This document provides an overview of benchmarking strategies for higher education fundraising. It discusses insights from an index of fundraising performance, including overall giving levels, donor retention rates, reactivation of lapsed donors, and acquisition of new donors. The document then encourages institutions to benchmark their own fundraising metrics against peer institutions to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities to improve fundraising effectiveness and increase revenue. Sample benchmarking data is presented on topics like median donor participation rates, revenue changes, and factors that impact retention, reactivation and new donor acquisition.
1. BENCHMARKING FOR EFFECTIVE
ADVANCEMENT STRATEGIES
Facilitated by:
Brian Kish
Sr. Vice President,
University of Arizona Foundation
&
Consultant,
Campbell & Company
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2. AGENDA
• Insights from the Index of Higher Education Fundraising Performance
- Overall Giving
- Retention
- Reactivation
- Acquisition
• Benchmarking for your own institution
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3. HIGHER EDUCATION INDEX METHODOLOGY
• Index is published annually – reviews past three fiscal years
• 60 public and 51 private institutions
• Actual donor transactions, not survey responses
• Cash payment basis, not pledges
- (Gift of $1-49,999)
• Does not include:
- Soft credits
- Matching gift payments
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4. PA R T I C I PAT I N G P U B L I C I N S T I T U T I O N S
• Arizona State University • The Pennsylvania State • University of Michigan
• Bowling Green State University University • University of New Orleans
• Carleton University • Queen's University • University of North Carolina –
• Clemson University • Richard Ivey School of Business, Chapel Hill
• College of Charleston Western University • University of North Carolina -
• The College of William and Mary • Rutgers University Foundation Greensboro
• Colorado School of Mines • Ryerson University • University of North Carolina-
• Colorado State University • SAIT Polytechnic Wilmington
• Dalhousie University • St. Cloud State University • University of Oklahoma
• Darden School of Business at • University of Arizona • University of Oregon
UVA • University of California, Berkeley • University of Saskatchewan
• Indiana University Foundation Haas School of Business • University of South Dakota
• Iowa State University Foundation • UCLA Anderson School of • University of South Florida
• James Madison University Management • University of Texas at Austin
• Kent State University • University of California, Santa • University of Toronto
• McMaster University Barbara • University of Virginia
• Michigan State University • University of California, Santa • University of Waterloo
• Morehead State University Cruz • University of Wisconsin
• North Carolina State University • University of Delaware • Virginia Commonwealth
• Northern Illinois University • University of Georgia University
• Ohio University • University of Guelph • Western University
• The Ohio State University • University of Houston • The Wharton School of the
• Oklahoma State University • University of Kentucky University of Pennsylvania
• Oregon State University • University of Maryland • York University
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5. PA R T I C I PAT I N G P R I VAT E I N S T I T U T I O N S
• Allegheny College • Johns Hopkins University • Union College
• Boston University • Loyola University Chicago • University of Chicago
• Brandeis University • Loyola University New Orleans • University of Miami
• Polytechnic Institute of NYU • Luther Seminary • University of Richmond
• Carroll College • Marquette University • University of San Diego
• Carnegie Mellon University - • Massachusetts Institute of • Wake Forest University
Tepper School of Business Technology • Wofford College
• College of Saint Benedict • Mount Saint Mary's College • Yale Law School
• Columbia University • University of Notre Dame • Yale School of Management
• Cornell University • Northwestern University
• Creighton University • New York University
• Dartmouth College • Rice University
• Dartmouth Medical School • Rockhurst University
• Emmanuel College • Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Emerson College • Salve Regina University
• Emory University • Sarah Lawrence College
• Gardner Webb University • St. Louis University
• Gettysburg College • Smith College
• Gustavus Adolphus College • Southern Methodist University
• Hartwick College • St. Norbert College
• Harvard Medical School • Syracuse University
• Ithaca College • Texas Christian University
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7. OTHER PARTICIPATION TRENDS
CAE Alumni Participation Reports:
11.7% in 2007
10% in 2009
9.85% in 2010
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8. NEW + REACTIVATED DIVIDED BY ATTRITION RATE =
OVERALL PROGRAM HEALTH
15%
62% donor retention
38% attrition rate
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9. LIFETIME PARTICIPATION (PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUP)
• Classes of 2000-2009
- FY11: 3%
- Lifetime: 16%
• Classes of 1990-1999
- FY11: 4%
- Lifetime: 29%
• Classes of 1980-1989
- FY11: 6%
- Lifetime: 46%
• Classes of 1970-1979
- FY11: 8%
- Lifetime: 54%
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10. MEDIAN CHANGE IN DONOR COUNTS
2009 2010 2011
0.5% 0.1%
-0.5% -1.0%
-1.9%
-2.6%
-4.7%
-6.0% -5.7%
Private Public Overall
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11. MEDIAN CHANGE IN REVENUE
2009 2010 2011
6.9% 6.1%
4.4% 6.3%
4.7% 5.3%
-13.0% -12.8% -12.8%
Private Public Overall
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12. MEDIAN REVENUE PER DONOR
2009 2010 2011
$387
$359
$314 $295
$271 $269 $292
$246 $274
Private Public Overall
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13. CLOSER LOOK AT REVENUE (PUBLIC SCHOOLS GROUP)
Median Revenue Gained from New Donors:
$135,721
Median Revenue Gained from Reactivated Donors:
$522,130
Median Revenue Lost from Attrition:
$687,782
Median Revenue Gained from Upgrades of Retained Donors:
$907,680
Median Revenue Lost from Downgrades of Retained Donors:
$655,331
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18. MEDIAN NEW DONOR RETENTION RATE
2009 2010 2011
30% 30% 24% 27%
27% 25% 26% 27% 27%
Private Public Overall
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19. FA C T O R S I M PA C T I N G R E T E N T I O N
(PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUP)
• Loyalty: • Size of Gift:
- New: 26% - $1-24: 36%
- Reactivated: 42% - $25-49: 48%
- 2 yrs: 56% - $50-99: 55%
- 3-4 yrs: 70% - $100-249: 62%
- 5+ yrs: 83% - $250-499: 71%
- $500-999: 76%
• Gift Frequency - $1,000-1,499: 78%
- 1 Gift: 50% - $1,500-2,499: 80%
- 2 Gifts: 73%
- 3+ Gifts: 87%
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25. MEDIAN CHANGE IN NEW DONORS
2009 2010 2011
0.0%
-0.4%
-0.6%
-1.9%
-2.1%
-3.5%
-3.9% -4.4%
-9.2%
Private Public Overall
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26. MORE NEW DONOR BENCHMARKS
(PUBLIC SCHOOL GROUP)
• Median Revenue per New Donor
- $108
• Median Revenue per New Donor: Reunion vs. Non-Reunion
- Reunion: $109
- Non-Reunion: $106
• By Source
- 13% Mail
- 51% Phone
- 7% Web
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28. BENEFITS OF BENCHMARKING
Benchmarking helps institutions:
• Identify strengths and weaknesses
• Consider new methods, ideas and tools to improve effectiveness
• Crack through resistance to change
• Set higher standards
• Accelerate learning
• Make better decisions
• Improve allocation of scarce resources
• Justify fundraising investments
• Demonstrate efficiency to stakeholders/donors
• Preserve institutional memory through staff transitions
Raise more money for your school!
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29. PA R T I C I PAT E I N TA R G E T A N A LY T I C S
DONORCENTRICS
• Medical Schools
• Athletics new
• Mid-sized Public Schools
• Big 10/Big 12
• Parents Group new
• Business Schools
• Private College Consortium
• Canadian Schools
• Science and Tech Schools
• Faith-Based Schools
• Small Colleges
• Ivy League
• Women’s Colleges new
• Large Public Universities
• Law Schools
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