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CAROLINAS ANNUAL FUND CONFERENCE | APRIL 23, 2014
Setting the Table for Annual Fund Success: Communications with
Current Parents
Betsy Chapman ‘92, MA ‘94), Director of Parent Programs
Our Session Today
• Case study: parent communications and Annual Fund growth
• What’s in it for your school?• How can you get started?
Where We Were 2008-09
• Separate Parent and Alumni Office• Communications: Wake Forest
Magazine 3-4x/yr• Solicitations 3-4x/yr (freshmen not
until spring)• Little web presence
Wake Forest Fund Historical Giving $
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY090
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
1,130,128
1,462,547
1,667,396 1,627,872
Wake Forest Fund Historical Donor #s
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY091,800
1,900
2,000
2,100
2,200
2,300
2,400
2,500
2,037
2,386
2,255
2,038
• A 2011 study found 40% of first semester freshmen reported daily contact with their parents/ families 1
1 Liu A, Sharkness J, Pryor JH. Findings from the 2007 administration of 'Your First College Year' (YFCY) Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA; 2008.
Changing Student-Parent Dynamic…
Propelled Us to Change
Dedicated parents web page and blog (The Daily Deac) Social media
Old vs. New Fundraising
Solicit vs. Open the door, set the table, then ask
CREATING MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT
If You Build It, They Will Come
• Invite them• Show them dynamic, value added content• Repeat, repeat, repeat!
Parents Website or Portal
• Deadlines• Action items• Checklists• Critical news
Parents’ Information Needs
Make It Easy to Use
Q & A – Helps You and Them!
• News• Photos• Blogs• Webcam• Targeted
messages
Dynamic Content
Push Content to Them
• Don’t rely on them coming to your website
• Push content to their inbox (e-newsletter, subscription feeds)
• Frequent social media posts to stay on peoples’ feeds
• There’s institutional messaging you want to deliver…
• …and news that matters to your constituents
• What is your school’s voice?
Business or Pleasure?
Editorial Choices
• Personal touch
• Easy navigation
• Official news or info
Tailor to Specific Audiences
Where Communications Moves the Needle
EVALUATING PERFORMANCE
Are Parent Communications Worth It?
Parents’ Page Hits
Readership Increase
Correlation? Or Causation?
Daily Deac Blog Subscribers
• 595 subscriber emails
• Match to 428 Family Giving Units
• 176 have a giving record (41%)
• 71 of the 176 are staffed prospects
P ‘17 Daily Deac Blog Subscribers
• P’17 = freshmen parents
• $15,928 - avg. lifetime giving for staffed prospects
• $773 - avg. lifetime giving of non-staffed prospects
Wake Forest Fund Historical Giving $
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY090
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
1,600,000
1,800,000
1,130,128
1,462,547
1,667,396 1,627,872
Giving Post-Communications Ramp Up
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 Current YTD0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
1,881,739 2,006,769
2,295,4112,189,964
2,367,646
Wake Forest Fund Historical Donor #s
FY06 FY07 FY08 FY091,800
1,900
2,000
2,100
2,200
2,300
2,400
2,500
2,037
2,386
2,255
2,038
Participation Post-Communications Ramp Up
FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 Current YTD0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
2,4532,713
3,034 2,985
2,467
University of Minnesota 2013 Survey
http://www1.umn.edu/prod/groups/ur/@pub/@ur/@parent/documents/content/ur_content_471671.pdf
http://www1.umn.edu/prod/groups/ur/@pub/@ur/@parent/documents/content/ur_content_471671.pdf
CREATING MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT
How Can You Start?
• Web design software (Word Press)
• Staff member with:• Love of writing• Institutional knowledge• Good judgment• Strong campus partnerships
CREATING MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT
Conclusions from WFU
• Engaged• Involved• Informed• = Higher giving $• = Higher participation rate
CAROLINAS ANNUAL FUND CONFERENCE | APRIL 23, 2014
Questions?
