The $100 Million Answer!

I Asked Jo Frith What Advancement Really Looks Like at Its Best. She Had a $100 Million Answer… 

Jo Frith
Director of Alumni and Philanthropy
Murdoch University

Jo Frith did not set out to work in Advancement. She came back from time overseas, finished a business degree, and walked into a marketing role at a school on the Gold Coast. What she found there changed the direction of her career entirely. 

Almost 18 years later, she is Director of Alumni and Philanthropy at Murdoch University, and her team has just closed the largest philanthropic gift in Western Australian university history. 

I reached out because I wanted to understand what that kind of result actually requires. What she described was not a lucky break. It was relationships, built deliberately, over time. 

You have worked across both schools and universities in advancement. What has shaped your journey into this field? 

Like many, my pathway into Advancement was not planned. After time overseas in my early 20s, I returned to study a Bachelor of Business majoring in Marketing and Public Relations. While completing my degree I joined The Southport School (TSS) on the Gold Coast as their inaugural Marketing Manager, where I was introduced to Philanthropy and Alumni Relations. I was able to uncover a world that I never really knew existed which led me away from a career in Marketing to Advancement, and I have not turned back. 

Since then, I have spent almost 18 years working across three independent schools and three universities, building a career in the education sector. While challenges have been an inherent part of the journey, each role has played an important part in my professional development and preparing me for the next stage of my career. I have a strong passion for education, and both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees have played a pivotal role in shaping my career. I would not be where I am today without my university experience, for which I remain grateful. 

In your current role at Murdoch University, what areas of advancement are you most focused on right now? 

In my role at Murdoch University, I’m focused across the full Advancement portfolio, including the Art Collection. We just concluded our 50th anniversary celebrations, which marked one of the most meaningful and successful years for Alumni and Philanthropy – so there is still a sense of momentum of which we can harness. 

Building on our extraordinary success, our focus is to continue growing our sophistication by strengthening our systems and processes, implementing a framework for data and performance measures, build capacity in our digital practices, deepening our Alumni Engagement, launch our Alumni and donor survey, grow and diversify our donor pipeline, and exploring new opportunities to engage our community in creative and contemporary ways, including our communications to leverage our partnerships, plus much more. There is never a dull moment! 

You have led some significant engagement and giving initiatives. What do you think makes a community truly connect and give? 

In my experience, people are motivated when they understand the impact of their support, see their values reflected in the institution, and trust that their contribution whether it is through their time or financial support will make a meaningful difference. 

Throughout my career, I have seen stewardship initiatives managed in ways that did not meet donor expectations. I have also been fortunate to work alongside teams to redesign and strengthen these programs. Donors have shared with me that their willingness to give is directly linked to the impact their support is making. 

I have had high-net-worth donors say, “I have more capacity to give, but I want to see the impact of my giving.” A deliberate and well-executed stewardship program has transformed these relationships where the donors have given again at principal giving levels. 

Just this week, I met with our transformational donor and reflected on the importance of engagement in his decision to support Murdoch with a $100m gift. As someone who gave to multiple organisations, he shared that Murdoch sat on the top of his list because of the way we engaged with him. 

Authentic relationships, clear storytelling about impact and consistent stewardship are fundamental – which I can’t emphasis enough. 

What is one initiative or approach you are particularly proud of that has made a meaningful impact? 

I’m fortunate that so many moments come to mind. Every role I have undertaken, I have been proud and feel had impact at the time. Most recently, I’m proud of what we have achieved within the Alumni & Philanthropy team at Murdoch University. It is no secret that Murdoch has had its challenges over the years. Along with a supportive team who believes in our vision, we have been able to transform the function in a relatively short period of time. This has very much been a collective effort. 

Of course, partnering with our Vice Chancellor to cultivate and close the single largest philanthropic gift of $100m within a Western Australian university and one of the largest across Australia is a defining moment in my career and one I will carry with me always. There has been considerable interest across the sector, particularly given that gifts of this scale are more commonly seen within a Go8 institution. While there have been some comments that we were lucky, a wonderful colleague recently said to me “Many might think we were lucky, but we created the opportunity for us to be the ‘lucky’ recipient”. This is very true! Gifts of this size do not happen overnight; while not ground-breaking as to how we engaged the donor, it was well timed and well planned which is something that I’m proud to be a part of which will have meaningful impact for the entire University and of course our Veterinary School. After the announcement of this transformational gift, the donor has continued to uplift his scholarship support making another significant gift which will ultimately benefit future students who are experiencing personal and financial hardship. 

Advancement continues to evolve across the sector. Where do you see the biggest opportunity for growth or change? 

It will come to no surprise that I will touch on AI. While AI is embedded within aspects of our function, we are about to deep dive into how we can apply AI more strategically within our function to create more efficiencies. Importantly, AI won’t change our ability to build relationships and to have personal connections but uncovering how we can be strategic in the use of AI that will position us well for the future. 

As we refine our Alumni Engagement program, our Senior Engagement Manager is in the very early stages of working towards behavioural and psychographic segmentation, allowing us to move beyond mass communication and deliver more targeted, meaningful, and impactful engagement. 

While other institutions may have already progressed into these areas, we recognised that there was work to do behind the scenes to build the level of sophistication needed to capitalise on these opportunities. 

How has being part of educate+ supported your professional journey? 

Educate Plus played an important role in my early to mid-career, which the sector was new to me and came with different expectations. As a relatively new graduate, albeit not new to the workforce, connecting with peers through Educate Plus was invaluable in helping me to build my knowledge. Engaging with like-minded professionals across the sector allowed me to better appreciate the shared focus areas and challenges. I also valued my time serving as a member on the WA Educate Plus committee. 

I continue to encourage my colleagues to connect with educate+, and I hope members of our team will have the opportunity to attend the conference this year. 

What keeps you energised in a role that is both strategic and deeply people focused? 

I am motivated and energised when we are growing as a team and collectively achieving our goals and aspirations. Over a focused two-year period, our team worked strategically to ensure we were well positioned to deliver a successful year of engagement for Murdoch University’s 50th anniversary. 

During this time, it was a mammoth team effort to implement a significant program of work. This included launching an annual giving program and telephone campaign, successfully raising $250,000 to support 50 scholarships in celebration of 50 years; launching our alumni networks, developing a targeted engagement strategy for our senior Alumni and donor community; delivering the Vice Chancellor’s 50th anniversary roadshow across Australia and internationally; and completing our gift audit, enhancing our gift management, plus many other initiatives. 

With a committed team, anything is possible and that is what continues to energise and motivate me. 

One piece of advice you would give someone starting out in Advancement? 

I would encourage anyone commencing their journey in advancement to connect with as many peers as possible and to invest time in developing a deep understanding of the education sector – its nuances and evolving landscape. Being aware of what is shaping the sector is essential to being effective in any advancement role. 

While formal professional development opportunities are great, self-learning is fundamental to grow throughout your career. I have spent countless hours reading, listening, and learning – and that continues to this day. 

Jo Frith did not get lucky. She built the conditions for a $100 million moment. That is what Advancement looks like at its best. 

Interview conducted by Margo Bastow F.EdPlus, Director Community Relations, Santa Maria College