Author: Seize The Weekday

Twice a month, we are sending out the Closing Tactic email newsletter to provide you with valuable strategies to enhance your fundraising efforts and close more major gifts. In this strategy, we explore the compelling approach of leveraging your university or organization’s leadership to send a personalized email to potential donors. As you, the fundraiser, have already initiated the solicitation and the prospect is actively considering a gift, the involvement of your university’s president can make a significant impact.

Consider having your university’s president send the following message to the prospect:

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Subject: Your Potential Impact on Diversity Scholarships at Mumford University

Dear [Prospect’s Name],

Greetings from Mumford University!

I recently had the pleasure of learning that you are contemplating a generous contribution to support diversity scholarships at Mumford. I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for your thoughtful consideration.

At Mumford University, our commitment to recruiting and retaining a diverse and inclusive student body is of paramount importance. As the university’s president, I am dedicated to advancing this critical initiative. Your potential gift holds the power to make a profound difference in achieving this goal.

Your support, both financially and ideologically, is invaluable to us. Your generosity will directly contribute to our efforts to foster an environment that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion. By empowering us to provide more scholarships, you’ll help us ensure that talented individuals from various backgrounds can access the educational opportunities they deserve.

Should you have any questions or require further information about our diversity initiatives, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We would be delighted to provide you with additional details or arrange a conversation at your convenience.

Once again, thank you for considering such a meaningful gift to Mumford University. Your involvement has the potential to create a lasting impact on the lives of our students and our broader community.

Sincerely,

[President’s Name] President of Mumford University

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We are excited to share an incredible opportunity with you! Our Major Gifts Course, which is typically priced at $500, is now available at an exclusive 50% discount until November 30th. For a limited time, you can secure this comprehensive four-part program for just $250.

Here are two compelling reasons why you should consider investing in this course:

1. Elevate Your Fundraising Team: Our Major Gifts Course is designed to equip your team with cutting-edge strategies and techniques, transforming them into top-tier fundraisers. By enrolling in this program, you’ll gain access to invaluable knowledge that can drive your fundraising efforts to new heights.
2. Retain Top Talent: In the competitive landscape of university fundraising, retaining talented fundraisers is a crucial challenge. By offering professional development opportunities like our Major Gifts Course, you’ll create a compelling reason for your fundraisers to stay with your institution. This investment not only enhances their skillset but also reinforces their commitment to your university.

If you’d like to learn more about this opportunity or wish to schedule a meeting with the course creator, Adam Platzer, please don’t hesitate to reach out to him via email at adamplatzer@gmail.com. More information on the course here.

Don’t miss out on this exceptional chance to strengthen your fundraising team and retain your valuable fundraisers. Act now to secure your spot in this transformative course.

Corporate fundraising in the university landscape presents distinctive challenges. Establishing meaningful and mutually advantageous relationships is of utmost importance since companies often prioritize their own interests. The fundamental question at the outset is: Which companies should your university be focusing on? Random outreach can lead to a wasteful consumption of time and resources. Below, we delineate four strategic areas of focus that have the potential to yield substantial philanthropic contributions:

1. Companies with Contacts in Prominent Leadership Roles: Seek out organizations that can proudly claim alumni or ‘university friends’ in pivotal leadership positions, as these individuals often possess a profound affinity to your school. Preferably, these are contacts in the C-suite where the decisions are made!
2. Leveraging Faculty Connections within Corporations: Identify opportunities to harness the faculty’s connections within target companies, enabling partnerships rooted in shared expertise and academic collaboration.
3. Companies Prioritizing University Recruitment: Companies that prioritize your institution for talent acquisition are prime candidates for collaboration, as they have a vested interest in nurturing a robust and enduring relationship.
4. University Vendors: Review the roster of companies with whom your university makes large purchases from. These organizations are often receptive to donation requests, given their existing business ties with the university. It’s important to emphasize, however, that these relationships should remain free from any quid pro quo arrangements, where they receive business in exchange for making a donation.

Fostering Multifaceted Partnerships

Once you’ve identified target companies, it’s imperative to engage them effectively with your university. The more points of engagement, the more substantial their contributions, as they perceive genuine value in the partnership. Here are several strategies for successfully engaging companies with your university:

1. Recruit Student Talent: Establish cooperative programs that benefit students, universities, and employers alike. This approach allows companies to access top-tier talent while connecting with students and graduates who align with their business needs.
2. Collaborate on Research and Student Projects: Companies can tap into faculty expertise and contribute to the development of the next generation of researchers by collaborating on research initiatives and capstone projects.
3. Access Subject Matter Experts: Your university provides access to subject matter experts who can offer practical solutions to real-world challenges. Whether your company requires assistance with technical issues, testing, or consultations, our faculty can connect you with the expertise needed for success.
4. Enhance Visibility: Enhance your brand’s presence on campus and engage with students by participating in various opportunities, such as event sponsorships, thereby sharing your industry expertise.
5. Corporate Training Programs: Many universities offer diverse training programs designed to enhance employee performance at the highest level.

Why Companies Give

While corporate giving ideally springs from the heart, in most cases, it’s motivated by self-interest. Therefore, what your university promises a company in return, meaning the stewardship for their donation, plays a significant role in their commitment. Two examples of stewardship that companies gravitate towards are:

1. On-Campus Corporate Events: On-campus recruiting events and dedicated faculty meetings tailored exclusively to the company’s needs are highly attractive. These opportunities enable companies to comprehensively explore avenues for engagement with the university, all in a strategically organized day.
2. Press Release: Companies often appreciate it when your university’s news team publishes a story about their generous gift. This not only enhances their public relations efforts but also amplifies their overall visibility.

When pitching a major gift to a company, it is extremely important to vividly outline the stewardship plan that unfolds after they make a gift.

What Companies Contribute To

After establishing meaningful connections with various companies, the moment arises to initiate a significant gift request. Corporations tend to find certain areas within a university particularly attractive for their philanthropic contributions. These areas include::

• Scholarships in Specific Areas: Companies working in engineering, for instance, may establish scholarships within the engineering school, with the expectation of meeting scholarship recipients and recruiting them.
• Naming Labs Related to Their Industry: Companies benefit from increased visibility and the opportunity to collaborate on projects within these labs, while also building relationships with faculty who use the lab.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives: DEI is a top priority for many companies, and they often support university DEI programs to align with their objectives.
• Professorships: Professorships, although substantial investments, can be highly beneficial for companies if the academic subject aligns with their industry.
• Event Sponsorships: While sponsoring events typically involves lower-level giving, companies appreciate the visibility and recruiting opportunities associated with involvement in events like hackathons, especially if they relate to their industry.

In essence, by strategically aligning your university with corporate partners, you can unlock the full potential of mutually beneficial relationships, driving philanthropic support while fostering valuable collaborations in academia and industry.

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Efficient fundraising involves a strategic approach where fundraisers concentrate their time and resources on high-potential prospects who are likely to make significant contributions in the near future. They steer clear of unproductive efforts, enabling them to achieve success by increasing their prospect visits, making more effective asks, and giving priority attention to their most promising prospects. Watch the tutorial video below to discover how becoming an efficient fundraiser can significantly enhance your university’s fundraising efforts.

For more tutorial videos like this, check out our Efficient Major Gifts course.

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Once you’ve successfully identified and qualified a prospect, the next crucial step is to initiate a strategic approach aimed at cultivating a significant philanthropic contribution. While your university offers a range of volunteer opportunities to facilitate this engagement, the question arises: which activities will genuinely foster a deep sense of appreciation in your prospects relationship with your institution? In the video below, we explore not only the volunteer initiatives but also the personal value-enhancing strategies that will elevate your prospect relationships to an unprecedented level of connection and commitment.

For more tutorial videos like this, check out our Efficient Major Gifts course.

https://videopress.com/v/0JBb8zHt?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

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