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Giving Day: Conducting a symphony or herding cats?
Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing,
7
(4),
362-371
(2023)
Abstract
A key irony that is uncovered is that beneath the surface of giving day fundraising frenzy is a strong and well-planned marketing infrastructure, and a gift processing operation that typically appears very structured on the surface needs to embrace the fun of the day and the ‘big picture’ effect its work has. This paper will provide a window to the George Mason University Giving Day strategy that resulted in a record giving effort for 2021. The overall theme of the paper is that, while giving day may appear to be a free-wheeling day of school spirit, a successful effort is based on good strategy, rigorous planning and executed on a solid framework. Key areas of focus include communication plans, website, events and workflows. Elements of success that are covered include investment in creating a culture of philanthropy, identifying and motivating networks, innovation and developing compelling messaging. Tactical topics such as: appeal codes, e-mail marketing tools and progress indicators are also covered. It also emphasises that a strong operational partnership with gift processing is needed to ensure that donors who were motivated to give are not only thanked in a timely manner but also that the data is used to feed the overall fundraising operation management process. Illustrations included provide visual identity branding examples, a visual of the Giving Day toolkit used to empower various divisions of the university in their efforts, a timeline of action for e-mail campaigns along with key data points for monitoring success, and a visual used by the gifts processing team to emphasise the big picture and effect in moves management areas such as: identification, cultivation, solicitation, stewardship and alumni network development.
Keywords: Giving Day; fundraising; campaigns; communications; social media; planning; audience; gift processing; strategy; teamwork
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
William Ayrea is the Director of Major and Planned Giving at The Madeira School and former Director of Annual Giving at George Mason University. While at Mason, William was responsible for soliciting all alumni, faculty/staff and parents for annual giving (<US$25,000) support. His department, consisting of three full-time and 30 part-time staff, utilised text, mail, phone, e-mail and social media communications vehicles to engage these audiences. Prior to his time at Mason, William served as the manager of the Indiana University Foundation call centre. He holds a BA from the same institution.
John Smilde is the Director of Gifts and Records Administration at George Mason University. His team is responsible for processing all gifts and maintaining biographical records for a decentralised university fundraising programme. Prior to this he has served other institutions in functions including: software implementation consultant, Director of Advancement Services, Director of Event Services, and as Campaign Director for a comprehensive campaign. He holds a BA in Business from Calvin University and a BSc in Computer Information Systems from Ferris State University.
