News

Washington News
November, 2002 - Edition 6

Welcome to the November, 2002 edition of Washington News, the Washington Services newsletter.

Washington News is published each second month and is designed to alert clients and others to developments in international school and university administration. Read on for client consulting activity, development and marketing news items and a featured article on Tips for Development Practitioners.

Washington Services works with schools and universities internationally assisting them with alumni relations, fundraising, marketing, feasibility studies, placements and governance opportunities.

In this edition

• Consulting and speaking activity
• Development and marketing news items
• Featured article - Tips for Development Practitioners 
• Further information

Consulting & Speaking Activity (return to top)

Interesting and rewarding school and university assignments and conference speaking opportunities continue to come our way. Recent examples include:

The "Hot Button" Concept

One of the concepts Boards and conference audiences find most arresting during our presentations is that of the "Hot Button" relative to major donors. The Hot Button concept implies that all potential donors will have areas to which they will give preferentially and the challenge for Development Directors and others is to uncover these. Once an area of particular giving interest, if not passion, is identified the task of cultivation and eventually obtaining the gift is made substantially easier. 

This notion was brought home to us yet again recently in assisting Queen's College at the University of Melbourne raise funds for the restoration and maintenance of its world ranking collection of John and Charles Wesley books and memorabilia. A donor was identified who had no connection with the College but who was know to be a strong supporter of the Methodist Church Australia. His gift to the appeal transpired to be the largest from an individual. His Hot Button was Methodism and by identifying it Queen's College was the grateful beneficiary!

Alumni Relations translating into Fundraising - Brussels, Munich and Singapore

We recently had the opportunity to work with the Boards of two international schools in Brussels and Singapore and with the Principals of two other schools, in Brussels and Munich. We could not help but be struck by the quality of the alumni relations programmes in each of these schools - engaging, relevant, consistent and client focussed. Each school has invested substantially in their alumni programme over many years and has staffed it accordingly.

For us the disappointment was that this good work in alumni cultivation has not as yet been translated into philanthropy although we strongly suspect the donors are out there - cultivated and simply waiting to be asked. The good news is that in each case the Board is presently looking to capitalise on this investment in relationships and we are cautiously optimistic that substantial gifts will result. "If you don't ask you don't get" is a message we hear ourselves repeating over and over!

This opportunity, amongst others, will be explored at presentations to be given by Frank Opray at EARCOS in Beijing on November 4 and at a meeting of the Association of German International Schools in Hamburg on November 17.

Development and Marketing News Items (return to top)

Demand for international school places increasing

Whilst international business downstream of September 11 is continuing its belt-tightening, leading to fewer expats in some major business centres, Singapore and Hong Kong being good examples, demand for school places is high and growing in other locations.

We continue to be amazed at the interest being shown in the establishment of new international schools in China, including "for-profit" schools, illustrating the economic revolution which continues in that country, and in locations where large international organisations are located. The latter category includes Vienna (UNO), Brussels (EU) and certain locations in Switzerland. Not only are these international organisations growing and thereby creating demand for student places in international schools but international business is increasingly locating adjacent to them thereby compounding the demand.

For a discussion of the current scene in Switzerland see "Bursting at the Seams" which appeared in the March 2002 edition of Swiss News Online to be found in the "Resources" section of the Washington Services' web site at www.opray.net/washington   

Educational Philanthropist Dies

Those who follow educational philanthropy closely in North American will have been saddened by the recent passing of media magnate Walter Annenburg, aged 94. Mr Annenburg not only gave away some $3 billion during his lifetime, primarily to educational causes, but importantly inspired others to do likewise.

His most spectacular gesture was a series of gifts in 1994 totalling over $400 million to the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and the Peddie School, lifting the image of educational philanthropy world wide. His generosity has been often cited at education conferences around the world inspiring development staff, Heads and Board members to seek out their own Walter Annenburgs and engage them accordingly. 

Golf and International Education

From time to time international schools have grafted on a golf programme for interested students but until now there has not been a school based dedicated golf academy seeking out budding professional golfers world wide. This has changed with the introduction of the Gold Academy at Loretto School just outside of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Loretto’s historical links with golf are unparalleled. Located immediately next door is the famous Old Course, Musselburgh Links - the oldest course in the world. Over the years former pupils of Loretto have captained many of the well known Clubs throughout Scotland and the UK. Of special note, seven Lorettonians have been captain of the Royal and Ancient Club, St Andrews, including the 2002 Captain.

In addition to the regular golfing programme, scholarships are available for students of exceptional potential, alongside the rigorous academic programme.

Full details can be obtained from Ian Mclean, Director of Development and Marketing at mcleani@loretto.lothian.sch.uk or from the Loretto web site at www.loretto.lothian.sch.uk

Featured Article - Tips for Development Practitioners (return to top)

This is an abridged version of an article by Frank Opray which first appeared in the September 2002 edition of Creative School Management. It identifies useful tips as Directors of development and others seek to engage donors.

The Development process within a school is one of gently but creatively nudging candidates along the friend raising to fundraising continuum. This article canvasses some of the more effective “Development Tips” which can be useful not only to Development Directors but also to Heads, University Presidents, Business Managers and Board Chairs as they seek to engage potential donors.

As we visit schools around the country and internationally we encounter a vast variety of innovative tips and techniques that have been employed in the development setting  which are helping the cause of educational philanthropy. Listed below by key categories are 50 of what we consider to be some of the best.

Whist the application of these will reside primarily with the Development office, there is much opportunity for the Head to take up some of these suggestions and, in certain circumstances, for Board members and/or Foundation Board members to do likewise.

Many of these tips focus on the research prior to the gift and the thanking following receipt of it. If these aspects of the friend raising to fundraising continuum are done sensitively and well, the middle bit – actually asking for the gift – will be all but automatic.

Friendraising

1. Always make at least one friend raising call when travelling out of town – past and potential donors will be flattered by the gesture.
2. Ring and call in on a donor when you are in the area – simply to stay in touch and to develop the relationship.
3. Personalise mail by hand whenever possible even if it is just adding a few words to a standard letter.
4. Have something informative and engaging to say re development at faculty staff meetings on a regular basis.

Donor Research

5. Talk widely through the school community and read the financial press being alert for pointers to potential major donors. Be a good listener in so doing.
6. Establish and maintain a “top 50” file for the most likely major donors.  
7. Set aside time on a weekly basis to consider ways to move potential major donors forward.

Publications

8. Ensure the school/university magazine is sent to every member of the institution's community. Make it difficult for members to opt out of receiving it.
9. Appoint class and year group agents and list and thank them in the magazine at least annually.
10. Seek quotations from donors, “I gave to the school/university because…..”
11. Commission articles for the magazine on past philanthropy – why donors gave and the impact it made.
12. Highlight the importance of bequests in every edition of the magazine.

The Annual Appeal (Annual Giving)

13. Insist that all Board members and senior staff contribute to annual giving, even at very modest levels, and publicly acknowledge their collective participation.
14. Consider the technique of “challenge gifts” whereby a donor will match total gifts beyond a certain target figure – then advertise the fact that it exists and encourage participation.
15. Send a receipt and a letter of thanks within two working days of receipt of the gift.
16. Ring and thank those donors who give more than the suggested amount being alert to indicators for further giving and the prospect of a major donor interview..
17. Be sure to list volunteers as well as donors in the Development annual report.
18. Organise class and year group agents to pen their own letter in support of annual giving.
19. Draft and agree with the Board a five-year plan for the continuing development of annual giving.
20. Communicate with class and year group agents regular updates of the progress of incoming gifts.

Major Gifts

21. Ensure major gift approaches are preceded by detailed and sound donor research.
22. Make the Case Statement pithy, exciting and compelling remembering the potential donor will give it limited reading time and needs to be quickly engaged.
23. Include a hoped for “Gift Table” in the Case Statement outlining the number and range of gifts required to meet the campaign target.
24. Research, personalise and tailor-make each major gift proposal. Brief the asking team in advance. Ensure the Head/President has a current working knowledge of the progress of relevant students.
25. Continually seek individualised forms of thanks and recognition.
26. During an interview with a major donor always ask who else within the school/university community you should be talking to.
27. Always ask major donors if they would be prepared to have their gift publicly acknowledged.

Bequests

28. Identify a school/university connected solicitor who would be prepared to draft wills including the institution as a beneficiary free of charge.
29. Establish a Planned Giving Committee to guide the bequest process inclusive of some key bequestors.
30. Produce a bequest intention brochure inclusive of a range of giving options, in cash and in kind, and circulate it widely and often.
31. Include with the brochure a letter by way of testimonial from an existing bequestor.
32. Personally visit every positive respondent to the bequest intention brochure.
33. Publish articles about past bequests emphasising the impact they had on the school/university.
34. Use testimonials wherever possible, in writing and verbally. “I have remembered the school/university in my will because ….”, is a very powerful message.
35. Always ask a bequest interviewee if there are others you should be talking to about bequests.
36. Include the bequest option in all annual giving literature and in capital campaign material.
37. Establish a Bequest Club, designed to honour those who have remembered the institution in their will. Organise regular functions for it, and invite members to bring bequest candidates along to those functions. 

38. Compile a listing of trusts which support schools or universities together with their giving criteria, their trustees and their closing dates.
39. Seek to have the Executive Officer of the trust visit your school/university prior to drafting the submission.
40. Frame your submission in accord with the trust’s giving criteria and play to their current giving interests.
41. Make the submission pithy but append supplementary information including the annual report and a listing of Board members.
42. Request information on how the trust would like to see its gift acknowledged and if naming rights might be of interest to it. 

Volunteers

43. Ask the community at the start of each year, in writing, who would like to volunteer for what purpose. Provide examples of your needs, including “fundraising assistance”.
44. In succeeding years repeat back to the community in writing the offers they made inviting updates.
45. Use the offers wherever possible. Beware of an element of cynicism if you don’t take up the offers!
46. For significant volunteer positions provide a Position Description, with a defined term of appointment, and in certain circumstances advertise the position and formally interview for it.

Donor Recognition

47. For annual giving donors specifically acknowledge in the letter of thanks those who are repeat donors.
48. Even those who claim they don’t want thanks or acknowledgement are invariably delighted to receive it – especially in a major gifts campaign.
49. List all donors annually in the school/university magazine.
50. Remember that the thanking process for a current gift is the first step along the way to obtaining the next gift.

Further Information (return to top)

For further information and all other enquiries regarding Washington Services' consultancy services, please contact Frank Opray at: frank@opray.net

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