Fifty Years of Philanthropic Management Consulting

continued from page 3

with the first name on the donor list and continued down the list without any type of segmentation. Today, it is an absolute necessity to mine the database to identify new prospects, build relationships, increase annual fund participation, and even match donor visits to staff travel schedules,” he adds.

Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive officer ofThe Wolfson Foundation, one of the U.K.’s largest private foundations, believes the greatest technological advantage is the ability to “quickly put your finger on important pieces of donor information. If fundraising is all about engagement, quick access to information is a critical part of that engagement.” He predicts that as institutions continue to segment donor groups more clearly, one of the largest foundations in friends and recruiting them to the fundraising positions will become Canada, which raises funds for alumni association.” more specialized. “There will be the Hospital for Sick Children. The expanding use of technology increasing emphasis on careful “We are using technology to more has back-office implications for strategic philanthropy rather than successfully integrate fundraising advancement operations as well. ad hoc ‘kitchen-table giving’.” programs and open new channels, Development operations now often such as online giving and social include information technology Technology also offers multiple media, to reach donors.” specialists who must keep platforms for communicating with systems up and running and train donors, who may no longer have the Malcolm Grant, president and development staff members to use time to attend numerous meetings provost of University College technology effectively. Garrard, with gift officers. “Technology London, sees technology as one who has overseen fundraising can be an effective method in of the ways to reach younger campaigns for The University reaching donors who prefer a graduates. “We are using technology of Western Ontario and United more transactional approach to to get out there earlier to talk Way of Toronto, believes fundraising,” says Ted Garrard, to alumni. At graduation, we technology can help institutions president and chief executive officer have student volunteers in the streamline fundraising processes. of the SickKids Foundation, crowd with their iPads talking to “Organizations need to examine

4

Johns Hopkins: A History of Philanthropic Success

The rich history of fundraising at instrumental during his tenure end of Haley’s tenure in 1994, the The Johns Hopkins University in raising Hopkins’ philanthropic fundraising team at Hopkins can be traced to the university’s profile: Morris Offit, then chief had grown to more than 100 founding in 1876 with a gift of land, executive officer of Offitbank, who staff members. railroad stock, and other securities chaired The Campaign for Johns from Baltimore philanthropist Hopkins, and Mayor Michael Lindgren Leads Back-to- and entrepreneur Johns Hopkins. Bloomberg, then chief executive Back Campaigns From its first endowment campaign officer of Bloomberg LP, who chaired The stage was set for continuing in 1902 to raise $1 million The Johns Hopkins Initiative from success when Robert Lindgren, through current planning for a 1992 to 1996. “They changed the formerly vice president and new campaign, Johns Hopkins attitude from fundraising is someone chief development officer at the has built an impressive track else’s job to fundraising is one of University of Florida for a decade, record of engaging vast numbers the most important things that a took the helm as vice president for of constituents and exceeding trustee does.” development at Hopkins in 1994. campaign goals. He attributes much of Hopkins’ In building a culture of philanthropy, fundraising success to its reputation Haley Takes Hopkins into Haley recalls his staff members and its decentralized structure. New Era of Fundraising spent a great deal of time with “Hopkins is a first-class university When Robert “Rip” Haley joined faculty members, deans, and and hospital doing first-class work, Johns Hopkins as vice president for physicians. “Fundraising was still and it attracts people interested development in 1979, the university a sensitive issue. We had to show in supporting the very best,” he and hospital had a total of 16 physicians that their wealthy says. “It is a very decentralized development officers and very little patients were making charitable organization, which means deans, volunteer support. Haley believes gifts to other institutions, and department chairs, and individual one of his greatest accomplishments Hopkins should receive some of their faculty members have more at was establishing a strong volunteer support as well.” stake because they are responsible network. “There were two chairs for their bottom lines. Hopkins’ of the 1970s Hopkins Hundred In tandem with the growth of deans certainly are among the campaign, but there were virtually the fundraising effort was the best fundraising deans in the no other major gift fundraisers. We introduction of technology into country, and they have contributed demonstrated the importance of Hopkins’ development operation. enormously to the success of the volunteers in financially supporting “Technology helped us accumulate institution over time.” the institution.” Haley raised higher quality information on our awareness that active involvement prospects,” recounts Haley. “Thanks At the midpoint of The Johns in fundraising was critical for to technology, the amount of gifts Hopkins Initiative, Hopkins trustees, especially those interested from alumni, friends, and grateful conducted its first-ever campaign in chairing the boards. patients went off the charts.” feasibility study. Based on the positive results, the university He acknowledges two university As the number of gifts grew, so did extended the length of the board chairs who were particularly the advancement operation. By the campaign and increased its goal

8 Philanthropy

to $900 million, ultimately raising body of friends had continued to was connected to the medical school, $1.52 billion. Following a second grow.” He also credits an increased we might solicit the donor for an feasibility study, Hopkins made number of big gifts. The Knowledge endowed professorship.” By the time a bold move. “We launched the for the World campaign ended with Lindgren left Hopkins to assume the first back-to-back campaigns in nearly 80 percent of the dollars presidency of Randolph Macon the university’s history, an effort raised coming from $1 million-plus College in 2006, he was managing nearly unprecedented in the United gifts compared to around 60 percent 350 advancement professionals, States. At the time of its launch, the in the previous campaign. and the institution’s decentralized Knowledge for the World campaign development budget totaled some was one of eleven $2 billion During President William Brody’s $32 million. campaigns in American higher tenure, management of The Johns education,” relates Lindgren. Hopkins Hospital and School of Eicher Positions Hopkins Medicine was integrated under for the Future He admits that Hopkins was able to the umbrella of Johns Hopkins Mike Eicher, senior vice president pull off such a feat, in part, because Medicine, while the fundraising for external affairs and development, of the nature of its constituency. program had been integrated for joined Hopkins in 2006 from the “Half of our business is in medicine. many years. “If a donor aligned University of California, Los The grateful patient prospect pool with the hospital, we would raise Angeles, where he had worked is regenerated continuously, so you money for a hospital building or in development since 1986 and are not going back to the same group equipment,” relates Lindgren. “If a as vice chancellor since 1998. He of alumni, parents, and friends. Our donor aligned with a physician who has taken an approach he calls continued on page 10

Recent Hopkins Comprehensive Campaigns

Goal: $100 million Hopkins Hundred 1971-1976 Raised: $108.9 million

Goal: $450 million The Campaign for John Hopkins 1984-1990 Raised: $644 million

Goal: $900 million The Johns Hopkins Initiative 1994-2000 Raised: $1.52 billion

Goal: $2 billion Knowledge for the World 2000-2008 Raised: $3.741 billion

Source: The Johns Hopkins University

9