations program that needs work?

Identifying & Leveraging Resources for Success INTERNAL PARTNERS: Data Analyst/Ops. Mgr./Prospect Researcher Marketing Facilities Volunteer Networks CEO, Exec. Dir. and/or Board Members COLLEAGUES TECHNOLOGY Identifying & Leveraging Resources for Success -Who are your internal partners? -Communications/technology/operational resources? -Engaging volunteer networks?

Resources In addition to the organizations coordinating this conference and, of course, each other… Academic Impressions – academicimpressions.com Revitalizing Your Donor Relations Program, Atlanta, GA – November 16-18 Top Articles and White Papers of 2015 – “Why Donor Relations is the Next Game-Changer” Webcasts Donor Relations Guru (Lynne Wester) – donorrelationsguru.com | Twitter: @donorguru | LinkedIn: Donor Relations Guru The 4 Pillars of Donor Relations Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP) – adrp.net CASE – case.org

THANK YOU! QUESTIONS?