The 2002-2003 Caltech Alumni Fund. 2002-2003 Wrap Up Email Appeal sent to LYBUNTs, lapsed, and will gives Student Phone Program thru mid-September Staff

The 2002-2003 Caltech Alumni Fund

http://www.one.caltech.edu/index.html


2002-2003 Wrap Up• Email Appeal sent to LYBUNTs, lapsed, and will gives

• Student Phone Program thru mid-September

• Staff Phonathon week September 22, pledge reminder focus

Projections: 28% participation 5154 gifts





2003–2004 OVERVIEW•2002 – 2003 Summaries completed

• 2003-2004 operating calendar created thru December 2003

• Year-long tentative programs calendar created

Conclusion: Anticipate that first 90 days of Fund year to proceed on schedule



FIVE YEAR PLAN REVIEWThree Components Over Five Years

• Increase retention rates

• From 50% - 60% for new donors

• From 77% - 85% for all donors

• Improve lapsed reacquisition rates

• From 47% - 70%

• Increase new donor acquisition rates

• From 2% - 10% and maintain at 6%



2003-2004: 1st Year of Five Year Plan Retention of Donors to date

• Overall Rate: 3481 donors renewed this year

• Retention rate 2002-2003: 66% (based on 5295 donors)

• Retention 2001-2002: 77%

Goal = 77% retention in 2003-2004, 3968 donors

Strategies: MAIL and Volunteer Calling

• First Time Donor Retention: 94 first time donors renewed this year

• Retention Rate 2002-2003: 20%

• Retention 2001-2002: 50%

Goal = 50% retention of first time donors ‘03-’04,

148 donors

Strategies: SPP and Volunteer Calling



1st Year of Five Year PlanAcquisition of New Donors

• Acquired 297 in 2002-2003; 5% new donor acquisition

• Goal = 6% acquisition in 2003-2004

• Strategies: SPP critical

• New donor acquisition must begin to rise sharply to reach 10%, then level off

• New donor retention must also increase



1st Year of Five Year PlanRe-Acquisition of Lapsed Donors

•710 lapsed reactivated in 2002-2003, 47% reacquisition rate

• 1814 lapsed in 2002-2003

Goal = decrease the number of lapsed donors with better retention

Goal: re-acquire lapsed donors at higher rates: 50%

• Strategies: SPP critical

• What is the role for volunteers?





REVIEW OF FIVE YEAR PLAN• Increase participation to 50% and sustain• Increase current use dollars and sustain• This initial effort focuses on the participation side

Due to new leadership and staffing vacancies, plan for smaller increases this year

03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08

Not 20% 20% 20% 20% 20%

But 15% 21% 24% 22% 18%



TRANSLATE TO NUMBERSTotal gifts in Fund Year 07-08: 9,500

By Program/Method:

Leadership Gifts (non-reunion) 400

Reunion Program 1,200

By Direct Mail (other than reunion) 2,500

Email (non-Alumni Contact) 800

Student Phone Program (non-reunion) 2,500

Alumni Contact Program (non-reunion) 2,100Note: Student Phone Program includes converting “Will Gives”

Note2: Other programs may be designated and separated from “methods” (young alums, international, etc.)



GOALS FOR FUND YEAR 03-04 Base Year 15% increase GoalLeadership 250 (150) 23 273Reunion* 600 (600) 50 650Other Direct Mail 2,000 (500) 75 2,075Other Email 200 (600) 90 290Other Alum Contact 600 (1500) 225 825Other SPP 2,000 (500) 75 2,075

Note: Total five year increase in parenthesesNote2: Since previous years vary for multiple reasons, the Base Year figure was

based on discussions with staff

Because staff vacancies particularly affect the Reunion Program,the 03-04 goal of this program is only an 8% increase



STRATEGIES - GENERAL• Lia has prepared basic elements for first three

months of new Fund year• Fill staff vacancies as soon as possible• Use alumni volunteers to fill critical gaps (CAFAC)

• Set goals for first year of Five Year Plan• Develop Operating Plan to achieve first year goals• Develop comprehensive calendar with key

planning and prep dates to help meet operating plan deadlines



GENERAL STRATEGIES (cont’d)• Special emphasis on Building the Volunteer Base• Build leadership giving in coordination with

Associates and Principal and Major Gifts offices • Continue coordination with the Only One

Campaign• Continue to develop Student Relations Initiatives• Address the issues of a Key Constituency (Young

Alums?)• Maintain Reunion effort





DIRECT MAIL PLANS The first direct mail piece will go out as regularly scheduled – mid-

October in advance of alumni and student calling. Lia will complete the basic elements of this piece before her departure.

The theme for the piece will be the importance of current use funds, and how alumni support the Campaign by giving to the Alumni Fund. We hope to have the Chair of the Trustees, Ben Rosen, sign this piece

All mailing supplies are on order and will be ready by October 1 A Holiday Card, with variations for different groups, will be created and

sent as in previous years The rest of the Direct Mail Program will be evaluated to determine

further mailings and coordination with the Email Program and the Reunion Program

Specialized mailings are expected to be developed for the young alumni and graduate degree recipients



ALMUMNI CONTACT PROGRAM PLANSBY THE NUMBERS (phone contact program with possible email to those unable

to be reached, some signed letters to specific groups)Note: Previous callers have achieved about 90% success getting either a pledge

or a “will give”Based upon this success rate and the desired ratio of pledges to “will gives,”

1,361 contacts will achieve the 03-04 goal of 825 pledges, and the related goal of 400 “will gives”

Callers needed at 5.5 contacts per caller: 247 over all three sprintsPersons needed @ 1.3 sprints per person: 190

Want to have 60% of calls made in fall, 25% in spring and 15% in summerThis means, we want 148 callers in the fall

Recruiting25 class chairs in 40’s, 50’s and 60’s recruit 4 callers each (some will include themselves) = 100 callers10 recruiters for 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and Biology recruit 3.5 callers = 35 callers14 recruiters/option chairs in Chem, ChemE, PMA, E&AS recruit 4 callers each = 56 callers

Total of 191 persons



CONTACT PROGRAM - STRATEGIES All Sprints and Appreciation Sessions are calendared

Mike initiated additional recruiting campaign during the summer

Lia will produce the basic elements of supporting materials before her departure to ensure that materials will be ready. Fund staff will compile and mail calling packets

Mike will be following up with recruiters and will continue recruiting efforts to meet fall goals.

An Appreciation session will be set up to follow the fall sprint

Needs for winter recruiting and spring and summer sprints will be evaluated and appropriate plans developed to achieve 03-04 goals

The Winter Recruiting Drive will focus on replacing previous volunteers who did not continue this year



STUDENT PHONE PROGRAM PLANS• Let Elin continue to do her fantastic job• Elin currently assessing program needs and setting goals:

– Determine number of contacts desired, by type (non-donor, lapsed, “will gives,” pledge reminders, appreciation calls)

– Estimate number of student phone hours to make desire number of contacts

– Try to make 15% of contacts in fall, 20% in the winter, 20% in spring, 45% in summer

– Determine number of students needed to fill hours in each season• Set pledge rage, contact rate, average gift goals by donor type• Set foci for each program

– Fall: undergrads, Winter – Grads, Spring – “will gives” ?



STUDENT PHONE PROGRAM CALENDAR• Fall 03

– Student supervisors to attend Student Managers Workshop, September 20– House visits– Fall Career Fair 2003, October– Focus on calling undergraduate alumni– Soccer Team Challenge

• Winter 04– Career Day 2004, January– House/Team/Club Challenge– Focus on calling graduate alumni

• Spring 04– House/Team/Club Challenge– Summer recruitment effort– Focus on Reunion calls

• Summer 04– Pledge Reminder calls– Will Give callbacks



STUDENT EVENT PLANS• Frosh BBQ

• The purpose of a frosh event is to introduce the students to the Alumni Fund and Caltech alumni and to celebrate the completion (almost) of their first year at Caltech. This event should occur during the Spring term. Seeing as the inaugural event was held in June, improvements can be made for next year’s event.

• Sophomore Core Completion party• The Alumni Association and the Alumni Fund will come together to help sophomores

celebrate the completion of their core requirements, a major accomplishment in in a Caltech education. The event is planned for Winter term

• Senior Class Gift• A SCG committee will be organized in the Fall. As the seniors raise funds for their

designated gift throughout the year, a party celebrating their progress will keep motivation and interest high. There will be a celebration once they reach their goal as well.

• Grad student degree recipient reception• Graduation time will be the setting for this celebration for degree recipients.

• Seminar Day BBQ• The BBQ will be very similar to last year’s event. A new theme will be chosen.

There will also be an emphasis on acquiring more funding to subsidize student meals.



REUNION GIVING• Recruiting taking place for class chairs; have all class chairs in place

by November 1; will need Advisory Council or alum volunteer(s) help

• Lia/Elin will meet with chairs in place at Conference and will work with them on a class letter for the first mailing

• Reunion direct mail piece signed by available class chairs drops in October; Text recycled from 2002-2003, Cynthia currently designing supplies, Elin will coordinate mailing

• Class lists will assist in setting class-specific goals (remembering target goal is 65% participation with a minimum of 75 gifts)

• New Associate Director will follow up on class committee formation; review needs; encourage solicitation

• If possible, we should try to plan special activities for 10 and 25 year reunions



LEADERSHIP GIVING• Replace Lead Volunteer

• Identify current leadership donors and assign to staff, alumni volunteers (as recruited), and, possibly, students

• Identify potential leadership donors and assign to staff, volunteers

• Coordinate activities with Associates office and Principal and Major Gifts office

• As done in previous years, develop a specialized piece to be included in fall mailing



Email Program• Email program different from Alumni sending emails to those not

able to contact by phone

• Note accomplishments of separate Email program – focused emails to designated groups, and determine if goals are realistic

• Determine best focus of separate emails (constituency groups – young alums, grad degree recipients, marrieds, international, etc.)

• Develop two or three emails aimed at specific groups (signed by faculty? students?)

• Always include link to on-line giving with emails


Documents

The 2002-2003 Caltech Alumni Fund. 2002-2003 Wrap Up Email Appeal sent to LYBUNTs, lapsed, and will gives Student Phone Program thru mid-September Staff