Aligning your strategic planning priorities and campaign fundraising initiatives Clay Ballantine, Chief Advancement Officer Jeffrey Wolfman, Director of Development Hampshire College
Session Goals Learn how to develop a metric to convert your strategic plan into campus priorities as: essential recommended a target of opportunity Working with campus constituents to: Set a vision Establish priorities Manage expectations
Session agenda Hampshire College Mission and vision Strategic plan Prioritization Implementation
Hampshire College Facts Hampshire opened in 1970, created when presidents of four distinguished New England colleges sought a home for bold, influential even radical ideas in higher education Location: Amherst, Massachusetts Total Number of Enrolled Students: 1,400 Student to faculty ratio: 8:1 Endowment: $50 million Annual Operating Budget: $56 million Number of Alumni/ae: 12,356 The mission of Hampshire College is to foster a lifelong passion for learning, inquiry, and ethical citizenship that inspires students to contribute to knowledge, justice, and positive change in the world and, by doing so, to transform higher education.
Hampshire College Points of Pride Eliminated standardized testing criteria Narrative evaluations instead of grades Students design their own programs of study instead of following predetermined academic pathways Divisional system Multidisciplinary 100% solar Two living buildings Leader in socially responsible investing Long list of accomplished alumni
Hampshire College Educating for Change This is a note that came in December from an alum donor that summed it up well for us: For graduating 300 people a year, Hampshire grads are everywhere. They are the lawyers representing the refugees at the airport and immigrants facing deportation. Hampshire grads are making bold statements in the national press about sexual harassment and racism. Hampshire grads write our political news and produce our diverse media. Hampshire grads are environmental lawyers protecting our natural resources. Hampshire grads are feminist economists, they grow our organic produce, they make national policy for our veterans. They are social workers and community organizers and artists and musicians. Donating to Hampshire is like donating to sustain and grow all justice organizing and arts at once.
How did we align our strategic planning priorities and campaign fundraising initiatives? Strategic Plan 42 Initiatives 10 metrics Categorizing Leadership & Key Decision makers vetted priorities Priorities determined as essential, recommended, target of opportunity
Evolution of Hampshire s Strategic Plan (2013-2017) New president (2011) Year of listening Reaffirming mission and vision Strategic planning and priority setting Testing the plan Reaching consensus Implementation and fundraising
Hampshire College Strategic Planning Process 2013-2014 Broad-base and inclusive Developed a new mission statement and statement of values The Strategic Planning Steering Committee (SPSC) distilled the community s feedback into the following five focus areas, each with a strategic priority leader: Distinctive academic program Enrollment and retention Student and community health and wellness Hampshire s influence on higher education Diversity and inclusive excellence
Two types of strategic planning priorities Those that require institutional will power Those that require financial resources
42 Initiatives requiring funding Initiatives ranged from increasing support for faculty research and scholarships, to modernizing the library or increasing financial access for underrepresented students, to building a new student center Monetizing far exceeded Hampshire s fundraising capacity Of the 42 initiatives, what was most critical for the institution's success? If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority
Prioritizing process Step 1: Developed a metric to determine priority level Step 2: Identified and engaged key decision makers and subject matter experts Step 3: Maintain transparency and build consensus Step 4: Prioritized the 42 initiatives
Refining the priorities Essential: Approval at this level places the full weight of the College behind the project, as it is deemed to be of great importance to the College s current and future ambitions. Moreover, specific campus leaders will allocate time to articulate the importance of the project to potential funders. College Advancement is authorized to allocate its full staff and resources to the project and will be expected to help raise funds for the project within a well-defined and closely monitored period. Recommended: Approval at this level allocates more limited fundraising resources to the project, as it is deemed to be desirable but not necessary to the College s current and future ambitions. Limited Advancement staff and resources will be allocated and will be expected to help raise funds for the project when the opportunity presents itself. Target of Opportunity: Approval at this level allocates very few Advancement resources to the projects, as it is deemed to be of much lesser importance to the College s current or future ambitions. The project will be treated as a target of opportunity.
10 Metrics Used to Determine Priority Level Project description & budget articulated Matches strategic priorities Budget relieving Endowment building Strengthens an existing program Lead donors identified Advances College s mission by 2020 Broad impact on campus community Presidential priority VP/Dean priority
Matrix Campaign Initiative/Project Project description & budget articulated: 3=yes 2=in process 1=no Matches strategic priorities: 3=exact, 2=somewhat 1=low/none Budget relieving (if yes=1) Endowment building (if yes = 1) Lead donors (% of Project Cost Identified) 3 = 50%+ 2 = 25-50% 1 = 0-25% Presidential priority: 3=high, 2= med, 1=low (max of 5 high) VP Priority: 3=high, 2=med, 1=low (max of 5 high) Reasonable cost: 3=very 2=somewhat 1=unreasonab le Strengthens an Exisiting Program (if yes=1) Advances college mission by 2020: 3=yes, 2=somewhat, 1=no Broad on impact on campus community: 3=50%+, Total 2=25%+, 1=less than 25% score (out of 27) Priority Level Input from Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3 Priority 4 Priority 5 Priority...42 Vice President of Advancement President Senior Adminstration Essential (21-27) Approval at this level places the full weight of the College behind the project, as it is deemed to be of great importance to the College s current and future ambitions. Moreover, specific campus leaders will allocate time to articulate the importance of the project to potential funders. College Advancement is authorized to allocate its full staff and resources to the project and will be expected to help raise funds for the project within a well-defined and closely monitored period. Recommended (16-20) Approval at this level allocates more limited fundraising resources to the project, as it is deemed to be desirable but not necessary to the College s current and future ambitions. Limited Advancement staff and resources will be allocated and will be expected to help raise fund for the project when the opportunity presents itself. Target of Opportunity (7-15) Approval at this level allocates very few Advancement resources to the project, as it is deemed to be of much lesser importance tot the College s current or future ambitions. The project will be treated as a target of opportunity.
10 Metrics Used to Determine Priority Level Project description & budget articulated Matches strategic priorities Budget relieving Endowment building Strengthens an existing program Lead donors identified Advances College s mission by 2020 Broad impact on campus community Presidential priority VP/Dean priority
Leadership & Key Decision makers vetted priorities President s cabinet Academic deans Board of Trustees Advancement Committee Selected influencers (key donors, important campus leaders, etc.)
Qualtrics Survey
Outcomes 6 essential priorities 15 recommended 21 targets of opportunity
Approval and Implementation With Qualtrics survey results we: Confirmed these with key constituents Identified subject matter experts for each of the priorities Developed fundraising materials for the essentials only Developed a training program for gift officers
What does success look like? Completed fundraising on living building Secured a financial aid endowment challenge Increased support for faculty development and endowed professorships Annual giving participation increased
In summary Creating a strategic plan and prioritizing fundraising initiatives is critical to: Set a vision Establish priorities Manage expectations