SIG Review – Structuring your Major Gifts Program

By Jackie Dalton

Director of Philanthropy, Frensham Schools

Structuring your Major Gifts Program, 3 June 2021

An excellent presentation by fundraising consultant Pamela Sutton-Legaud from AskRIGHT. The webinar addressed the Major Gifts fundraising cycle, and most importantly:

• How to ask for money
• Overcoming objections

Pamela pointed out a key difference for fundraisers in schools—there is a whole different constituency that you don’t have in a normal charity, and that is parents. They are well connected and want their children and grandchildren to do well now, as well as in the future. Leverage that.

A key consideration in structuring a Major Gifts program, from the beginning is to ensure that you have:

• Policies and Procedures in place ahead of time—you do not want to make Policy “on the run”.
  • What gifts will you accept? How? When?
• Delegation and decision making—be clear on this before you have to deal with a Major Gift.
  • What is the most expedient way to accept and process a Major Gift? What budget do I have to work with so that I can be the decision maker? Can I have a copywriter? What control and authority do I have over the fundraising program?

People don’t “hang around” once they’ve made an offer of a Major Gift. If you can’t manage the gift in a timely manner because you are considering policy, procedure or delegation, they may go elsewhere.

The fundraising cycle involves Identification of Prospects, Qualification, Cultivation, Solicitation and Stewardship. Within that, the most important element to focus on is L.I.C:

• Linkage—what is their link to your organisation?
• Interest—what is their level of engagement with your organisation?
• Capacity—what is the right level of gift for them? What should be the Ask in the first instance?

Private Ancillary Funds (PAFs) are a key potential source of Major Gifts—how many of you parents and alumni are Directors of a PAF? They are already philanthropic, so a key prospect for any Major Gift program.

“The Ask”—rehearse it beforehand. Practice is vital. Anticipate questions and answer them. And when it does come time to make the Ask—don’t say anything. Wait for the donor to reply, even if the silence seems interminable.

If it’s “Yes”, you move straight to stewardship. If it’s “No” that is not the end—it’s often “not now” and again, you move into a stewardship plan.

And finally, resourcing—you need skilled people, who can do this job, right now. If you do this, it will help deliver a better outcome. Don’t allow your fundraisers to be directed to jobs other than fundraising in a school. This would never happen in a commercial environment.

Note that the full presentation is available on the Educate Plus website, for Members only, and can be accessed here: NSW/ACT Fundraising SIG

Upcoming PD

We have an exciting line up of online PD for our members. There is something for every profession in the Advancement sector and this is a great space to learn and share industry ideas. Registrations and more information will be available on our website soon.

Welcome to our newest members

A very warm welcome to our latest members. We are thrilled to have you as part of our NSW/ACT Chapter community. Please feel free to reach out to your Chapter Committee members with any questions. 

Click on the button at the bottom of the page to view our new member page which contains information on all member benefits.

President’s Message

As our colleagues across Greater Sydney enter their ninth week of lockdown, and with our regional colleagues also now in lockdown, we have become well-versed in postponing, cancelling and the dreaded tba across our calendars and schedules.

We are collectively trying so hard to stay connected, albeit in isolation. I am grateful for my Educate Plus comrades at this time and am enjoying virtual coffee catch ups to mull over what may or may not transpire for the rest of this year, how this may affect us and what measures we are putting in place … so much uncertainty is nice to share. I encourage you to reach out to one of your networks this week for a catch up—you will be so glad you did!

One thing that is certain is our upcoming Non-Conference Week Online . Thank you, Educate Plus for offering such a rich selection of speakers over the three days that was to be our International Conference week in Adelaide. For many in secondary institutions, the week of 7 – 9 September is the end of a remarkable Term – what better way to end it than by logging into some rich PD.

I am ready for a reset, reframe and a bit of rewiring and can’t wait to dive in – see you online in September!

Browse the full program and event details here.

Myfanwy Stanfield  F.Edplus
Vice Chair / NSW/ACT Chapter President

Gin Reunions!

By Sandy Goddard
Director of Community Development at Canberra Grammar School

We always look forward to our Alumni reunions. So much of our engagement is based upon catching up in person, having natural, pleasant interactions and strengthening relationships. But lockdowns, postponements, and cancellations don’t bode well in trying to engage with the Alumni community.

So, after yet another (almost) cancellation with The Fox Hole Bar in Sydney, one brilliant idea came to the Events manager in the Community Development team from Box Bar—a digital bar!

The idea was to still host a reunion, albeit a virtual one, bringing a small bar experience and a chance to connect over drinks, direct to our guests, wherever they may be. ‘Experience Gin’ tasting boxes were hand-delivered to Canberra Grammar alumni who registered for the evening (a great way to update contacts!).  Box Bar experts guided the memorable event via Zoom.

In the first hour, two experts talked through the seven gin types, mixes, and garnishes to sensationalise the experience. Non-alcoholic packages were also available, making the whole experience more inclusive.

The second hour, after everyone, was suitably more relaxed, made for great conversation. The Head of School and other invited staff took part in the evening, sharing experiences and providing a good Q & A session.

The Gin experience by Box Bar proved a great success with 50 of our Sydney alumni, who enjoyed this complimentary event. The number of attendees was manageable for an online forum and well within our budget.

In the end, it was a case of giving back a little to our alumni community, reaching out with a unique event to maintain and gain future goodwill.

We look forward to hosting our Brisbane, Melbourne, and Adelaide reunions—all booked in for an online Gin tasting experience.

Celebrating our schools – acknowledging anniversary years

By Yvette Graniero

Director of Community Relations, Santa Sabina College

As we emerge from the restrictions COVID has placed on us, we will need to find ways to reconnect and re-engage with our school communities. A wonderful way to do this is through celebrating school anniversaries. These opportunities allow us to commemorate the heritage, traditions and success of our schools. 

We can achieve this through a range of events, selling merchandise and participating in special initiatives to engage the entire community—both past and present—including staff, students and parents.  

Key outcomes that can be achieved during anniversary years include:

• Strengthening community spirit by celebrating the school’s past, present and future.
• Increasing the number of ex-students who participate in the school.
• Raising the profile of the school and its programs within the wider community.
• Strengthening the brand and enrolment interest.
• Aligning fundraising efforts.

The planning phase for an anniversary year can be upward of two years and during this time it is important to do the following:

• Background Analysis—what you hope to achieve.
• Discussions with key stakeholders—to determine outcomes and objectives for the yea
• Form committee including current and past staff, Board and Council members, engaged alumni, students and parents. 
• Determine action plan and milestones.
• Determine budget.
• Develop Branding.

Here are ways in which you can celebrate and recognise your school’s anniversary year.

Branding

A wonderful way to ensure a consistent brand experience is to ensure all collateral associated with the anniversary year is the same. An anniversary logo can be used on email signatures, stationery, electronic and print publications, invitations, digital and social media, video opening and closing title slides, site banners and flags.

Social media

As we know, social media is a great way to engage our stakeholders and during an anniversary year the following can happen:

• Anniversary features for digital and social media including ‘on this day in history’ and ‘then and now’ photos as examples of social media campaigns.
• Include social media hashtags that are particular to the anniversary year.

Types of events

Different events can be pitched at different stakeholders including current parents and students, past students and staff, board members and community members:

• Gala dinners
• Fetes
• Reunions and re-enactments
• Back to school weekends
• Religious ceremonies
• Gala Music Concerts
• Art shows
• Sporting events

Special Initiatives

Some school communities decide to acknowledge a significant anniversary milestone by celebrating in the following ways:

• Anniversary photos (numbers or student groups)
• Historical installations—timelines, museum
• Commissioned works—music, art, sculpture
• Scholarship opportunities
• Capital works projects—fundraising initiatives
• Tree planting

Memorabilia

During an anniversary year, community members are particularly proud and often want to show this through purchasing school memorabilia. These can include

• Jerseys
• History of the school book
• Badges or pins
• Hats
• Keyrings

A school anniversary gives us an opportunity to celebrate and reflect on the history of our school and giving thanks to those that have gone before us, while generating pride in the current and future members of the community.

Non Conference Week – Register Now!

This September, from Tuesday 7 until Thursday 9, we will be hosting the Non-Conference Series, a program of national webinars and interactive Q&A sessions so that you can get your conference-fix from the comfort of your home or office – wherever you are!

You’ll leave this three – day event feeling energised and ready to achieve new professional and personal goals!

Program

Please join us to learn from some of the most respected thought leaders in a variety of leadership and advancement topics.

We will offer three x one-hour sessions (including Q&A) each day from Tuesday 7 until Thursday 9 of September at 10:00am, 12:00pm or 3:00pm (AEST). Sessions will be conducted online through Zoom and a post-recording of the presentations will be available for you to view at any stage until the end of the year.

This exciting initiative provides you with the perfect opportunity to hear from industry experts and adopt new strategies while connecting with like-minded colleagues who are solving everyday challenges like yours. 

FULL PROGRAM HERE

Investment

• Full Program (three days): Members $150, Non-members $200
• Day Pricing: Members $60, Non-members $100

All sessions will be recorded, and a copy of the recording is included in your ticket for you to watch it on demand until the end of the year.

*Bonus discount – if you have a paid registration for our International Conference you will receive a 50% discount. To obtain your 50% discount code please refer to the email sent separately to all paid registrations.

Registration

Open now. To book for the three day package please click HERE. To book for individual days please click TUESDAY 7 , WEDNESDAY 8 , THURSDAY 9.

NSW / ACT Chapter Conference

With the postponement of our International Conference until 2022, the NSW/ACT Chapter Conference will now be held in 2023 at Canberra Grammar School.

More details regarding the dates and the program will be sent in due course.