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Annual Fund Strategy Meeting January 21, 2009

Annual Fund Strategy Meeting January 21, 2009. AGENDA I. Welcome and Introductions by Michael Casey (10 – 15 minutes) II. Review - Giving Trends and Survey Data by Lori Eastman and Erin Martinovich (30 minutes) III. Strategic Conclusions by Erin Martinovich (15 minutes)

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Annual Fund Strategy Meeting January 21, 2009

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  1. Annual Fund Strategy Meeting January 21, 2009

  2. AGENDA I. Welcome and Introductions by Michael Casey (10 – 15 minutes) II. Review - Giving Trends and Survey Data by Lori Eastman and Erin Martinovich (30 minutes) III. Strategic Conclusions by Erin Martinovich (15 minutes) IV. Discussion Points by all (45 minutes) A. Are the conclusions on target? Are we missing something? B. Is the initial strategic direction correct? C. What new tactics might we adopt? D. What are the implications for our volunteer structure? V. Wrap-up and Next Steps (15 minutes)

  3. Welcome and Introductions Michael T. Casey

  4. Review:Giving Trends and Survey DataLori Eastman and Erin Martinovich

  5. Total giving to Skidmore’s Annual Fund from alumni, parents, friends and organizations has grown by 28% over the past five years.

  6. Alumni gifts to the Annual Fund have steadily increased – 38% since 2004. The average gift has increased from $354 to $535 – a 51% increase.

  7. In this same time period, alumni donors have dropped from a high point in ’05 – a loss of 1,273 donors (13% decrease.) Almost all donor attrition has taken place in the $1 - $99 gift level – a loss of 1,093 donors (21%.)

  8. We have seen strong growth in leadership/FOP levels, where dollars have grown 57%. FOP donors have increased by 40%, fueled by reunion, post-reunion retention and success in the Senior Gift program.

  9. Traditionally, the senior gift effort celebrates participation rates in excess of 90%, however, the first year out, participation plummets to an average of 25%.Please note – the Class of 2008 has until May, 2009 before their 1-Year Out participation rate will be established.

  10. Reunion fundraising is dependent upon the strength of the cohort of classes. Historically, the 2/7s and 3/8s are the strongest, while 0/5s tend to be less successful. Last year, reunion classes on average increased their giving by 80%.

  11. Financial support peaks among those classes 41 – 50 years after graduation. We are seeing the greatest decline in donor numbers among those classes in the first thirty years out.

  12. Giving by female alumni has increased by 32% in the last five years, while giving by male alumni has grown 94% in the same time frame. Number of female donors has decreased by 775 (10%) and male donors has stayed relatively flat (down 2%). Female donors outnumber male donors by more than 4:1.

  13. Interestingly, the average gift by gender has increased at nearly the same rate over the same time period, although donor loss by gender is almost specifically from female alumni.

  14. Revenue from SmartCall, our student calling program, has been steadily decreasing with increased staff focus on high end giving, and with significantly decreased contact rates. We saw the sharpest decline in SmartCall results from 2007 to 2008, when the average attempts per contact increased from 12 to 16 – the advent of CallerID screening and higher attempt rates have decreased the effectiveness of the calling program.

  15. The total number of donors that contribute online have increased by 684 donors – 121%. Note – this still accounts for a relatively small participation of overall donors (approximately 10%.) Total on-line dollars have increased by 180% in the last 5 years. The average on-line gift has increased from $210 to $266 in 2008 – representing a 26% increase.

  16. Key Findings: Alumni Attitudinal Research

  17. FactFinders Survey: Spring, 2007 • Purpose - to identify notable differences in alumni attitudes about Skidmore by generation. • We found very few differences in alumni attitudes between young alumni (graduates of the last 20 years) vs. more mature alumni. • Data demonstrates a strong correlation between feeling connected to Skidmore and giving.

  18. Key findings: • One in six alumni feel very connected to Skidmore. • For more than one-quarter of alumni, Skidmore is at the top of their philanthropic priority list. • Most alumni think Skidmore is doing an excellent, very good, or good job in using their donations. • The majority of alumni rate the quality of the education received at Skidmore as excellent. • Alumni who think they received an excellenteducation at Skidmore are more likely to feel very connected.

  19. Key findings, continued: On average, alumni who feel very connected gave a last gift of $498; somewhatconnected gave $185; no connection gave $72. Alumni who have volunteered for Skidmore are significantly more likely to feel very connected. Mailed communications are preferred by three-quarters of mature alumni and half of young alumni; only four in ten young alumni prefer email.

  20. Wallace and Washburn – Summer, 2008. • Purpose - to better understand how our alumni perceive messages from the College, and how to best articulate a compelling case for support. • Many of the results supported findings from the FactFinders survey. • Several key recommendations assisted in crafting a compelling case for support.

  21. Key recommendations: • Create a sense of strong need so that Skidmore will become a higher priority than “other charities.” • Two powerful “causes” emerge from the research: • Support for student financial aid. • Faculty retention/attraction.

  22. Key recommendations, continued: • Implement challenges for recent alumni • Appeals should come from a variety of voices that represent the extended Skidmore community. • People want their gifts to have impact and make them feel good, even if it’s small. • Key words include “giving back,” “support,” “feels” and “good.”

  23. Key Conclusions

  24. Key Conclusions: • We are relying on fewer donors to raise more dollars. • Positive: The FOP program is encouraging donors to stretch to the leadership levels. • Negative: Our overall donor base is shrinking. • Most of our donor loss is at the lower “participation” level and among younger classes. • Student calling program is waning in effectiveness. • Alumni are not sufficiently invested in the success of the College or sufficiently convinced of the importance of giving.

  25. Initial Strategic Responses

  26. Initial Strategic Responses: • Focus the message on financial aid and faculty support. • Increased segmentation • More personal outreach through volunteers • Re-build volunteer structure to assist in participation efforts. • Youngest classes, Reunion and Post-reunion classes. • Make concept of a lifelong relationship with Skidmore more tangible. • Skidmore Business Network • Scope Monthly and Web

  27. Points for Discussion – Why we are here! • Are the conclusions on target? Are we missing something? • Is the initial strategic direction correct? • What new tactics might we adopt? • What are the implications for our volunteer structure?

  28. Wrap Up and Next Steps

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