The NonProfit Times - February 15, 2008 - (Page 6)

RAISING $1 BILLION Continued from page 1 the president at OSU.While Weiler’s name is well known among his peers, OSU didn’t hire him for name value, but rather for his fundraising capability, skills and hard work as evidenced by his success, Kaplan said. Though a downturn could have an effect on the campaign, OSU’s Kaplan downplayed that aspect.“In my experience, there’s more often a ‘sky is falling mentality’ and then everything works out fine,” rather than the doomsayers being correct, he said.“There’s going to be some bumps. But some things will work out that you hadn’t planned for, as well.” Kent E. Dove, senior vice president for development at Indiana University Foundation, is directing Indiana University Bloomington’s (IUB) $1 billion campaign that started in July 2003.The university had 70 percent in pocket when it publicly launched this past November, Dove said. IUB’s capital campaign goal within the comprehensive campaign is $400 million. It has received a gift of $77 million and roughly seven gifts of $25 million or more, Dove said. “The thing that impresses me the most right now is that high-end fundraising is doing better than ever,” Dove said. The focus in capital campaigns is on the high-end, with greater expectations that the group will comprise a greater percentage of the total goal. Johns Hopkins University’s ongoing $3.2 billion Knowledge for the World campaign underscores that trend. Some 46 percent of the total has been from gifts of $10 million or more. Gifts of $1 million or more represent 78 percent of the total, Scott Rembold, associate vice president for development at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, wrote in an email in response to questions. “Major gifts from individuals, 51 percent of our total, have been the driving force in the success of this campaign,” Rembold wrote. Alumni giving represents 25 percent of the total and gifts from friends represents 26 percent. Foundation support accounts for 33 percent of the total raised, corporations 6 percent, and planned gifts from individuals represent roughly 10 percent, he wrote. Dove said the stock market is at a near-historic level, even after the recent retreat.“A lot of fundraising is psychology, and we are letting some things psychologically influence us that if you put them in perspective don’t look nearly as bad as the headlines of the newspaper would portend,” Dove said.“The last time we did a capital campaign the stock market was nowhere close” to its current levels, and “we were successful in that campaign, too.” High-end donors may not be feeling the pinch, but others are.“I think there are some real effects of the economy on other areas,” specifically that mid-range donors ($25,000 - $250,000) are disappearing, Dove said. Georgia will close in June what originally was a $500 million campaign with an anticipated $650 million. TIMING ISN’T EVERYTHING Shorter campaign cycles change fundraising methodology, Dove said.Today, a capital campaign focuses on major-gift ready donors, and not the entire constituency because campaign planners know they’ll be back into a campaign in a relatively short period of time, thus reducing the risk of losing donors not ready to make a major gift.“They are the next generation of prospects for your next campaign,” Dove said. Closer campaign cycles are the case at the University of Georgia, where Tom Landrum recently became senior vice president for external affairs. Georgia will close in June what originally was a $500 million campaign with an anticipated $650 million, Landrum said. The school is planning an at least $1 billion campaign slated for a quiet-phase start two years after this one closes, Landrum said. They’ll conduct mini-campaigns for endowed professorships and capital projects in between, he said. In an effort to expand the donor base, Landrum will pursue initiatives focusing on thousands of alumni graduating each year, and parents of newly enrolled students as prospects, he said. A softening economy doesn’t concern him.“I don’t necessarily believe a recession spells hard times for higher education philanthropy,”Landrum said. It’s a long-term giving strategy and donors are thinking about what they can give regardless of a downturn, he said. Deferred gifts are more influenced by donors’ own estate and tax planning, he added. Rembold echoed those thoughts.“The general philosophy is that a ‘bear market’ can change the way that people give and may change the gift vehicle they 6 FEBRUARY 15, 2008 THE NONPROFIT TIMES www.nptimes.com http://www.donorperfect.com/freetestdrive http://www.donorperfect.com/freetestdrive http://www.nptimes.com

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The NonProfit Times - February 15, 2008

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