Division of Development and Alumni Relations The Pennsylvania

Division of Development and Alumni Relations
The Pennsylvania State University
Strategic Plan
2014-15 to 2018-19
1
Overview
The Division of Development and Alumni Relations is an institutional advancement team of
more than 350 employees whose work supports every aspect of Penn State's mission. Overseen
by the Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations, the division encompasses
two distinct entities that share a commitment to strengthening the University and enhancing the
experience of Penn Staters, past, present, and future: the Office of University Development
(OUD) and the Penn State Alumni Association (PSAA). By working together creatively and
collaboratively, these entities have formed a productive partnership with benefits for both our
institution and our constituents. Ambitious fundraising goals cannot be achieved without a strong
alumni relations effort, and philanthropy gives our alumni, as well as friends of the University, a
way to deepen their engagement and express their passion and vision for the future of Penn State.
The Office of University Development is one of the most effective fundraising operations in
higher education today. Working with academic leadership and volunteers from across Penn
State, our development professionals have helped the University to complete two highly
successful capital campaigns: The Campaign for Penn State, which concluded in 1990 with $352
million in gifts and pledges, and the Grand Destiny campaign, which raised more than $1.37
billion between 1996 and 2003. These campaigns helped us to build a culture of philanthropy
that continues to set new records as Penn State completed its third comprehensive campaign, For
the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students.
The For the Future campaign began on January 1, 2007. Over the last seven and a half years,
Penn State has overcome both the Great Recession and an unprecedented institutional crisis to
raise nearly $2.2 billion, exceeding its goal of $2 billion and becoming one of only twelve public
universities in the nation to surpass such a campaign goal. Key achievements from For the
Future listed below provide a base of support upon which this new strategic plan seeks to grow.
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Nearly 2.3 million gifts were made to Penn State during For the Future.
More than 604,000 donors made gifts during the campaign.
These donors included 176,000 alumni, believed to be the most alumni donors to any
campaign in the country.
Alumni committed more than $921 million to For the Future; 91 percent of which came
from Penn State Alumni Association members (nearly $842 million).
Donors to the campaign pledged $817 million to the University’s endowment.
Approximately $514 million was pledged for undergraduate student scholarships, the top
priority of the campaign.
For the Future raised more than $184 million to endow faculty positions and programs.
Founded in 1870, the Penn State Alumni Association stands as the largest dues-paying alumni
association in the world, with 174,379 members as of June 30, 2014. Its mission is to connect
alumni with each other and with the University, provide valued services for its members, and
support the University’s mission of teaching, research, and service. Its vision is to be known as
the biggest, best, and most ambitious organization of its kind, and to become the national
exemplar of how such an organization contributes to the betterment of its alma mater.
2
The Alumni Association acts as Penn State’s single unified alumni organization, chartering and
supporting thirty-five subsidiary alumni societies in every academic college and campus; 150
chapters across the state and nation; thirty alumni interest groups; and sixty-four affiliate
program groups sponsored by the college and campus societies. In all, the Alumni Association
charters and supports about 300 affiliate groups.
It is both a Pennsylvania corporation with recognition as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization,
governed by its eighty-six-member Alumni Council and eighteen-member Executive Board, and
an organic part of the University and the Division of Development and Alumni Relations. The
organization is led by Executive Director Roger Williams and (volunteer) President Kay Salvino.
Bylaws, policies, procedures, and organizational information are contained in its Sourcebook
2013-14.
The Alumni Association’s current annual budget is $11.1 million, with 75 percent self-generated
and 25 percent supplied by the University, mainly for staff salaries and benefits. The Alumni
Association derives its funds through membership dues, endowment earnings, entrepreneurial
activities, and corporate partnerships. Key revenue, performance, and programmatic metrics can
be found on its Scorecard 2003-13 (Appendix A). Below are some additional metrics to show the
reach of the Alumni Association.
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Its legislative education and advocacy organization—the Penn State Grassroots
Network—enrolls more than 35,000 members annually.
It has provided nearly $15 million in philanthropy to Penn State since 1988.
In For the Future: The Campaign for Penn State Students, the Alumni Association and
its affiliate groups provided $6 million, mainly for endowed scholarships.
Through the institutional crisis, the Alumni Association has maintained and improved its
high trust scores on three alumni opinion surveys, from 57 to 60 to 66 percent, exceeded
only by Penn State students at 67 percent.
Its annual giving program—the Sustaining Life Member program—has grown from
$168,000 in its first year, 2008-09, to more than $500,000 in 2013-14.
3
The Road Ahead
Despite the daunting challenges our University has faced over the past decade, the Division of
Development and Alumni Relations has much to celebrate. Amidst a historic economic recession
and unprecedented University crisis, the division has cemented itself as a leader in the University
community and has achieved its ambitious goals, which were developed before the immense
difficulties occurred.
Our successes are due in part to the initiative our division showed in the wake of the University
crisis starting in 2011. Both the Office of University Development and the Penn State Alumni
Association proactively engaged donors and alumni to listen to their concerns and to
appropriately handle their requests and complaints. Every donor and alumnus/a who contacted an
office within the division received a response, which helped repair and maintain many of these
relationships. Division leadership, gift officers, and Alumni Association contacts reached out to
their constituents unsolicited to listen to their opinions and show concern. The success of this
approach was reflected in the number of donors and of alumni chapters who remain loyal to and
supportive of Penn State today. The campaign and membership rates of our division remain
strong because we remained engaged with and credible to our constituents during the crisis and
thus solidified our role as ambassadors and spokespeople for our University.
The Senior Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations initiated a comprehensive
development program review undertaken in 2013-14 by the Grenzebach Glier & Associates
consulting firm. Our development officers have the respect of the academic leadership at the
University, a relationship that is not commonly found across higher education. Similarly, our
Alumni Association continues to receive high marks for trust and credibility on our Alumni
Opinion Survey.
Internally, our division has made strides in addressing staff needs. Our comprehensive IT
trainings are uniquely focused on our division’s needs. We have also moved our donor database
to a web-based format that has made it easier for our Commonwealth campuses, traveling staff,
and Alumni Association to access this information. Access to this data is open to each properly
trained and certified staff member, ensuring that all staff will be equally informed. Our division
created a Core Values Statement, which reflects input from all division staff. Separate from our
strategic plan, it helps establish the environment we expect in the workplace and provides an
ethical roadmap for all of our activities.
Despite these successes, we recognize that the higher education environment in which we work
is forever fluid. We continue to face both internal and external challenges in our daily work, and
we view these as opportunities to be even better University ambassadors. As we prepare for this
strategic planning cycle from 2014-15 to 2018-19, we remain proud of our division-wide success
and optimistic about the road ahead.
4
Challenges and Opportunities
As we approach the 2014-15 to 2018-19 planning cycle, we have identified thirteen challenges
that will need to be addressed by our division. These challenges represent incredible potential
and opportunity to grow and improve:
1. Continuing to show integrity and be ethical in everything we do
2. Withstanding new economic constraints and increased competition
3. Serving new leadership at Penn State
4. Initiating a new fundraising campaign during the 2014-15 to 2018-19 planning cycle
5. Attracting, developing, and retaining a talented and diverse workforce in our division
6. Addressing regulatory unknowns (e.g. new credit card laws, right to know legislation)
7. Aligning communications messages with University-wide branding efforts
8. Showing the University community a compelling return on investment for our work
9. Rewarding staff performance
10. Boosting student and young alumni engagement with the University
11. Raising the bar on volunteer engagement
12. Breaking out of our offices’ respective silos to foster cross-division collaboration
13. Responding to continuing fallout from the University crisis that started in 2011
New leadership at Penn State certainly brings both exciting opportunities and challenges. We are
looking forward to working with President Eric Barron, and we want to make him an integral
partner with our development and alumni engagement operations. We will also need to respond
to his vision for Penn State. While our division has responded well to crisis fallout, we still have
a long road ahead as our donors and alumni learn about and respond to the direction our new
President will take us. We need to be prepared to continue being trustworthy, credible sources of
information for our stakeholders and be flexible enough to adjust our goals as this vision and
direction unfold.
Within the division, aligning the messages and work of the Office of University Development
and Penn State Alumni Association is paramount. One of the greatest challenges facing our
division is continuing to move offices and units out of their respective silos into a more
collaborative working environment. The first step toward this new mindset and work model is
this strategic plan, which has been conceived to reflect the shared mission, vision, values, and
goals of everyone in the division. We have found a lot of common ground on which to build our
unified working relationships.
As we step into this environment in 2014-15, the division’s strategic plan builds upon our
successes and turns challenges into opportunities. Five broad goals are set forth, each with
corresponding strategies, measures, actions, timelines, and a lead executive responsible for
implementation.
5
Vision
We will be a dynamic force to ensure every Penn State constituent is a member of the Alumni
Association and a donor to the University, and we will act as an essential agent in the continued
success of Penn State.
Mission
Our core mission is to generate contributions of all kinds by building and strengthening
meaningful relationships and fulfilling experiences to advance the mission of Penn State.
Values
Service:
We value a culture centered on serving our broader Penn State family: alumni, friends, donors,
members, and volunteers.
Respect:
We value and respect individuals in the division who advance the University’s overall mission
and the division’s strategic plan.
Diversity:
Every member of our division contributes to the diversity and richness of our culture and to our
overall success as an organization, and our shared values guide our behavior and our approach to
achieving our goals.
Teamwork:
We value and respect staff, faculty, students, donors, members, and volunteers who collaborate
and encourage successful teamwork.
Collaboration:
We strive to be recognized as a leader in collaborative practices and attitudes, and the ability to
work with the larger University community of staff, faculty, and students is critical to our
success.
Integrity:
We will conduct ourselves with professionalism and integrity at all times.
6
Goal 1
Increase engagement and satisfaction of alumni, friends, University partners, patients,
students, volunteers, and other stakeholders
The Office of University Development and the Penn State Alumni Association represent one of
the largest and most influential entities for University constituents by nature of our mission. As
such, the Division of Development and Alumni Relations is in many ways the face of Penn State
most visible to the University’s external stakeholders.
The division is uniquely positioned to engage and involve our stakeholders and encourage them
to stay connected with and give support to Penn State. Our division’s employees are in constant
communication with broad sectors of the University’s various stakeholders and can serve as both
(1) a marketing force for University initiatives and (2) a conduit for University administrators to
help understand our stakeholders’ attitudes, opinions, and goals for the University. For example,
the Alumni Association represents one of the first opportunities these constituents have to
engage with the University, and these members reflect a much stronger attitudinal affinity and
more engaged behaviors than non-members. We seek to increase these and other engagement
efforts, which have been shown to lead to deeper relationships with Penn State over time.
Accordingly, we present the following strategies, measures, and actions to achieve Goal 1:
Strategies
1. Seek new
ways to
measure
satisfaction and
involvement of
internal and
external
constituents.
Measures
1. Increase
satisfaction
scores on the
annual Alumni
Opinion Survey
from FY15 to
FY19 as follows:
from 71% to 75%
on inclusion in
the Penn State
community; from
59% to 65% on
net promotion;
from 85% to 90%
on speaking
highly of the
University, and
from 66% to 75%
on high trust in
the Alumni
Association.
Actions
1. Initiate new,
appropriate
constituent
satisfaction surveys
and use smart
consumer research
techniques to inform
future engagement
plans.
Responsible
1. Roger
Williams
Timeframe
1. 2019
2. Evaluate target
audiences to identify
underrepresented
groups for possible
new events or
programs.
2. Roger
Williams
2. 2016
3. Develop a
Memorandum of
Understanding
between the Alumni
Association and the
University to clarify
3. Rod
3. 2015
Kirsch/Roger
Williams
7
Strategies
Measures
2. OUD will
survey its donor
audience in the
first half of FY15
to assess their
satisfaction with
their philanthropy
to Penn State.
This data will
serve as a
benchmark that
will be reassessed
with a portion of
our donor base
each year. We
will seek
appropriate
growth in donor
satisfaction
commensurate
with the findings
of the baseline
survey.
Actions
roles, responsibilities,
and expectations.
Responsible
Timeframe
4. Purchase a division- 4. All
wide business
intelligence system
and central repository
of information to
maximize constituent
outreach and track
engagement.
4. July 2014
5. Increase programs
and activities aimed at
involving greater
numbers of
underrepresented
constituencies.
5. John
Dietz/Roger
Williams
5. 2019
1. Engage Survey
Research Center or
other entities to
structure and execute
surveys.
1. John Dietz 1. Annually
8
Strategies
2. Build
undergraduate
and graduate
student
programs to
introduce
students to
philanthropy
and
membership
duties.
3. Create a
stronger
“culture of
membership”
for the Alumni
Association
across all
internal and
external
constituencies.
Measures
1. Plan and
implement a
student giving
program focused
on outright gifts.
This program will
seek to replace
the donors and
funds generated
by the current
General Deposit
system which will
be discontinued in
FY19.
Actions
1. Instill a culture of
philanthropy,
membership, and
volunteerism among
our undergraduate
students through
collaborative efforts
with networks.
Responsible Timeframe
1. John
1. 2019
Dietz
2. Create new
philanthropy-focused
programs that enhance
the graduate and postdoctoral experience.
2. John
Dietz
2. 2019
3. Use and evaluate
social media and
crowdfunding as new
solicitation strategies.
3. John
Dietz
3. 2019
1. Increase
Alumni
Association
membership to
183,000 by June
30, 2019.
1. Create stronger
1. Roger
intra-DDAR support
Williams/
for the efforts of the
John Dietz
PSAA membership
team (e.g., use
LionLine to issue
membership message).
1. Ongoing
2. Foster greater
awareness across
all constituencies
of Alumni
Association
members’
contributions to
the University
(compared to
non-members).
1. Disseminate
member v. nonmember results of the
annual Alumni
Opinion Surveys to all
DDAR staff and
academic leadership.
1. Roger
Williams
1. Annually,
upon
completion of
surveys
2. Re-institute college
impact statements and
present them to deans
2. Roger
Williams
2. 2016 and
2019
9
Strategies
Measures
Actions
of academic colleges,
showing the value of
PSAA to colleges’
goals and objectives.
10
Responsible Timeframe
Goal 2
Serve as a trusted and credible source of communications that informs and responds to our
stakeholders
The Office of University Development and the Penn State Alumni Association seek to inform
and educate alumni, students, and friends about the many contributions Penn State makes to the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the nation, and the world; to be a reliable and trusted source of
information about the University in a media environment where rumors are frequently reported
as fact and where the news cycle never ends; and to persuade our constituencies to take action of
many kinds, whether it be to join the Alumni Association, give financial support to the
University, attend an alumni or donor event, or serve as a volunteer advocate for the University,
its students, and its many operations.
We also seek to communicate effectively to staff at every Penn State location, to keep them
informed about University priorities, to share information about University programs that benefit
them, to assist them in performing their jobs in the most effective way, and to maintain and boost
morale. It is also essential that we have mechanisms and processes in place that ensure robust
and open two-way communication between the University administration and division
employees.
The University, Office of University Development, and the Alumni Association all have distinct
and essential voices, but we need to make sure that our voices are coordinated, that we focus on
the same overall themes, and that we communicate effectively in all situations through every
appropriate and available channel.
Accordingly, we present the following strategies, measures, and actions to achieve these goals:
Strategies
1. Ensure a
collaborative
and cooperative
approach to
communications
within the
division and
with our
University
partners.
Measures
1. Appoint
members of the
division to serve
on the Core
Communications
Council.
Actions
1. Create a divisionwide Core
Communications
Council and a broader
Communications
Working Group to
develop messaging,
establish priorities,
and ensure effective
implementation of a
communications plan.
Responsible
1. Roger Williams/
John Dietz
Timeframe
1. 2014
2. Develop themes
and content that are
relevant, adaptable,
and accessible to all
colleges, campuses,
and affiliate groups.
2. Roger Williams/
John Dietz
2. 2019
11
Strategies
2. Ensure that
current
communications
practices and
platforms have
value and are
necessary.
Measures
1. Complete
audit of current
communications
practices and
implement
results of audit
by end of plan.
Actions
Responsible
Timeframe
3. Create and
maintain a divisionwide communications
calendar.
3. Roger Williams/
John Dietz, Jean
Songer
3. 2014
4. Develop and
implement a
segmented, unitspecific
communications plan.
4. Roger Williams/
John Dietz
4. 2015
5. Ensure that content
and messaging on the
various technology
platforms align with
division-wide
strategy.
5. Roger Williams/
John Dietz
5. 2019
6. Develop
appropriate metrics to
measure our
communications
impact.
6. Roger Williams/
John Dietz
6. 2015
7. Foster a culture of
sharing relationship
data and constituents’
inbound feedback.
7. Roger Williams/
John Dietz
7. 2019
1. Implement a new
division-wide intranet
with employee
discussion forum.
1. John Dietz/
Roger Williams
1. 2014
2. Determine if there
is a need to hire, train,
and/or restructure
staff with regard to
emerging technology
and communications
platforms (e.g. social
media).
2. Roger Williams/
John Dietz/Jean
Songer
2. 2015
12
Strategies
Measures
Actions
3. Enhance data
collection of
information necessary
in communicating to
our constituents.
Responsible
3. Roger
Williams/John
Dietz/Jean Songer
Timeframe
3. 2016
4. Ensure
underrepresented
constituents are well
represented in
communications
materials.
4. Roger
Williams/John
Dietz
4. Ongoing
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Goal 3
Secure and strengthen revenue streams
The Office of University Development and the Penn State Alumni Association strive to advance
volunteerism, philanthropy, and other entrepreneurial activities across the University to help
secure and strengthen its revenue streams. To effectively and successfully grow these financial
resources, we must create efficiencies and synergies among these revenue sources coming into
the division, while recognizing distinctions among them. The strategies in this goal aim to
address those areas that may currently be underdeveloped yet have the greatest potential for
growth. We also seek to continue the upward trend of our already well-established revenue
streams using a donor- and member-centric approach in our philanthropy and engagement
efforts.
Only through continued collaboration can these initiatives be successful, and we recognize that
such success is critical to securing and strengthening revenue streams in the division as a whole.
To meet this goal, we aim to generate more revenue across the division as well as in seven core
areas: major gifts, principal gifts, foundation giving, parents giving, annual leadership giving,
and Alumni Association operations.
Accordingly, we present the following strategies, measures, and actions to achieve these goals:
Strategies
1. Increase
total private
gift support.
Measures
1. Increase total
voluntary support
from $207.7
million (FY12FY14 average) to
$246 million
(FY17-FY19
average), as
defined by the
Council for Aid
to Education
(CAE) to reflect a
6% annual growth
rate.
Actions
Responsible Timeframe
1. Improve compounded 1. Rod
1. 2019
annual growth rate of
Kirsch
institutional total private
support to exceed the
mean of the Leading
Public Research
Universities (LPRU)
cohort as identified in the
Grenzebach Glier &
Associates Strategic
Review.
2. Increase Penn State
Hershey Medical Center
and College of Medicine
private support as a
percentage of total
voluntary support from
14% to 20%.
2. Kelly
Altland
3. Create sustainable
3. John
broad-based solicitation
Dietz
and gift upgrade plan that
14
2. 2019
3. 2019
Strategies
Measures
Actions
delivers at least a 1-2%
alumni donor increase
annually by end FY19.
Responsible Timeframe
4. Increase private
support in the following
focus areas: improve
major gift proposal
(redefined at $100,000+)
yield rate to 46%; secure
50 principal gifts ($5
million+) by end FY19;
increase foundation
giving by 100% by end
FY19; implement parents
giving program with
emphasis on $100,000+
prospects; and increase
annual leadership giving
by increasing
membership in the
President’s Club from
7,800 in FY14 to 9,000
by FY19.
4. John
Dietz/Dave
Lieb/Rod
Kirsch
4. 2019
5. Track and publicly
post implementation of
the Grenzebach Glier &
Associates Strategic
Review
recommendations.
5. Rod
Kirsch
5. 2015
6. Present a new
campaign plan to
University leadership,
including staff and
budgetary requirements,
predicated on University
goals established in
University 2015 strategic
plan.
6. Rod
Kirsch/
Dave Lieb/
John Dietz/
Kelly
Altland/
Jean Songer
6. 2017
7. Enhance the Goal
Setting process by
7. Dave
Lieb
7. 2015
15
Strategies
Measures
Actions
moving to three-year
planning horizon by
FY16.
8. Provide fundraising
expertise to generate
philanthropic revenues to
support diversity-related
unit priorities.
2. Increase
total
revenue for
the Alumni
Association.
1. Sustain
moderate growth
rate in total
annual revenues
from $11 million
to $12.5 million.
Responsible Timeframe
8. 2015
8. Dave
Lieb/John
Dietz
1. Maintain and grow net
membership by 1-2%
annually to reach more
than 183,000 members
by end FY19.
1. Roger
Williams
1. 2019
2. Grow the investment
portfolio by achieving a
median return of 8.3%
per year (with a volatility
index of 12.5%) and by
lowering the Alumni
Association’s
endowment spending
policy from 4.7% to
4.5% annually.
2. Roger
Williams
2. 2019
3. Renew corporate
contracts to generate at
least 25% of operating
revenue.
3. Roger
Williams
3. 2019
4. Promote annual
growth in sponsorship
and advertising revenue
from $300,000 to
$450,000 by end FY19.
4. Roger
Williams
4. 2019
5. Work with Alumni
Association diversityrelated affiliate groups to
begin or revitalize their
fundraising for
scholarships.
5. Roger
Williams
5. 2019
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Goal 4
Recruit, retain, develop, and reward a diverse, collaborative, and talented workforce
The Division of Development and Alumni Relations recognizes that its employees are the
primary reason for our many successes and the prerequisite to providing superior services to our
many constituents. Without competent and diversely talented employees, our mission to act as
ambassadors on behalf of the University for our various constituents would fail. We cannot hope
to attract and retain donors and alumni members for our University if we cannot attract and retain
our own staff.
The criticality of recruiting, training, and retaining a stellar workforce is recognized as a top
priority of the division. To achieve an exceptional workforce, we need to invest first and
foremost in acquiring and developing talent in our division. Primary among these activities are
increasing our recruiting efforts, expanding our training, increasing the diversity of our
workforce, and emphasizing ethical standards.
We propose the following strategies, measures, and actions to achieve this goal:
Strategies
1. To grow
and retain a
diverse and
engaged staff,
and ensure the
division
operates with
the highest
ethical
standards, we
will provide
clear career
paths,
constructive
feedback,
coaching, and
targeted
approaches to
development
planning and
training at all
levels of the
organization.
Measures
1. Retain 80% of
all new
employees for a
minimum of two
years and central
and unit
director-level
employees for an
average of five
years.
Actions
1. Instill a culture of
ethical behavior by
including ethics in new
employee orientation
materials, providing
information related to
ethical fundraising in
major gift officer
presentations, and
requiring directors to
dedicate time to discuss
issues related to ethics
and integrity with staff.
2. Increase the
percentage of
employees from
underrepresented 2. Explore
groups to 10%
implementation of a
by 2019.
performance-based
bonus plan by close of
FY15.
3. Increase access to a
broad array of
professional
development
opportunities—both
skill-specific and
17
Responsible Timeframe
1. All
1. Ongoing
2. John
Dietz/Dave
Lieb
2. June
2015
3. Jean
Songer
3. 2019
Strategies
Measures
Actions
leadership
development—by
fostering collaboration
between Human
Resources, Talent
Management (TM), and
other key University
functions.
Responsible Timeframe
4. Hire a full-time trainer 4. Jean
no later than calendar
Songer
year 2017 to further
assess and address key
professional
development needs of
division staff.
4. 2017
5. Require
5. Rod
comprehensive
Kirsch/Jean
performance
Songer
management training (24
hours) of all division
directors every three
years, focusing on
common supervisory
weaknesses identified
across the division.
Evaluative methods
might include measures
such as 360° appraisals.
5. Ongoing
6. Encourage and reward
strategic collaboration
within and across the
division.
6. Ongoing
6. All
7. Broaden and enhance 7. Jean
the Diversity
Songer
Committee’s
programming and
participate in the CASE
Diversity Recruiting Fair
on an annual basis.
18
7. Ongoing
Strategies
2. A key to
creating an
effective
Talent
Management
function is to
expand and
enhance our
recruiting
efforts to
attract the best
talent in the
industry.
Measures
1. Develop a
robust and
diverse
candidate pool
for 75% of open
frontline
development
positions and
reduce time to
fill open
positions from
an average of 80
days to 60 days
by June 2015.
Actions
1. Hire an Associate
Director of Talent
Acquisition dedicated to
identifying and
cultivating candidates
for critical development
positions.
Responsible Timeframe
1. Jean
1. Dec
Songer
2014
2. Engage and train
development staff to
partner with Talent
Management in order to
actively recruit qualified
candidates from their
professional circles (via
networking and
conference attendance).
2. Jean
Songer/
John Dietz
2. June
2015
3. The TM team will
engage directly in key
searches to provide
consulting support,
context, and calibration
across all OUD units.
3. Jean
Songer
3. Ongoing
4. Identify strategic
recruiting venues that
are appropriate for each
hiring unit (region,
industry, etc.)
4. Jean
Songer/
Dave Lieb/
John
Dietz/Kelly
Altland
4. June
2015
19
Goal 5
Serve as effective and efficient stewards of our human, financial, and natural resources
Relationships—with individuals, other institutions, other University partners, and the
environment—are at the core of everything we do in the Office of University Development and
the Penn State Alumni Association. These relationships are forged to raise money, connect
alumni to the University and to each other, and to support the mission of the University. These
relationships vary in strength and number, but we cannot accomplish our mission without
nurturing them.
We strive to effectively steward all of these relationships by understanding the individual needs
of each audience through collaborative and meaningful give-and-take communications. The
Division of Development and Alumni Relations seeks to create and maintain a culture of
stewarding relationships starting with the first interaction and maintaining it throughout the
remainder of the relationship. Stewardship of these relationships is twofold: We must both
provide relevant information and listen to our constituents’ concerns.
This culture of stewardship should extend to our finite resources—financial, human, and natural
—so we efficiently do our work on behalf of the University in the most impactful and
responsible manner we can.
Accordingly, we present the following strategies, measures, and actions to achieve this goal:
Strategies
1. Create a
divisionwide
committee to
draft a
Universitywide
stewardship
plan in
FY14/15.
Measures
1. Develop
stewardship plan
for each
constituent
audience.
2. Upon
completion of the
plan, create a
division-wide
committee to
develop a plan
for storing key
stewardship data
points in a central
system such as
AWA or the
proposed
Business
Intelligence tool.
Actions
Responsible
1. Survey division staff 1. John Dietz
and campus partners to
identify what data, both
stored and not stored
within the division
central systems, are
priorities for each unit.
Timeframe
1. 2014
2. Document new
information about
constituents’
preferences and store
these in a central
system.
2. John Dietz/
Jean Songer
2. Ongoing
3. Identify new ways
for important data
points to be more
visible within current
systems and to share
them more efficiently.
3. John Dietz/
Jean Songer
3. Jan. 2016
20
Strategies
2. Enhance
management
of financial
resources
following
fiscally
sound
practices and
University
policies.
3. Identify
our unique
contribution
to the
University’s
vision of
sustainability
by modeling
sustainable
resource
policies and
practices.
Measures
1. Achieve return
on investment of
at least $6.50 in
receipts per
dollar spent on
development
costs on an
annual basis for
the life of this
plan.
1. Direct every
office in the
division to
participate in the
Penn State
Sustainability
Institute’s Green
Paws program (or
to adopt related
measures, where
the program is
unavailable) by
end FY19.
Actions
1. Automate collection
of fiscal spending
information required
for stewardship reports
on non-endowed
donations including
corporate and
foundation gifts.
Responsible
1. John Dietz
Timeframe
1. 2016
2. Provide regular
reports to constituents
on business
expenditures and
impact of expenditures.
2. John Dietz
2. 2015
3. Create formal
endowment spending
plans for all active
endowments.
3. John Dietz
3. 2015
1. Implement a
1. John Dietz
division-wide
commitment to develop
sustainable business
practices.
1. 2019
2. Create cohort of
fundraising
professionals who are
adept at raising funds
for sustainability
initiatives across the
University.
2. 2014-2019
2. John Dietz
3. Investigate electronic 3. John
delivery vehicles for
Dietz/Roger
communication to
Williams
constituents.
3. 2014-2019
4. Conduct special
events with an
emphasis on waste
diversion and
utilization of locally
4. 2014-2019
21
4. John
Dietz/Roger
Williams
Strategies
Measures
Actions
sourced goods and
services.
22
Responsible
Timeframe
Appendix A
Penn State Alumni Association Scorecard 2003-13
23
24
25
26
Appendix B
CASE Statement of Ethics1
Institutional advancement professionals, by virtue of their responsibilities within the academic
community, represent their colleges, universities, and schools to the larger society. They have,
therefore, a special duty to exemplify the best qualities of their institutions and to observe the
highest standards of personal and professional conduct.
In so doing, they promote the merits of their institutions, and of education generally, without
disparaging other colleges and schools.
Their words and actions embody respect for truth, fairness, free inquiry, and the opinions of
others.
They respect all individuals without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status,
creed, ethnic or national identity, handicap, or age.
They uphold the professional reputation of other advancement officers and give credit for ideas,
words, or images originated by others.
They safeguard privacy rights and confidential information.
They do not grant or accept favors for personal gain, nor do they solicit or accept favors for their
institutions where a higher public interest would be violated.
They avoid actual or apparent conflicts of interest and, if in doubt, seek guidance from
appropriate authorities.
They follow the letter and spirit of laws and regulations affecting institutional advancement.
They observe these standards and others that apply to their professions and actively encourage
colleagues to join them in supporting the highest standards of conduct.
The CASE Board of Trustees adopted this Statement of Ethics to guide and reinforce our
professional conduct in all areas of institutional advancement. The statement is also intended to
stimulate awareness and discussion of ethical issues that may arise in our professional activities.
The Board adopted the final text in Toronto on July 11, 1982, after a year of deliberation by
national and district leaders and by countless volunteers throughout the membership.
Council for Advancement and Support of Education. (n.d.) “CASE Statement of Ethics.” Retrieved February 26,
2014 from http://www.case.org/Samples_Research_and_Tools/
Ethics_Resources_and_Issues/CASE_Statement_of_Ethics.html.
1
27
2
A Donor Bill of Rights
PHILANTHROPY is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition
of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To ensure that
philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and
prospective donors can have full confidence in the non-for-profit organizations and
causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:
I.
VI.
To be informed of the organization’s mission, of
the way the organization intends to
use donated resources, and of its capacity to use
donations effectively for their intended purposes.
To be assured that information about their donations is
handled with respect and with confidentiality to the
extent provided by law.
II.
VII.
To be informed of the identity of those serving
on the organization’s governing board,
and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its
stewardship responsibilities
To expect that all relationships with
individuals representing organizations of interest
to the donor will be professional in nature.
III.
VIII.
To have access to the organization’s
most recent financial statements.
To be informed whether those seeking
donations are volunteers, employees of the
organization or hired solicitors.
IV.
IX.
To be assured their gifts will be used for
the purposes for which they were given.
To have the opportunity for their
names to be deleted from mailing lists that
an organization may intend to share.
V.
X.
To receive appropriate
acknowledgement and recognition.
To feel free to ask questions when making
a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and
forthright answers.
DEVELOPED BY:
ORIGINALLY ENDORSED BY:
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP)
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
Giving Institute: Leading Consultants to Non-Profits
Independent Sector
National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC)
National Committee on Planned Giving (NCPG)
Council for Resource Development (CRD)
United Way of America
Association of Fundraising Professionals. (2013). “The Donor Bill of Rights.” Retrieved February 26, 2014
from http://www.afpnet.org/files/ContentDocuments/Donor_Bill_of_Rights.pdf.
2
28
29
30
Appendix C
Division’s Response to Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State 2010-15
31
Appendix D
Core Council Follow-Up
In April 2011, the Division of Development & Alumni Relations submitted a number of potential
cost cutting measures in response to the Core Council’s request to address a 5% permanent
budget reduction (approximately $650,000). Following is a report on progress made toward
implementing the original plan.
Completed
1. The Undergraduate Scholarships fundraising program was consolidated with both
Student Affairs and Parents Programs; and the fundraising staff at Outreach was reduced,
for a combined savings of $124,000.
2. Commonwealth Campus stewardship activities were consolidated; fundraising
positions at Harrisburg and Greater Allegheny were converted to fixed-term from
standing; and fundraising offices for Brandywine and Great Valley were consolidated,
resulting in total savings of $280,000.
3. Staff in the Office of Annual Giving who were assigned to conduct face-to-face
solicitations for the President’s Club have been eliminated through attrition, at a savings
of $95,000.
4. A staff assistant position in Athletics was reassigned from DDAR to ICA and another
was converted from standing to fixed-term, for total savings of $76,000.
5. The Penn State Alumni Association absorbed cuts totaling $67,000.
6. The offices of Donor Services and Alumni Records have been consolidated into one
office, Donor and Member Services, in order to increase efficiencies and maintain present
staff levels while handling an escalating number of new records and data changes every
year.
7. Alumni Association membership processing has been outsourced to CDS Global as of
May 2014. Savings undetermined at this point.
Under Consideration
1. Provide electronic receipts to donors who make gifts online.
2. Explore use of bar coding on annual giving mailing pieces.
3. Distribute more information to donors electronically.
Not implemented
1. Reduce staff in Office of Research and Analytics.
2. Explore use of a lockbox for gift payments.
32
3. Review primary duties of the Industrial Research Office (IRO) and Development’s
Corporate & Foundation Relations office for duplication of efforts. IRO was eliminated
by the Vice President for Research.
33
Appendix E
Division’s Strategic Performance Indicators
34
35