Introduction¹

Fundraising is as much of an art as it is a science. This checklist will help demystify fundraising and ensure that you have the right information BEFORE accepting a donor’s gift.  The checklist is prepared in two parts. Part two focuses on more of the fundamentals of capital campaign planning.

The Rule of Thirds
Rule One:  The top 10 donors will give 33% of the campaign goal.
Rule Two: The next 100 donors will give another third of the campaign goal.
Rule Three:  All other donors will give the final third of the campaign goal.

Example

Goal $2,000,000
Donors: 4000
Gift Table:  $660,000 from 10 donors
                  $660,000 from 100 donors
                  $660,000 from 3890 donors

Out of 4000 donors, 110 donors will deliver 66% of the total campaign goal.

Traditional Gift Table Rules

Point One:  The largest single gift is calculated to be 10% of the campaign goal. (Example: with a $2M Goal – the largest gift should be $200K)

Point Two:  Each successively smaller gift is half the amount of the previous one, and the number of donors needed is double. (Example: with a $2M Goal – the second largest gift should be $100K, and you’ll need at least 2 potential donors to get that gift)

Point Three:  Define major gifts, special gifts and general gifts.

(Example:  Goal $2,000,000
The largest single gift will probably be $200,000.  
The next largest gift will be $100,000.)

A Traditional Gift Table for a $2M Goal

• Endowed gifts (for Chairs , Special Professorships, and Program)
• Restricted Gifts
• Unrestricted gifts (Dean’s Discretionary Fund)
• Program support gift agreement
• Scholarships and fellowship gifts

School or College Development Plan

A. Fundraising Priorities

• identification of donor prospect base 
• location of alumni concentration
• location of donor concentration
• prospect research 
• list of the top 100 prospects
• prospect profiles
• corporations and foundations
• family businesses
• list of school priorities
• facilities and equipment
• endowment
• annual and other gifts
• levels of giving
• major gifts
• special gifts
• annual gifts
• planned gifts (in wills and trusts)
• Deans Advisory Council and other volunteers
• donor cultivation and stewardship
• honorary degree recipients
• school Advisory Council members
• school program visiting committees
• distinguished lectures and programs
• alumni chapter activities

B.  Communications

• marketing and public relations
• admissions 
• alumni Benefits and Services 
• alumni legacy program
• newsletters and blogs
• school events
• alumni class notes
• annual letters to alumni and friends
• acknowledgement of gifts
• donor feasibility studies
• donor contacts
• Dean’s calls
• school website
• alumni list servers and other online communities

C. Activities and Events

• calendar of events
• school based local activities
• alumni chapter activities
• luncheons and breakfasts 
• regional alumni receptions
• professional programming
• career counseling
• Alumni Career Center activities
• mentoring programs
• institution-wide activities
• regional activities
• special events
• school anniversaries
• commencement and convocation activities
• international events

Prospect Research Report: Items for inclusion in your development records

• Legal Name
• Employment/firm/industry
• Related news articles
• Residence
• Vacation homes
• Education
• Personal/Family History
• Born
• Spouse 
• Spouse info, DOB, education, news articles/ex-spouse!!
• Children (ages) (schools)
• Interests and affiliations
• Current giving history by year and type
• Total giving
• Professional/financial information narrative
• Related Institutional Friends/Affiliates

School/College Advisory Councils: Important Considerations

• Purpose of the Council
• Membership 
• Number of members and type of members (variety of industries)
• Appointment by the dean only?
• Responsibilities of individual council members:
• Record of giving
• Attendance
• Number of meetings per year (3 is good)
• Criteria for membership selection
• Be selective and be definitive
• Scope of Council responsibilities
• Remember nose in fingers out!!
• Giving requirements
• Annually or during the council membership term?
• Be sure to tell recruits up front what’s expected
• Term of service (have an end date … 3  three-year terms is the limit)
• Termination of appointment or replacement
• Spell out how a member can be removed.
• Nominations 
• Spell out how they will be handled
• Council leadership/officers (at least 3)
• Council committees (as many as you need)
• Council Bylaws 
• (make sure they have been reviewed by counsel and that they comply with local non-profit laws)

Responsibilities of a School/College Advisory Council Members

1.  Acting as an advisor to the dean on a broad range of issues including curriculum, resource allocation, relations with stakeholder groups and long-range planning.
2. Helping the school college secure philanthropic gifts through the identification and solicitation of individuals capable of providing financial support.
3. Making a personal time and financial commitment to the school/college commensurate with one’s ability.
4. Serving as a guest lecturer in classes on a voluntary basis.
5. Regularly attending Advisory Council meetings.

Criteria for Selection of Advisory Council Members

The dean of the school or college selects Advisory Council members often with input from the administration, current and former council members, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Selection for membership is based upon the following criteria:

• Demonstrated interest in the school colleges mission;
• Successful and respected in the community adequate time to devote to the council
• Willingness to support the school college to the best of his/her ability, supporting fundraising initiatives, and willingness to influence others to provide financial support

“The Donor acknowledges that no money will be awarded from the Fund for a twelve-month period from the date of the gift in order for the Fund to generate the income necessary to support the contemplated (scholarship/activity).”

A final word about gifts of insurance, real property, and other tangible property

Beware of the man or woman bearing gifts!  I once received a gift of real estate in Las Vegas one day before the end of the tax filing deadline.  When I went to Vegas to check out the property, I found that it was really an alley between two other properties owned by the donor, so it was unlikely anyone other than the donor would want it.  Be sure, before you accept a gift, you’ve looked that gift horse in the mouth!  I sold the property back to the donor some years later!  

In addition to the brief information provided here, be sure to check out the many CASE publications and resources on fundraising. https://www.case.org/

You can reach me at [email protected]

¹Although the checklist is general and intended as a reminder, I wanted to provide you with information to help ensure institutional compliance and reduce risk. I hope you find the checklist helpful. And I welcome your feedback, so please let me know what I can do to strengthen this document.  Please be sure to consult with your legal counsel on matters requiring legal advice.

² I want to express my profound gratitude to Mr. Bruce Freeman, former Chair of Marts & Lundy, who taught me that “advocacy is advocacy… be it a courtroom or a capital campaign.” 

Written by

Mary E. Kennard, Senior Consultant, AcademicSearch.org