Share these talks and lectures with your colleagues
Invite colleaguesPractice paper
Advancing excellence: A strategic framework for organisational effectiveness in advancement
Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing,
9
(3),
237-249
(2024)
Abstract
From fiscal years 2010 to 2020, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) raised an average of USD$14.2m per year, an amount far below what is expected from a university that has been around for more than 100 years and with more than 120,000 living alumni. A new university president started in 2019 and realised the need to rebuild the advancement operation from the ground up. Her first cabinet hire was the Vice President for Institutional Advancement (VPIA), whose directive was clear: build advancement the right way for the long term. This vision, a departure from the conventional raise-as-much-as-possible-as-quickly-as-possible fundraising approach, emphasised sustainability over rapid gains, steering away from the common pitfalls of focusing solely on major donors and immediate results. Readers will learn the strategic framework the VPIA and Executive Leadership Team implemented to create a sustainable and successful fundraising operation that resulted in three consecutive record-breaking fundraising years while also increasing employee engagement and improving Institutional Advancement's campus reputation.
Keywords: leadership; organisational effectiveness; operational excellence
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Annie Quade has spent more than a decade in advancement and a variety of roles that span the engagement pipeline and serves as the Associate Vice President of Advancement Strategy & Engagement at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Overseeing their integrated engagement team, talent and people operations, Annie is responsible for enterprise engagement and the overall growth strategy for the division. She graduated from the University of Missouri, where she received a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's in public health. Prior to joining UTEP, Annie worked in frontline fundraising for her alma mater, first as a regional and planned giving officer and then as director for the School of Law. When she's not working, she can be found chasing after her two toddlers or (hopefully) catching a few moments of quiet and calm with her husband, John.
Jake Logan leads dedicated teams in the Office of Institutional Advancement in the areas of development, advancement services and alumni engagement. He has nearly 20 years of experience in non-profit fundraising, with more than 15 of those in higher education. Most recently, he served as President of the Ball State University Foundation and Vice President For University Advancement. Jake also served as Assistant Vice Chancellor for university programmes at the University of Missouri. Jake began his career in philanthropy with the American Heart Association, earning national recognition for his pioneering work in online fundraising strategies. He ultimately became Vice President For Field Development before leaving for academic advancement. He holds a Bachelor of Science in public relations from the University of Florida and a Master of non-profit management from the University of Oregon, where he finished at the top of his class. Jake and his wife, Sheena, are avid distance runners and have run four full marathons together.
